There is an unspoken golden rule in television. That is, the characters are never truly dead until we see their bodies.
That’s why many Stranger Things fans still believe that Eleven survived the series finale. The final episode ends with Mike Wheeler imagining a future in which he survives the Upside Down showdown with Vecna.
It was inevitable that Millie Bobby Brown would be faced with that very question during her first major post-Stranger Things press tour. During a live recording of “Happy Sad Confused” at 92 New York, Josh Horowitz playfully prodded Brown about the fate of Eleven, which is likely to be the first of many similar moments she faces throughout the rest of her career, or at least until the Duffer brothers allow her to break her contract.
Brown told Horowitz that co-creators sent her an email after the final episode aired asking her not to reveal Eleven’s fate to the world.
“They were like, ‘Don’t tell anyone, we made it a secret,'” Brown said Wednesday night. “No one else knows. It’s just the three of us. And it’s up to them to decide what to do with that information.”
After the final episode aired on New Year’s Eve, Brown and her husband, Jake Bongiovi, watched as reactions poured in online. Fans weren’t the only ones left in the dark. Her castmates also had different opinions about what actually happened to Eleven.
“Jake was like, ‘Oh, this is really divisive,’ and the whole cast thinks I’m dead,” Brown said playfully. “One, it’s disrespectful. It’s very disrespectful to them. It must mean something. You guys are projecting! It’s like, ‘Hey, guys, I get it. You want me to die!'” But I was like, “Trust me!” Let’s have some hope here. ”
David Harbor, who played Hawkins Police Chief Jim Hopper (Elle’s father) in the series, said in a cover story interview with Variety that her death was clear from the beginning. “A lot of people think maybe she’s in Spain or something,” he says. “But from the beginning of that series, we love this little girl, but you really can’t have a little girl running around with supernatural powers in Hawkins, Indiana. She can’t exist.”
Sadie Sink was similarly convinced during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” “Is it a hot take or something? Mike’s story is the last story and then they say goodbye to their childhood. It’s the last story and that’s it. It’s just a coping mechanism. (It’s) stronger, right?”
However, not everyone in the cast agrees. During a recent fan appearance at PeopleCon, Noah Schnapp asked the audience if anyone believed Eleven was dead. After some muttering, he wagged his finger and said, “No, she’s alive,” giving the crowd a thumbs up and a smile.
Horowitz did the same thing during a live recording of his podcast with Brown, stating that about 80 to 90 percent of the audience believed Eleven was still alive. “We have an audience full of expectations,” Brown exclaimed. “I love that!”
When asked the question again, Brown concluded: “Now all people say is, ‘Do you believe?'” And of course I do. To be honest, you have to believe it. Otherwise, it will be January again. ”
Brown was referring to the slump he felt after the end of the “Stranger Things” series. “I went into a little mild, mild depression,” she revealed. “It was very hard for me. I didn’t expect something like that to happen from the show. I’m a very lucky person.”
Brown said she spent the month reconnecting with her “Stranger Things” co-stars to “repair” any unresolved tensions and reaffirm that their personal relationships would continue after the series ended.
“They probably thought I was crazy,” Brown said. “I was like, ‘We’re still friends, right? Why don’t you just stop talking to me?'” I was like, ‘If I’ve ever offended you, I’m sorry,’ and I was just trying to fix whatever. “It’s been 10 years and I really want to be friends. You’re my brother. Then I was on the beach and I just sat there and cried because it was so beautiful. It was a very difficult time for me.”
“And no one will ever understand it,” she continued. “I started this show when I was 10 years old and this character is who I am and these people have been in my life more than my own family. I’ve seen them more than coming home and having dinner with my family. Saying goodbye after 10 years was very, very emotional. I’ll miss Eleven more than anything.”
In a post-finale interview with Variety’s Kate Orser, the Duffer brothers explained that despite the intentionally ambiguous circumstances, there was no script for a version of “It was 11 o’clock in that basement” where they played the final Dungeons & Dragons campaign with their friends. Ross Duffer said, “We were finding a way to get an ending that wasn’t that simple, but it was bittersweet and we also found there was hope.”
The co-creators declined to elaborate further on Elle’s fate, but acknowledged that “Eleven has not communicated with Mike in any way” and that even if she were alive, a reunion was unlikely.
“If we make contact, we risk bringing her back outside and starting the cycle again,” Ross continued. “So I don’t think Mike’s version of the story will involve them getting back together.”
As for the future of “Stranger Things,” Brown teased that plans for future projects with Harbor are “specific.” When I asked for more details, she suggested a riddle. “We are father and daughter, and Netflix will always be our home.”
Later in the conversation, Brown said he’s “slowly developing projects at my home studio, Netflix,” including the romantic comedy “Just Picture It,” with Gabrielle LaBelle. She also hinted that the TV series “Prism” may be put on hold as she figures out “time and[her own]schedule” before returning to the project with Harbor.
“The David Harbor project is coming along faster than I expected,” she said with a smile. “It was David’s idea, so kudos to him.”
