'Stranger Things' Alternate Ending Revealed: Why Fans Are Livid Over the Series' Conclusion

Nearly a decade after Eleven first appeared on our screens, 'Stranger Things' Season 5 aired its finale on New Year's Day. The series, which premiered on 15 July 2016, with eight episodes, has now completed its journey as one of Netflix's most-watched original shows.

Now, in 2026, the final installment of 'Stranger Things' was supposed to be a celebratory farewell to fans who have been following the story of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Hawkins kids for a long time. Instead, 'Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up' has stirred a heated controversy and discussions within the fandom, as viewers found it hard to accept how the Duffer Brothers chose to conclude a story that had been building up for almost ten years. The main source of the fans' anger is a collective heartbreak over Eleven's fate, as the finale opted for a bittersweet departure rather than the peaceful resolution viewers were rooting for.

Creators Reject 'Happy Ending' Theories

Fans suggested that the 18-month time jump in 'Stranger Things' Season 5 offered a glimmer of hope for Eleven's fate. They named this the Waterfall Theory, and supposedly, Eleven had survived when the Upside Down finally collapsed. This theory came after fans were convinced that Mike had been suggesting that Eleven's 'death' was actually a staged disappearance orchestrated by Kali.

However, the Duffer Brothers were quick to dismiss the possibility of Eleven remaining with her friends. They firmly rejected the notion that she was able to rejoin the rest of the Hawkins crew in the future.

'There are two roads that Eleven could take. There's this darker, more pessimistic one or the optimistic, hopeful one,' Matt Duffer said in an interview with Tudum. 'Mike is the optimist of the group and has chosen to believe in that story.'

Ross further shattered the theory by adding, '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.'

The Scrapped Alternative Storyline

The Duffer Brothers admitted that they thought about an 'even darker' conclusion, but this other story did not make it to the final draft - and it was a good thing because fans reportedly hated this version. If this were the ending, Eleven didn't just vanish into the Abyss, but she was also forced to pull the entire town of Hawkins into the Upside Down with her just to counter the threat of Vecna.

This story would have turned Hawkins into a ghost town and a permanent symbol of the battle in the Upside Down. The main characters will also have to relocate and never return, leaving all their childhood memories buried in the town.

While the show creators moved away from that 'darker' story, fans remain enraged that 'Stranger Things' ended while denying Eleven a 'normal' life they felt she had earned after years of trauma. The Duffer Brothers' preference for an uncertain finale over a happy reunion with her friends has triggered a massive wave of emotional backlash from fans worldwide.

To this ending, Matt Duffer told The Wrap, 'Either way, Eleven's choice is, I think, courageous and selfless, because even though she's having to leave her friends behind, she's protecting any other child from experiencing what she experienced.'