The final episode of Netflix’s Stranger Things aired at the end of 2025 and became a huge worldwide event. Since then, fans have been discussing the show’s story and background, and that conversation will likely continue with new spin-off projects like the animated series Tales from ’85. However, many Stranger Things fans weren’t satisfied with the ending created by The Duffer Brothers. In fact, the final season proved to be quite controversial, similar to the ending of Game of Thrones.
The ending of Stranger Things is sparking some debate, as one of the show’s stars has expressed disappointment with how things wrapped up, suggesting it wasn’t as happy as the show intended.
A controversial part of the Stranger Things finale was what happened to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). (Spoiler alert!) After the fight with Vecna, Eleven seemingly sacrificed herself by staying in the crumbling Upside Down to prevent the people who created her and Vecna from ever posing a threat again. However, the show ends with Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) suggesting a different outcome. He believes Eleven used her psychic “sister,” Eight/Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), to make it look like she died, when actually she escaped to start a new, private life and find her own way in the world.
The final scene showed Eleven traveling the world, eventually finding the “three waterfalls” Mike had always talked about as their perfect place. However, the creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers, have said this ending is intentionally open to interpretation, and they encourage fans to come up with their own theories. It seems the actors are also getting in on the speculation, and are sharing their thoughts more and more.
Stranger Things Star Declares That It’s Over, “R.I.P. Eleven”
Caleb McLaughlin, known for his role in Stranger Things, recently discussed his new animated movie, Goat, on The View. During the interview, he was asked about the ending of Stranger Things and whether he agreed with his former co-star, Sadie Sink, that Eleven had sacrificed herself. McLaughlin sided with Sink, saying he believes Eleven is gone and should be considered ‘rest in peace’.
Caleb McLaughlin shared that while he personally thought his character, Lucas Sinclair, would have believed Mike’s account of events, Eleven’s fate was intentionally left ambiguous by the Duffer Brothers. They wanted to allow for the possibility of a happy ending for Eleven. However, the cast is eager to conclude the series and would prefer a definitive answer confirming Eleven’s death and bringing Stranger Things to a final close.
You can watch Stranger Things on Netflix. And don’t miss Tales from ’85, which starts streaming on April 23rd! Join the conversation about the show’s finale on the ComicBook Forum.
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2026-02-09 22:10