It’s been a long nine years of Stranger Things, but the Hawkins saga finally wrapped up yesterday with the two-hour blockbuster finale, The Rightside Up. While we finally saw Vecna defeated and the Upside Down sealed for good, the internet is currently in a civil war over Eleven’s fate, and the show’s creators have just stepped in to ruin one of our only comforting theories.
In a scene that left us all sobbing, Eleven chose to vanish inside the wormhole as it collapsed, sacrificing herself to save the world. However, an epilogue featuring Mike led many people to believe El might have pulled a fast one, faking her death to live a quiet life far away from the government’s reach.
Credit: Netflix
The proof? A moment during Mike’s high school graduation where the speakers distort. People convinced themselves this was Eleven using her powers to make contact from afar.
Sadly, Matt Duffer has officially broken our hearts. Speaking to Variety, he confirmed that the speaker glitch was definitely not a long-distance call from Eleven.
“The only thing I’ll debunk is that Eleven does not communicate with Mike in any way,” Matt revealed. Apparently, the speaker distortion was actually just the principal being “so angry” during Dustin’s chaotic graduation speech.
According to Matt, the moment was actually about Mike’s internal realisation: “It makes him realize that there was the kryptonite. So how could she have possibly made it all the way to the gate? Not only that. How could she have possibly used her powers to bring him into the void?”
So, is she actually alive?
Credit: Netflix
While the creators were happy to shut down the speaker theory, they’re keeping the rest of Eleven’s fate frustratingly vague. They suggested that while Mike’s hope might be misplaced, other characters, like Kali, could have played a role.
“We like that it’s up to the audience,” Matt said. “Obviously, we tell you what the characters choose.”
One thing is for certain, though: There was never a version of the script where El got a happy ending back in Mike’s basement. Ross Duffer added: “It was never going to be that simple and that easy.”
So, while we might never know exactly where Eleven ended up, we officially know she isn’t haunting the graduation ceremony.
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Featured image credit: Netflix
