Stranger Things 5: The Finale took us down many winding roads. And, it kind of felt like it had five separate endings, given all the different pieces of its epilogue. But in the end, there can only be ONE real ending. And we felt it when we saw it… Plus, our runtime was running out. So what happened in the ending of Stranger Things 5: The Finale? We break down what happened in the last scene ever of Stranger Things, its big reveal, and the true meaning at its heart.
Mike Uses Dungeons & Dragons to Give Us a Glimpse of The Party’s Fates in Stranger Things 5: The Finale‘s Ending
Stranger Things 5: The Finale‘s final sequence takes us 18 months into the future, but for the most part, it doesn’t time skip any more than that… That is, until we get to the very end of the episode. In the ending of Stranger Things’ last episode ever, we see The Party playing a Dungeons & Dragons game. As it concludes, Mike Wheeler uses the frame of a Dungeons & Dragons game epilogue to tell us the story of Lucas, Max, Dustin, and Will’s futures. While these aren’t 100% confirmed to be the true futures of the Party, Stranger Things 5: The Finale‘s ending strongly implies that they are.
Through this sequence, we learn that Lucas and Max will fall deeper in love and live together in a small town, finally at peace. Dustin will head to university, where he’ll study hard and learn a lot, but always have time for adventures with Steve. Will, meanwhile, will head to the big city (New York City) to find love, an epilogue boyfriend, and acceptance. Finally, Mike himself will become a writer and tell tales of their adventures, in a fashion. But Mike has one more revelation for them all in the ending of Stranger Things 5: The Finale.
Mike Reveals That He Believes Eleven Is Not Dead in Stranger Things 5: The Finale‘s Ending
There’s always time for one more big twist. In the very last scene of Stranger Things ever, Mike shares something important he thinks he’s come to understand. He reveals that he believes that Eleven did not die in Stranger Things 5: The Finale. Although we saw Eleven get blown up with the Upside Down earlier in the episode, Mike contends that Eleven used her powers to talk to him despite Dr. Kay’s Kryptonite/sonic blasts, which were supposed to block her abilities. Instead, Mike reveals in Stranger Things 5: The Finale‘s ending that he thinks that Kali and Eleven worked together to come up with a plan so Eleven could survive. He believes that Kali created an illusion of Eleven exploding in the Upside Down while helping the real Eleven sneak away.
According to Mike’s ending explanation, Eleven is actually still alive in Stranger Things 5: The Finale. Mike shares that he believes she’s “in a beautiful land, somewhere far away. She finds a small town to call home. Safe from the danger of the Black Hand. And it is here, at last, that she finds peace, that she finally finds happiness.” And Stranger Things 5: The Finale paints this image for us, showing Eleven walking alone somewhere that looks like New Zealand, and has at least two waterfalls.
The Ending of Stranger Things Neither Confirms Nor Denies That Eleven Is Still Alive
But is Mike’s version of Eleven’s ending real on Stranger Things 5: The Finale? Mike tells us the answer to this question right away. “We don’t know” that this Stranger Things ending is true, “Not for sure.” But, he says, “I choose to believe that it is.” And the rest of the Party agrees that they believe it too.
It feels possible that what Mike shares in the ending of Stranger Things last episode is true. It also feels like it could be a delusion. But either way, it’s what we believe that counts.
Stranger Things‘ Final Ending Moments Are Its Most Important
Ultimately, though, none of those plot twists are as important as what takes place at the VERY ending of Stranger Things 5: The Finale‘s ending. In the final moments of Stranger Things, we see Holly Wheeler and her new friends take over the Wheeler family’s basement to play their first-ever Dungeons & Dragons campaign. And in that moment, we know that Stranger Things‘ legacy of loyalty, love, and friendship continue on, even past Stranger Things 5: The Finale‘s ending. The story passes to a new generation of kids and also to the millions of viewers who have been touched by the journey. And so, in truth, the story doesn’t have an ending, even though Stranger Things 5: The Finale does. It continues on, everlasting.
Stranger Things 5 is now streaming on Netflix.
Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She did not expect to cry so much while writing these last Stranger Things articles—but endings will get you every time.