Warning: This article contains spoilers for the finale of Stranger Things
Millie Bobby Brown's reaction when she was asked if she was 'happy' with Eleven's ending in Stranger Things prior to the premiere of the finale has gone viral.
Three episodes of the much-loved sci-fi show dropped on Netflix on Christmas Day, while the finale dropped on the popular streaming platform on New Year's Eve/New Year's Day, depending on what timezone you are in.
Stranger Things started nearly a decade ago, with long-running storylines finally coming to a conclusion in the explosive final episode earlier this week.
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Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of Stranger Things, dropped a massive clue and potential spoiler for the finale as the usually tight-lipped brothers discussed fan theories ahead of the final offering.
All the speculation was put to bed with the finale, though some fans were not impressed with the conclusion and even dubbed it 'worse' than the ending of HBO's Game of Thrones.
Back in November 2025, just before season five of Stranger Things hit Netflix, Bobby Brown was asked by the YouTube channel Hugo Gloss if she was 'happy' about her character's ending.
Sitting alongside co-star Noah Schnapp, the 21-year-old pulled an awkward face before nodding and simply saying: "Mm-hm."
I mean, that wasn't exactly promising!
Well, fans have since found that the fate of Eleven is slightly confusing, and given that no more episodes of Stranger Things are coming, it will have them talking about it for years.
Spoilers ahead!
It initially looked as though Eleven made the ultimate sacrifice by staying behind in the Upside Down as it was destroyed by the gang, shortly after they finally defeated Vecna, but an 18-month time jump showed Mike explaining his theory that Eleven had actually survived.
Finn Wolfhard's character seemed to insinuate that Eleven's lab sister Kali, who appeared to die at the hands of the military, had survived and tricked everyone into thinking Eleven had died.
But any hope of Eleven returning to Hawkins was quickly quashed by the Duffer brothers as they spoke about the much-discussed Stranger Things ending.
"There was never a version of the story where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end," the siblings said.
"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."
While it may have divided many viewers, the Duffer brothers could never see another way in which Stranger Things could conclude.
As per Tudum, Matt said: "A lot of the finale is about growing up. It’s the end of a long coming-of-age story and part of coming of age is leaving your parents and making your own decisions.
"That’s the moment where Eleven reaches that point and Hopper realizes he does have to let go."
Topics: Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown, Netflix, Streaming, Film and TV
Callum Jones