One of the great things about Stranger Things is that every time one of the series' mysteries is solved a few more questions pop up. While this propels the story forward and builds out the dark, twisted world of Stranger Things, this Hydra-head approach to storytelling can also be very frustrating. There are several unanswered questions from Season 1 of Stranger Things – Where is Eleven? What exactly was The Monster? Are Eleven and The Monster dead or just missing in action? While a definitive answer will have to wait until Season 2, some of these questions may be answered if fans can determine what Eleven did to the Monter in the Season 1 finale.
After wreaking havoc on Hawkins, The Monster is finally felled in a showdown at the school. After having attacked it with everything from a slingshot to assault weaponry, the only thing that was able to stop the monster when Eleven managed to... do something. In an interview with Variety, The Duffer Brothers confirmed the monster's death by saying"Obviously something happened to [Eleven] when she destroyed and killed that monster," but don't say what happened to her or how she destroyed that monster – just that she did destroy it.
The sequence itself happens very quickly.Eleven puts her arm out and commands "No More". The Monster shrieks out, seemingly in pain. The Monster then reaches out and seems to be trying to grab Eleven (or possibly throwing some psychic energy back at her?). Eleven begins to scream, indicating how much power she's exerting. An Iron Man-esque glowing blue light begins to form in the center of The Monster's chest and flecks of The Monster's skin begin to float off of it, floating into the air. The flecks of the monster all begin separating and forming a swarm around Eleven and when they clear Eleven is nowhere to be seen, there is only a dent in the chalkboard where the monster was.
So The Monster and Eleven both vanished, the implication being that Eleven sacrificed herself – but what did she do that would cause that to happen? One possibility is that she exploited The Monster's transdimensional nature to defeat if. Eleven has been bred to transfer between the real world and The Upside Down, which is the home of The Monster. Who is to say that Eleven didn't transport them to another dimension that hasn't even been introduced yet? Or, perhaps, The Monster was some sort of "guardian" of The Upside Down and by destroying him Eleven effectively took their spot (this would explain why Hopper was leaving Eggo waffles in the forest, as Eleven may be able to travel briefly to the real world). With an infinite number of possible universes there are an infinite number of ways that Eleven could have defeated the beast.
It's clear that Eleven did something to The Monster, but considering the depth and complexity of the world that The Duffer Brothers created for Stranger Things it's doubtful that what occurred could be described as something as simple as just a "psychic blast". The truth behind what Eleven did is unclear, but it serves as a reminder that Eleven is powerful and will only continue to grow more so. Eleven was trained to be not just a vessel between one world and the next, but also a weapon. Next season, if The Monster does make a reappearance, it won't be Eleven who is afraid of The Monster – The Monster will be scared of Eleven.
Image: Curtis Baker/Netflix, Giphy (2)
