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Is Eleven dead in 'Stranger Things'? Duffer brothers reveal why her fate remains a mystery

The Duffer Brothers revealed why Eleven's fate remained uncertain in the final episode of 'Stranger Things'

Netflix's 'Stranger Things' Season 5 finale delivered an epic showdown between the Hawkins kids and Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), making for an epic series finale. The final few minutes of the last episode showed that every character has now embraced their new reality, with their town free from the dark shadow of Vecna. However, the high-stakes finale also hinted at a very ambiguous ending for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Following the conclusion of the show, creators Matt and Ross Duffer opened up about Eleven and what really happened to her.

The fate of Eleven after the 'Stranger Things' finale is left intentionally ambiguous. While the events suggest she may have sacrificed herself in the Upside Down to stop the military from creating more people like her, Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) offers an alternative theory. After seeing that Eleven wasn't affected by the Gate's devices, he imagines that Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) helped create an illusion of Eleven while the real one escaped, as per ScreenRant. Then, a brief glimpse shows her hiking in a scenic location, but it's unclear whether this is real or just Mike's hopeful story. The Party chooses to believe she's still out there, giving them hope.

The Duffer brothers confirmed that Eleven's disappearance was necessary, stating that "Eleven had to go away" to ensure she and her friends could be safe, leaving her ultimate fate up to the viewers' interpretation. Matt explained, "There are two roads that Eleven could take. There's this darker, more pessimistic one or the optimistic, hopeful one. Mike is the optimist of the group and has chosen to believe in that story," as per Cosmopolitan.

Ross explained why Eleven didn't stay with the group, saying, "There was never a version of the story where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end. For us and our writers, we didn't want to take her powers away. She represents magic in a lot of ways and the magic of childhood. For our characters to move on and for the story of Hawkins and the Upside Down to come to a close, Eleven had to go away."

He added, "We thought it would be beautiful if our characters continued to believe in that happier ending even if we didn't give them a clear answer to whether that’s true or not. The fact that they're believing in it, we just thought it was such a better way to end the story and a better way to represent the closure of this journey and their journey from children to adults."

Matt also talked about Eleven's absence, saying, "And the reality is, if Eleven is out there, the most that they could hope for is a belief that it's true because they can't be in contact with her. Everything falls apart if that were the case. So if that's the narrative, this is really the best way to keep her alive. And it's about Mike and everyone finding a way to move past what’s happened."