Stranger Things Creators Confirm Eleven’s Fate After Series Finale

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Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Stranger ThingsVolume Three.

Mike Wheeler was ready to turn some frowns upside down.

After five seasons, the hit show Stranger Things concluded with a shocking moment: fans thought Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) sacrificed herself to destroy the Upside Down. However, Finn Wolfhard, who played the group’s dungeon master, revealed a happier fate for her. Now, the show’s creators are sharing their perspective on Eleven’s final actions.

Did the teenager truly manage to escape, aided by her sister Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), and start a new life in a quiet village known for its three waterfalls?

In a recent Netflix interview, co-creator Matt Duffer explained they wanted to explore what life would be like for her after everything that happened, and how she could return to normalcy. He added that Mike, being the most hopeful of the group, chooses to believe her version of events.

The finale ended with a very emotional scene where Mike revealed to his friends – Will Byers, Dustin Henderson, Max Mayfield, and Lucas Sinclair – that the Eleven they were seeing near the Mac-Z portal wasn’t real. It was a trick created by Kali to help her sister get away from the Army.

As Eleven traveled away and finally arrived at the village, the group said goodbye with tears, each declaring, “I believe.”

However, Ross Duffer, one of the show’s creators, doesn’t definitively say she’s gone. He explained that she continues to exist in the memories of others, leaving it open whether that’s actually true.

Honestly, it broke my heart, but it made sense. The government still wanted Eleven – they hadn’t given up on trying to recreate whatever gave her those incredible abilities. Because of that, there was just no way she could be with Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will, no matter how much we all wanted it. They’d never let her go.

We and our writers didn’t want to diminish Eleven’s abilities,” he explained. “She embodies magic, and also the wonder of being a child. To allow the characters to grow and bring the story of Hawkins and the Upside Down to an end, Eleven needed to leave.

We wanted our characters to hold onto hope for a happy ending, even if we didn’t definitively show them getting it. We felt it was a more satisfying way to conclude the story and to illustrate their growth from childhood to adulthood, simply by having them believe in that possibility.

Now that the characters are finishing up their adventures, here are some surprising secrets from Stranger Things. You won’t need any special equipment to discover them!

Before creating Stranger Things, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer worked on M. Night Shyamalan’s TV series Wayward Pines. Their initial idea for the show was actually called Montauk.

As a huge fan, I remember hearing about how difficult it was to even name the show! Matt Duffer explained in an interview with The Daily Beast back in 2016 that once they had a title they loved, getting others on board with it – or even considering a different one – was a real struggle. Apparently, when they first suggested Stranger Things, it wasn’t immediately embraced by everyone. It’s amazing how far that title has come, considering the initial resistance!

The creators of the show originally planned to film on Long Island, but it turned out to be too difficult to do so.

Matt told The Hollywood Reporter they chose Montauk as a filming location because of its beautiful coastline, its connection to the setting of Jaws (which they love), and the overall cool vibe. However, they quickly realized shooting on Long Island during the winter would be both incredibly difficult and costly.

Atlanta ultimately became the home base for production.

Before Netflix decided to air the show, nearly 20 other networks turned it down, as reported by Vulture. Executives at those networks didn’t think viewers would connect with a series featuring four child actors.

4. To play Eleven, then 12-year-old Millie Bobby Brown had to say goodbye to her hair.

Let me tell you, shaving my head was honestly the most powerful thing I’ve ever done. It sounds dramatic, but with each strand that fell, I felt like I was shedding old layers and truly seeing myself. It was like I’d been hiding behind my hair for so long, and suddenly, there was just…me. Looking in the mirror, I had this incredible realization: my purpose wasn’t about how I looked, but about inspiring others. And you know what? Beauty has absolutely nothing to do with hair!

Okay, so like, her style? It’s EVERYTHING. I swear, she’s completely obsessed with Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road – I mean, who isn’t?! But it’s not just that! She also spends hours looking at old yearbook photos of Winona Ryder! It’s seriously the coolest mix of badass and vintage vibes, and I’m living for it. I’ve noticed it in everything she does!

She mentioned that Winona Ryder’s short, pixie haircut was iconic, and it inspired her to try the style herself.

