Stranger Things creators Duffer brothers defend ambiguous ending of Eleven: ‘Best way to keep her alive’

Stranger Things Season 5 finale streamed online on Netflix, revealing the fate of the Hawkins crew. While the group successfully closes the door to the Upside Down as they fight Vecna one more time, they also lose their beloved friend, Eleven. El sacrifices herself in the end.

Eleven's ending in Stranger Things Season 5 last episode

However, the ending of Eleven has been left upto the imagination of the viewers.

El (played by Millie Bobby Brown) vanished along with the Upside Down in episode 8. Mike believes that she survives and moves far away to a new place where she meets new people. On an optimistic note, the group hopes that she finally finds happiness.

Makers on Eleven's ending

Talking about it, the creators of the show, the Duffer brothers, defended their decision amid mixed reviews towards the show ending.

They called it the only way to keep El alive in the show.

Matt Duffer told Tudum, “What we wanted to do was confront the reality of what her situation was after all of this and how could she live a normal life. These are the questions that we’ve been posing this season that Hopper just doesn’t even want to think or talk about. Mike’s obviously talked about it a lot, but it’s sort of this fantasy version that would never work. There are two roads that Eleven could take. There’s this darker, more pessimistic one or the optimistic, hopeful one. Mike is the optimist of the group and has chosen to believe in that story.”

“Eleven had to go away”

Ross Duffer added that Eleven was never supposed to have an ending with the group.

“There was never a version of the story where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end. For us and our writers, we didn’t want to take her powers away. She represents magic in a lot of ways and the magic of childhood. 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. The fact that they’re believing in it, we just thought it was such a better way to end the story and a better way to represent the closure of this journey and their journey from children to adults,” Ross Duffer said.

Matt Duffer justified how the ending was required for everyone to move past in the story.

“And the reality is, 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. And it’s about Mike and everyone finding a way to move past what’s happened,” added Matt Duffer.

Stranger Things Season 5 finale is titled- The Rightside Up.