Stanger Things Series Finale: Eleven's Ending Explained By Showrunners

The following post contains heavy spoilers for the "Stranger Things" series finale, "Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up."

After nearly a decade, "Stranger Things" has come to an end, and everyone has strong opinions about the way the show concluded its story. Even amongst the /Film staff, opinions are mixed, as some feel the series finale was perfectly satisfying until its epilogue deflated the tension and the emotions of the episode.

A big point of contention is the character of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), whose fate is left ambiguous in the show. The last we see of her, she is sacrificing herself and staying behind as the Upside Down collapses on itself, dying in order to ensure the U.S. military cannot keep replicating Vecna's (Jamie Campbell Bower) powers using different kids. And yet, at the very end of the series finale, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) tells the rest of the gang his theory that Eleven might actually be alive and living in some remote location — finally at peace.

Speaking with Netflix's Tudum, "Stranger Things" creators Matt and Ross Duffer explained why they left the ending to Eleven's story ambiguous. "There are two roads that Eleven could take. There's this darker, more pessimistic one or the optimistic, hopeful one," Matt Duffer observed. "Mike is the optimist of the group and has chosen to believe in that story."

Just in case you were wondering if there was ever a chance we could have seen Eleven show up for Mike and the gang's final "Dungeons & Dragons" game, Ross Duffer has bad news. "There was never a version of the story where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end," he admitted.

"[Eleven] represents magic in a lot of ways and the magic of childhood," Ross Duffer continued. "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. 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."

Unsurprisingly, this ambiguousness wasn't a big hit with fans. As soon as the episode finished, there was a flood of complaints on social media from people furious about Eleven either dying to save a world that treated her absolutely horribly or surviving only to be completely alone again and isolated from her loved ones. It's a horrible way to end that character's story, and without a doubt the worst decision in the finale. The thought that the "happy" ending for Eleven, at least the one where she doesn't die an excruciating death in an alternate universe imploding, is one where she's forever alone and unable to form any kind of human connection for fear of being discovered feels like a betrayal of the character.

Continuing, Matt Duffer added, "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." That doesn't exactly sound like a comforting ending, does it?

You can stream all of "Stranger Things" on Netflix.