The British actress shared a surprising source she used to nail her American accent: Miley Cyrus’s show, Hannah Montana. She told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that the show was “so good,” praising everything about it and crediting it with helping her master the accent.

The Duffer brothers chose the four young actors who would play the main characters by having them audition using scenes from the movie Stand By Me.

The brothers had a specific vision for the character of Mike. However, that changed after Finn Wolfhard’s audition.

Matt explained to The Daily Beast in 2016 that Mike Wheeler was initially conceived as a more wistful and imaginative character, similar to Mikey from The Goonies. However, after seeing Finn Wolfhard’s naturally anxious and energetic personality, the writers tailored the character to better suit him.

Gaten Matarazzo, who played Dustin, also had a big impact on the show. According to Matt, they initially envisioned Dustin as a typical nerd, but after meeting Gaten, they rewrote the character to better suit his personality and talents.

After the show featured Eleven’s love for Eggo waffles, Kellogg’s experienced a notable surge in sales. They reported a 14

In early 2018, David Harbour became an internet sensation when he agreed to take a fan’s senior portraits for her. It all started when she tweeted asking if he would pose with her, offering a retweet goal. He responded that he’d do it for 25,000 retweets, with the added condition of wearing the school sweatshirt and holding a trombone. True to his promise, he followed through and took her photos.

He joked on Instagram, saying he was ‘most likely to hijack someone’s high school senior photos 24 years later.’

Later that year, Harbour playfully offered to officiate a fan’s wedding if she could get 125,000 retweets and promise him the first piece of cake. He became legally ordained and ended up performing the ceremony while dressed as his character, Chief Hopper.

Fans often speculated that Eleven might be Hopper’s biological daughter, but he ultimately became her adoptive father. A touching detail revealed in the season two finale was Eleven wearing a blue braided bracelet – a bracelet Hopper always wore, made from a ribbon belonging to his deceased daughter – to her school dance.

Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, revealed that her first-ever kiss was with Finn Wolfhard (Mike) during season one of the show. She described the experience as ‘strange,’ adding that having a large crew watching made it feel overwhelming – ‘like, ‘Whoa!”

She shared what her co-star quietly said to her right before they had to kiss for a second time on the show.

She recounted that he warned her he was about to kiss her, saying something like, ‘I’m coming in,’ but he did it in a really strange way, almost like a ventriloquist. She described it as a very bizarre experience.

Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton, who star as Nancy and Jonathan in the show, started dating in 2016 and have generally kept their romance out of the public eye.

Natalia explained to Refinery 29 that she generally prefers to keep her personal life—family and friends—private. However, she also acknowledged that collaborating with someone you see outside of work can be enjoyable, saying, ‘It’s always really fun.’

Surprisingly, Joe Keery’s character, Steve Harrington, wasn’t originally meant to survive the first season of the show.

According to Ross, they quickly grew fond of Joe Keery, who played Steve, while filming the first season. This affection led them to create a storyline where Steve teams up with Jonathan and Nancy to help resolve the central conflict. Originally, Steve was intended to be a stereotypical, unpleasant athlete, but Keery brought much more depth to the character.

18. Also slated to perish was Eleven. Yes, really. 

In the book Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down, Ross Duffer explained that the original plan was for Eleven to sacrifice herself to save everyone. However, when they realized the show might continue beyond one season, they decided against a definitive ending for her character. They understood that Stranger Things wouldn’t work without Eleven, and they recognized how talented Millie Bobby Brown was. If the show continued, Eleven needed to survive.

The seventh episode of the second season, called “The Lost Sister,” nearly didn’t air. The Duffer brothers told Vulture they worried the episode—which focuses on Eleven searching for another child with similar experiences—would disrupt the story’s flow.

Matt explained that as they started writing the episode, they questioned whether it was even necessary. They seriously considered cutting it entirely, but the planned ending involving Eleven didn’t work without it – it just didn’t feel right. Ultimately, they decided the episode was essential.

20. Eleven’s sibling was written to be a boy, with the episode originally titled “The Lost Brother.” 

Once the audition was open to all young actors, Linnea Berthelsen won the role. The resulting episode showed Eleven meeting her “sister,” Kali. According to Matt, Linnea and Millie (who plays Eleven) had a strong connection, and Millie specifically requested to work with Linnea.

