Stranger Things has officially ended on Netflix after five seasons spanning nine years. It’s the end of an era, for sure, but let’s not pretend that it hasn’t already expanded into a multimedia franchise that includes all sorts of extra content, from comic books to tie-in novels, tabletop games to VR titles, and immersive walkthrough experiences to stage plays.
Still, there are no plans to ever bring back the likes of Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), and Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson) ever again. As for Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), her door seems even more permanently closed, as her character was seemingly killed off.
Season 5 concluded on December 31 (New Year’s Eve) with an explosive finale titled “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up”. While there’s been a lot of criticism about the fifth and final season and the finale, there’s still an appetite for more Stranger Things content. But whether you’re a fan or a critic of the latest season and its eighth episode, the odds are that you’ll be feeling pretty devastated by Eleven’s death — even if her fate is mostly ambiguous.
Even if she’s alive, she’ll never be reunited with her friends. While the Duffer brothers left her fate deliberately open ended, they have also said in interviews that, regardless of whether she’s alive or dead, she’s likely to be gone forever — at least in the post-Season 5 timeline.
But, while Millie Bobby Brown won’t be returning to the franchise, that doesn’t mean Eleven is gone for good, as she’s set to return in the upcoming 3D animated series Tales From ’85.
Tales From ’85 takes place during the winter between seasons 2 and 3, meaning the whole gang is back. However, none of the original actors are returning. Here’s the new voice cast:
- Brett Gipson as Jim Hopper
- Luca Diaz as Mike Wheeler
- Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven / Jane Hopper
- Braxton Quinney as Dustin Henderson
- Elisha Williams as Lucas Sinclair
- Ben Plessala as Will Byers
- Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max Mayfield
Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo and Lou Diamond Phillips have also been cast in undisclosed roles. While other characters haven’t been confirmed yet, Nancy Wheeler can be seen driving a car in the official announcement trailer:
Tales From ’85 will premiere on Netflix later this year. Stranger Things seasons 1 — 5 are now streaming.
Stranger Things Season 5 stars Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Brett Gelman (Murray Bauman), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna/Henry Creel), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), and Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay).
Are you excited about Stranger Things: Tales From ’85? Let us know in the comments down below!
