Millie Bobby Brown knows Eleven’s fate after Stranger Things finale, but she can’t say it due to one pact of secrecy with the Duffer brothers

Millie Bobby Brown is officially keeping the fate of Eleven under wraps, thanks to a secret pact she made with the Duffer brothers. While Stranger Things fans have spent a long time debating whether the character truly survived the final showdown with Vecna, Brown confirmed that she is one of only three people who actually knows the truth.

During a live recording of the Happy Sad Confused podcast at 92NY (covered by Variety), host Josh Horowitz tried to get the scoop on Eleven. Brown explained that immediately after the finale aired, the show creators reached out to ensure the secret remained safe. “They were like, ‘Do not tell anyone. Because we made it a secret kind of pledge,’” Brown shared on Wednesday evening. “No one else knows. It’s just us three. And what we do with that information, it’ll be up to them.”

Brown noted that while she watched the finale reactions online with her husband, Jake Bongiovi, she realized her own co-stars were convinced her character had perished. She found the situation pretty funny, noting that the cast members were projecting their own theories.

The mystery has caused quite a divide, even among the cast

She encouraged them to hold onto some hope, even as David Harbour, who played Jim Hopper, expressed his belief that Eleven could not realistically exist in Hawkins with her supernatural abilities. Other cast members, like Noah Schnapp, have publicly taken the opposite stance, signaling to fans that he believes Eleven is still alive.

The ambiguity seems to be exactly what the Duffer brothers intended. In a postmortem interview with Variety, they clarified that they wanted an ending that felt bittersweet rather than simple. They also noted that even if Eleven did survive, a reunion with Mike Wheeler would be unlikely because any contact would risk bringing her back into the open and starting the cycle all over again.

For Brown, the end of the series was a deeply personal transition. She revealed that she went through a difficult period after the show wrapped, which she described as a slight depression. She spent January trying to reconnect with her castmates to mend any tensions and reassure them that their bond would last beyond the screen. She explained that she started the show at age 10, and those people were in her life more than her own family. Saying goodbye to that experience was a very emotional thing for her.

Despite the heavy feelings surrounding the finale, the future looks busy for Brown. She teased that she has a concrete project in the works with David Harbour, though she kept the details vague for now. She mentioned that they are developing the idea together and that it is coming sooner than expected. Beyond that, she is working on a rom-com titled Just Picture It with Gabriel LaBelle and continues to develop various projects with her home studio, Netflix.

If you want to hear the full conversation, the recording will be available on the Happy Sad Confused podcast on Monday, June 29. It is clear that while the mystery of Eleven might remain a point of contention for viewers, Brown is ready to move forward into her next chapter, even if she has to keep that final secret for a little while longer.