Netflix’s hit series “Stranger Things” concluded its nine-year run on Wednesday, Dec. 31, with the defeat of Vecna, an uncertain fate for Eleven, and a symbolic closing of the basement door, creators Matt and Ross Duffer said.
In the final episode, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and the Mind Flayer were defeated, while Hopper (David Harbour) and Murray (Brett Gelman) detonated a bomb to destroy the Upside Down. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) vanished along with the Upside Down, and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) played a final Dungeons & Dragons game, reflecting on the possibility that she survived.
The last scene featured the closing of the basement door, which the Duffer brothers said was intended to symbolize the characters, and cast, leaving their childhood behind. Ross Duffer described the basement and the Dungeons & Dragons game as representations of the characters’ early years and the first moments viewers experienced with them.
“That basement, specifically the Dungeons & Dragons game, represents their childhoods [and it’s] how we first met them as an audience,” Ross said. He added that the scene was meant to show the characters moving on while the next generation begins its own journey.
The Dungeons & Dragons game, also the first scene of the series, was revisited in the finale to complete the full-circle moment. Ross Duffer said the scene was filmed to mirror the original Season 1 shots and serve as a farewell to the group’s early experiences. Matt Duffer described filming the scene as emotional and nostalgic for the cast and crew.
The series left Eleven’s ultimate fate unresolved. The final game depicted Mike hoping she survived, suggesting she may have escaped the Upside Down and relocated to a small, undisclosed village. The creators said they intended for viewers to interpret her outcome, while the Hawkins group retains hope for her survival.
According to Netflix, “Stranger Things” reached 1.2 billion views before the release of Season 5 Volume 2, Variety reported.