Despite many fans feeling a little disappointed by the Stranger Things season 5 finale, Eleven star Millie Bobby Brown seems to be happy with her character's ending.
Halfway through the finale, Eleven decides to stay inside the gate just as Hopper's bomb detonates, blowing up the Upside Down and destroying everything inside it, including Eleven. In an interview with Tudum, Brown says Eleven's choice was "so beautiful and cathartic" and something she had wanted for a "very long time."
Eleven ultimately sacrificed herself so that Dr. Kay or anybody else would never be able to use her powers for evil again, avoiding any future chance of opening up another gate. You can read more on that in our Stranger Things season 5 finale ending explained. "I just think it's incredibly important that it all ends for her, and the suffering and the pain end," said Brown.
However, during the epilogue, we learn that Eleven's love interest Mike Wheeler doesn't believe that Eleven is dead. Mike spins a different story about his girlfriend's fate, telling his friends that Kali actually projected an image of Eleven at the gate, whilst the real El escaped behind the soldiers. In Mike's daydreams, we see Eleven living remotely in Iceland, visiting the waterfalls they had spoken about earlier. "I kinda love that ending, that there is just such a bigger purpose to Kali's powers," added Brown.
So, is Eleven alive? On the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, series creators the Duffer brothers said that they left Eleven's fate "ambiguous" so that viewers can choose for themselves what happened to her, confirming that only they and Brown know what really happened to her. On the other hand, Brown co-star Sadie Sink seems to think Eleven really is gone, as she told The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, "I think she's dead… I think, like, Mike's story is just one last story."
The complete Stranger Things series is available to watch on Netflix now, and you can read our Stranger Things season 5 finale review for a deep dive. For more, check out our guide to the best Netflix shows, and keep up with new TV shows.
