One of the hallmarks of a good story is that it ends. Modern franchise movies and TV has all but zapped that aspect, with the constant hope that, eventually, these characters people love will come back. In the case of the MCU, we barely had to wait any time before Steve Rogers and Tony Stark (sort of) come back. So say what you will about the lengthy and drawn-out final season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, but at least Ross and Matt Duffer feel confident they’ve finished their story. At least as it pertains to Eleven, the Upside Down, and the heroes of Hawkins, IN.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the Duffers explain that, even if the cast has different ideas, in their mind Eleven potentially not being dead isn’t a tease for her eventual return. Said Matt Duffer:
Mike’s closing the basement door. We’re closing the door on the story. That’s one reason we had the closing credits the way we did, because it was a way of saying: “This is finite. This is the end of their story. It’s the end of the story of Mike and Eleven and Joyce and Hopper.” So, no, there’s no plan or intention to tell the story because it’s a coming-of age story. Ultimately, that’s what it’s supposed to be. That’s what the show always was. When he closes the door to the basement, he’s closing the door on his childhood and he’s moving onto adulthood.
Duffer went on to say he doesn’t find anything very interesting about potentially revisiting these characters—“Grandpa Hopper”—further in their future. However, what does this mean for the live-action spinoff we for sure know is happening? The co-creator says it will be similar but different.
Ross and I are really excited about exploring new characters and a new mythology, but still very much are interested in telling a story in the spirit of Stranger Things. It feels like with this final season, we finished saying everything we wanted to say about these characters, this story and the Upside Down.
There we have it. We’ve likely seen the last of the Hawkins crew…at least until everyone involved wants more money. Cynical Jones, OUT!
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.