Nicola Coughlan, the actress known for her role in Bridgerton, originally tried out for the part of Robin. However, she later landed the role of Penelope Featherington. Maya Hawke ended up getting the role of Robin, and Nicola has said Hawke was much better suited for it than she would have been.

She explained that actors can learn a lot by looking at roles they didn’t land. It helps them realize rejection isn’t personal – everyone is simply better suited for certain parts and not others.

You might recognize Madelyn Cline – she’s famous now as Sarah on Outer Banks! But before that, she actually had a role on Stranger Things. She played Tina, one of the not-so-nice girls at Hawkins High, back in season two. It’s fun to see how far she’s come!

To land the role of Billy, the rebellious older stepbrother of Max (played by Sadie Sink), Australian actor Dacre Montgomery created a memorable audition tape. He told GQ he aimed to impress the Duffer brothers with something bold and a little edgy.

Let me tell you, taking risks can really pay off! This actor, Dacre, was told to send in a self-tape, but it wasn’t your typical audition. They asked him to film himself dancing – and I mean really dancing – to 80s classics like “Come on Eileen” and “Hungry Like the Wolf,” wearing next to nothing! He was understandably nervous, worried it could end his career, but he took the leap, hoping someone would see something special in him. And guess what? It worked! Someone took a chance on him, and it totally paid off. It just goes to show, sometimes you have to be bold to get ahead.

As the show began its third season, Deadline reported significant pay raises for the cast. The younger actors saw their per-episode earnings jump from around $30,000 to over $200,000, and potentially as high as $250,000. Winona Ryder and David Harbour were reportedly earning between $300,000 and $350,000 per episode, while Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton were making $100,000 to $150,000.

Priah Ferguson was originally scheduled for just one episode in season two as Erica, Lucas’s feisty younger sister. However, the Duffer brothers were so impressed with her performance that they continued to include her, eventually making her a main cast member in the next season.

Because the young actors were still growing during filming, the costume designers had a hard time making sure their clothes fit consistently from scene to scene.

It was quite a challenge keeping up with the kids’ growing feet,” costume designer Kim Wilcox explained to TopMob News. “One child, in particular, outgrew his shoes every three weeks, gaining about half a size at a time!” To solve this, Wilcox sourced shoes from companies that offered the same style in a range of sizes. “We’d purchase five pairs of each size so we’d always have a replacement when a child had a growth spurt.”

The Duffer brothers, while inspired by classic films like The Goonies, E.T., and Stand By Me, made sure their references weren’t too obvious.

When we initially presented the project to Netflix, we created a lengthy, two-and-a-half-minute trailer. It combined clips and ideas from around 20 to 30 different movies to give a sense of the Stranger Things story, but these were mostly concepts we had in mind at the time, as Matt explained to The Daily Beast. Those films were hugely influential on us growing up and are deeply ingrained in our creative process. However, when we were actually writing the episodes, we rarely discussed other movies. We focused on telling the story and letting the characters drive the plot. Otherwise, it would have become disjointed and confusing.

The team aimed for a retro look by minimizing special effects, but they soon realized it was much harder than they expected.

Initially, we aimed to use only practical effects, but we quickly learned how challenging that is – we really gained a new appreciation for the teams behind films like The Thing and Alien. Practical effects require a lot of time and planning. We were developing scripts rapidly, but didn’t have the six months needed to properly prepare everything. By the time we got to set, many of the ideas that seemed good in theory just weren’t feasible due to the time constraints.

The creators, the Duffer brothers, originally planned for ‘Stranger Things’ to last five seasons. According to Netflix executive Matthew Thunell, many of their ideas from 2015 are now coming to fruition as the series nears its conclusion. Variety reported that each episode of season four cost around $30 million to produce.

Although the creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer brothers, know how the show will end, they aren’t finished exploring the story and the world of the Upside Down.

In an interview with Variety, the creators revealed they have a spin-off idea they’re really enthusiastic about, but it’s still in the very early stages – they haven’t even shared the concept with anyone yet. Although they’ve been trying to keep it under wraps, Matt and Ross confessed that Finn had already correctly guessed what the series would be about, calling it ‘very, very different.’ They emphasized that Finn is the only one who knows the premise so far.

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2026-01-01 22:49