Sadie Sink, who plays Max Mayfield in 'Stranger Things,' has shared her belief that the series finale left Eleven dead. Appearing on 'The Tonight Show' with Jimmy Fallon, Sink said: 'What do I think? I think she's dead. Is that a hot take or something? Mike's story is just one last story, and then they say goodbye to childhood. That's one final tale, and that's it. It's just a coping thing. It's stronger [that way], right?'
The finale's climactic moment shows Eleven sacrificing herself as the Upside Down is destroyed, to prevent the military from using her blood to create new super-powered infants. However, Finn Wolfhard's character Mike tells a story in which Eleven survives, with footage showing her in a remote location.
Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, told Variety he has his own interpretation of Eleven's fate but intends to keep it private. 'I want to keep that private. I don't know if others will [say], but I think that whatever works for you and makes the show wrap up better for you is correct. You have the right to debate it, but whatever you want it to be for you is great.'
Matarazzo added: 'What's so tragic about the end of Eleven's story is normalcy would never be guaranteed for the people that she loves if she was there. She didn't see it as fair, and I think it was a beautiful choice to end her story the way that they did.'
Co-creator the Duffer Brothers previously told Variety there was no version of the ending where 'Eleven was never going to be there' with her friends. They said: 'It was very early on in the writing process of this season that we figured out exactly how to tell that story and landed on the 'I believe' moment.'
