Millie Bobby Brown Finally Addresses Eleven’s Fate After the STRANGER THINGS Finale
The series finale of Stranger Things wrapped up the journeys of its core characters in ways that felt mostly clear cut. Mike finds his voice as a writer. Lucas and Max choose to build a life together in Hawkins. Will leaves town for a fresh start. Dustin heads off to college.
But one question refuses to settle among fans, and that’s the fate of Eleven. Now, Millie Bobby Brown is opening up about the ending and what it means for El.
As the Upside Down collapses, Eleven appears to stay behind, seemingly sacrificing herself as the gate closes. The final moments don’t confirm her death, though, and that uncertainty has fueled debate.
Within the story itself, Mike Wheeler offers a hopeful explanation. He believes Eleven’s final appearance at the gate might’ve been an illusion created by Kali, allowing El to escape and live a quiet life somewhere far from Hawkins. It’s an ending that invites interpretation, letting both the characters and the audience decide what they believe happened.
Speaking with Netflix Tudum, Brown explained that this outcome was something she’d been hoping for long before cameras stopped rolling. She described the choice as emotionally fulfilling and necessary for the character.
“I just think it’s incredibly important that it all ends for her, and the suffering and the pain end.”
She also addressed the theory surrounding Kali and the possible illusion, admitting she’s drawn to the idea that there’s more at play than what we see on screen.
“I kinda love that ending, that there is just such a bigger purpose to Kali’s powers. Everything has a purpose, and everything is there for a reason.”
That open-ended approach is exactly why the finale has split the fanbase. Some viewers wanted a clearer answer and feel Eleven earned a more concrete resolution. Others argue that leaving things unresolved adds emotional weight.
There are also plenty of questions about the mechanics of the illusion itself, like how Kali would’ve known when to act or whether she even survived long enough to pull it off.
What’s harder to argue against is the emotional logic behind Eleven’s choice. For the first time in her life, El isn’t being used, chased, or controlled. She makes the decision herself. That’s reinforced in her goodbye with Hopper, which frames her staying behind as an act of agency rather than fate closing in on her.
The idea that Eleven might still be alive also matters for the characters left behind. Whether it’s true or simply something they need to believe, that hope allows Mike and the others to move forward. It gives them closure without erasing the bond they shared with her. It neatly shuts the door on the series while leaving a crack of light around Eleven’s story.
If Eleven did survive, she finally gets the peaceful life she was denied for so long. And if she didn’t, the belief that she did becomes a powerful way for everyone else to heal. Either way, Stranger Things ends with its most important character finally free.