Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton shares his take on whether Eleven is alive after the finale or not?

Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton has once again rekindled the Eleven buzz laid out at the end of Episode 8 of Season 5. The show had closed on an ambiguous note, not telling us for sure if Eleven made it after the Upside Down collapsed.

This is why many followers and fans of the show have guessed possibilities of Eleven still being alive. They have spun elaborate fan theories and now, Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan Byers in the show, has also added his theory.

Heaton expressed to US Weekly,

“I love that for Mike, that’s what he tells us, you know, that’s coping, right?

Charlie Heaton's take on whether Eleven is alive in Stranger Things

Since Stranger Things Season 1, Eleven has been the anchor of the show; she has been subjected to merciless experiments, taken away from her mother and stood against the evils of Upside Down.

Played by Millie Bobbie Brown, Eleven's character was added to the Party right before Max. She and Max quickly became close friends. Eleven and Mike as a couple, framed a compelling dynamic in the show.

Their final scene together before Eleven sacrificed herself (apparently), to stop the military's pursuit of her, was an emotional moment that made many fans wonder if Eleven remained alive.

Before we discuss Heaton's take, a little context may be useful. In the last episode of Stranger Things Volume 2, we see Eleven and the team defeat Vecna in the Upside Down. A feat in which all of her friends play their part in bringing down the Mind Flayer.

Earlier, Kali is shown to have been shot and killed by the Military personnel and when all is done and Eleven defeats Vecna, they return to the Rightside Up. However, just when we thought all was well, we saw Eleven sacrifice herself when the bomb was activated and the Upside Down collapsed.

Mike and the Party have been shown as devastated and many scenes later, we see Mike, who is finding it difficult to cope. The final scenes take viewers to the basement in Mike Wheeler's house, where the friends sit for one last match.

In that match, we are suggestively told a story that towards Eleven being alive, as Mike and her had planned in a place where there are three waterfalls. So, the theory recontextualized Eleven's sacrifice scene.

It now means that she may have simply faked her death so that Dr. Kay and her greedy intentions of continuing the infamous project do not catch up to her. This was a warning that Kali had already told Eleven about.

When Eleven saw that it could become true, she chose to run to a safe place where nobody could reach her, living an anonymous life. This makes further sense because this plan was known to Mike, her lover.

Jonathan Byer was a significant part of Stranger Things Season 5 and his arc with Nancy created one of the most emotional and impactful moments. Through all 5 seasons, the character has observed it all. Therefore, his own theory matters to the fans.

The actor spoke to US Weekly in an exclusive interview about his take on Eleven's survival. Jonathan added how this theory of Eleven surviving means hope for Mike. The actor further added,

“The stories that we choose to believe and the versions of our reality that we choose to believe to cope, and I think it’s really beautiful.”

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Stranger Things Season 5 is streaming on Netflix.

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