If you’re not caught up on Stranger Things Season 3, turn back now. This Stranger Things Season 4 Eleven villain theory has us distraught. El has been a hero up till now, saving her gang of friends on numerous occasions. This year, the group of kids in Hawkins, Indiana faced many new challenges (all rooted in the same dark, mysterious Upside Down). And the Mind Flayer was scary AF over the Fourth of July festivities in Hawkins. We saw the rise and sudden fall of the incredibly handsome Billy (aka Dacre Montgomery) and—spoiler—the saddest part about the season was his entire storyline. The fact that we probably won’t be seeing his handsome face on-screen next season is way more upsetting to us than the possibility of Eleven turning evil. OK—that’s not true. But still, it is a loss and we need to mourn. Arguably an even more difficult loss? Jim Hopper. How. Could. They. Do. That. To. Us. !?
Anyway, moving onto the theory at hand…a Reddit user has theorized that Millie Bobby Brown’s lovable Eleven may actually become the antagonist in the next season.
As you’ll recall, El was the Mind Flayer’s main target this past season. And in an excruciatingly difficult scene to watch (and experience to actually go through), El’s ankle is seriously hurt by the Mind Flayer. In fact, a piece of the Flayer remains in her leg until she and Mike are able to get it out. Bleh! But the concern here is that El was exposed, and is also open to infection.
Netflix.
Every other character who has been attacked or infected by the Mind Flayer (namely Will and Billy) has been controlled by the evil monster that the Flayer is. So the same thing could potentially happen to El. She’s been exposed, she’s now vulnerable. “If eleven is infected,” the Reddit user writes, “the mind flayer could control her like it did with Billy, Will and the flayed, to eventually destroy her or use her to get more control/spread.”
Consider us officially spooked and severely distraught. The idea of seeing El as a villain does not sit well with us. However, we will offer up one other theory—El could become an antagonist all on her own accord. She’s lost every parent figure in her life, and will no doubt be threatened again. She may reach a breaking point, especially without Hopper’s guidance, where she can no longer see the line between good and bad. Just throwing that out there.
What do we think? Is Eleven capable of evil?
Netflix.