It's almost been a decade since Millie Bobby Brown made her presence felt on viewers all over the world when she delivered a thrilling performance as Eleven in the first season of Netflix's Stranger Things. 10 years later, and fans are still talking about the beloved character: Both in general and for a very specific reason.
Stranger Things has only just completed its five season run, wrapping up with a larger-than-life finale that was so big, it ended up getting a limited theatrical release too. It brought Eleven's story to a close, as well as the stories of Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Max Mayfield and, of course, Will Byers (along with all of their families and friends' stories, too). Like every finale, it was a bittersweet TV episode, but it's not the last we'll see of these characters on Netflix.
Be warned: This article will contain MAJOR SPOILERS for the Stranger Things 5 finale.
Eleven stars in spinoff Stranger Things: Tales From '85 this year
Stranger Things might have officially wrapped its run, but Eleven and the gang will be back on screens this year. Netflix has confirmed that animated spinoff series Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is coming to the streamer in 2026, meaning that we will get more adventures with our beloved party.
The series is set between the events of seasons 2 and 3, depicting the winter after Eleven closed the Gate to the Upside Down and defeated the Mind Flayer. However, the dark dimension's influence can be felt once again, as new monsters and threats begin to emerge - threats and monsters that can only be tied to the Upside Down. And with that, Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Max must team up to stop the dangers from harming the residents of Hawkins once again.
While the series isn't a direct sequel to the fifth and final season of the mothership show, it does function as an unexpected sequel to season 2. Furthermore, the Duffer Brothers have confirmed that they were involved in it, adding that Tales From '85 intends to capture the feeling of classic '80s Saturday-morning cartoons. Think Scooby Doo but with Demogorgons!
All that being said, if you're expecting to hear the voices of Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, or Sadie Sink, then you'll understandably be sad to know that none of the main stars of the show are reprising their roles. Instead, the animated offshoot will feature a host of new actors bringing the iconic characters to life. And we can't wait to hear them in action!
Could a Stranger Things sequel series ever happen?
While Tales From '85 won't answer any of the lingering questions from Stranger Things 5's finale, it will undoubtedly fill a void left behind by the series. As fans continue to speculate about Eleven's true fate, they can at least enjoy more previously-unseen adventures from the all-powerful Netflix legend.
The series finale saw El seemingly sacrifice herself by waiting behind as the Upside Down was destroyed in a bid to end the cycle of violence that the military was responsible for. If she died, they could no longer use her blood to create more telekinetic individuals like her, Eight, and One. And therefore, she died so that the world could live, preventing another Vecna from ever rising.
However, the show left her true fate ambiguous, as Mike figured out that Eleven couldn't have used her powers in this situation as the "hedgehog devices", a.k.a. Eleven's Kryptonite this season, were in use. And as a result, he believed that her sister, Kali / Eight, used her powers to create an illusion, allowing El to escape and live out a happy, free life in a place with a waterfall - just like the pair always talked about. The Duffers have left it up to the fans to decide what really happened, but there is definitely scope there for a sequel series at some point. The question is whether it could really happen.
The Duffers didn't entirely rule out the possibility, but Mike Duffer did tell The Hollywood Reporter that the story was always "finite" and that they saw Mike shutting the basement door in the series finale as the end of that story, adding that any potential sequel ideas just sound like "a gross cash grab to me".
Although the duo are set to leave Netflix to pursue a deal with Paramount, they will be involved in the upcoming live-action Stranger Things spinoff. Although they haven't offered much detail as of yet in terms of what it's about, they have confirmed that it will feature new characters in a new time period - so no '90s sequel to the original show. It is expected that it might have some answers about the rock that formed Henry Creel's connection the Mind Flayer and where that comes from. At the moment, there is no definitive release date for that one.
Stranger Things: Tales From '85 will arrive on Netflix in 2026.