As Eleven and her friends set off to defeat Vecna and the Mind Flayer once and for all, the season 5 finale left things quite ambiguous behind major character deaths, including one particular member of the crew. This article explores what really happened in the ending and whether or not it is true that El has officially met her demise.
WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the Stranger Things season 5 finale, so proceed with caution.
What Happened to Eleven in the Stranger Things Finale?
.jpg?width=700&quality=10&blur=40)
Eleven, Max, and Kali's plan to enter Vecna's (aka Henry Creel) mind succeeded. They infiltrated Henry's home with the kids, disrupted his ritual to become his vessel that would destroy Hawkins, and managed to evacuate the kids to safety.
While the series finale uncovered the truth about Henry's origins, he refused to work with Will and the others, fully on board with what the Mind Flayer has in store.
El didn't give in. She faced the Mind Flayer head-on and infiltrated its base as she had grown stronger and faster, enough to defeat and kill Vecna through the heart. But Stranger Things didn't end there. Instead, El's friends are brought back to the Upside Down, where they were about to get arrested by authorities. What Mike Wheeler noticed was that El wasn't with them.
She brought Mike inside her mind to say her final goodbyes. As it turns out, she was still planning to go forward with the mission to destroy Dimension X and the Upside Down on her own. El bid Mike goodbye and specifically instructed him to tell their friends "in the way they would understand."
Just as everything seemed dandy and a happily ever after waiting in Hawkins, Mike the Storyteller finishes off their Dungeons & Dragons campaign with a twist. Each of their friends does get their happy endings, including El, despite her death. Instead of telling them she had died, he left it at an ambiguous ending.
As Mike told, El might have escaped, instead of vanishing with the Upside Down, that Kali, on her dying breath, used her powers to turn invisible to help save El in the end.
However, there were no post-credits or cliffhanger scenes that suggest this is true. As Mike said, he "imagines" this would be how El's story ends. The series left the viewers to decide whether she died or not.
Who Else Died in Stranger Things Season 5? How It All Ends
.jpg?width=700&quality=10&blur=40)
Kali (played by Linnea Berthelsen) died in the finale. She and Hopper refused to tell the soldiers where El went. So, the soldiers shot Kali at the Hawkins Lab. El came too late.
At one point, Steve nearly fell to his death from the WSQK radio tower. Right on the brink of falling, Jonathan managed to grab his hand and pull him back up. The rescue opened the conversation for the two to address the issue about Nancy. Jonathan told Steve that he was never the issue in their relationship. Meanwhile, Steve just wants to keep Nancy as a friend.
In the end, Jonathan and Nancy went through an "un-proposal." As the Duffer Brothers confirmed, the engagement scene was actually a break-up scene between the two. Steve, on the other hand, achieved his dream of having "six little nuggets" by becoming a baseball coach and sex-ed teacher in Hawkins.
As for the others? They lived to tell the tale.
How did you feel about the Stranger Things season 5 finale? What's your favorite ending? Share those thoughts in the comments below!
Keep it locked on Epicstream.com, the best source for film, TV, and celebrity coverage!