Stranger Things Season 5 might see Millie Bobby Brown’s major sacrifice to save Hawkins if she were to follow this villain’s path.

Stranger Things is currently filming its fifth and final season and fans expect a satisfying conclusion for all their favorite characters. Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven and friends will fight the battle of their lives to save Hawkins from the Upside Down, which has now spilled over to their reality. One interesting theory suggests that Eleven will follow one villain’s suit in taking control of the hive mind.

Millie Bobby Brown and other cast members in a still from Stranger Things Season 4 | Netflix
Jamie Campbell-Bower played the ruthless villain Vecna, aka Henry Creel, who will be reprising his role in the final season, as confirmed by the Duffer brothers. The theory suggests that Eleven will sacrifice herself to the Upside Down world in order to stop the villain.

Vecna Is The Key To Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven Saving The Day In Stranger Things – Theory

Jamie Campbell-Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things Season 4 | Netflix

In an interview with the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Stranger Things creators Duffer brothers confirmed that Vecna will be returning as the “big bad” of the final season. Jamie Campbell-Bower‘s performance was one of the highlights of Season 4 and his Vecna sent chills down the spine of every fan. Interestingly, the villain even made the lead actress, Millie Bobby Brown, cry.

Campbell-Bower recalled during an interview with Variety that when he walked up to her as Vecna while filming Season 4, she burst into tears. He shared, “She wouldn’t look at me and she was visibly just disgusted by the whole thing.” The terrifying villain may be the key to solving the Upside Down crisis for Eleven and her friends.

One theory posted in the Stranger Things subreddit suggested a way in which Eleven could save Hawkins. Redditor, u/Vibes492, shared that Eleven and Vecna, who is actually One, shared very similar powers which made it possible for Eleven to send him to the Upside Down. The theory suggested that Eleven could use this power to control the Upside Down just like Vecna.

It will be an emotional climax for the series as Eleven sacrifices her normal life with Hopper, Joyce, Mike, and others to save the people of Hawkins. The theory suggests that she will shut herself in the other dimension, becoming the new head of the hive mind. It means that she will have to fight, defeat, and replace Vecna as the one who controls the dimension.

Other Redditors also largely supported the theory as a fitting end to the show. However, Redditor u/Galious pointed out one flaw of the theory, sharing that it was too similar to the ending of Season 1. While the Reddit user backed the idea of taking control of the Upside Down, they suggested that it should be Will Byers who should make the sacrifice as he too shared a connection with Vecna.

Stranger Things Star Shares One Major Update About The Season 5 Episodes

Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley in Stranger Things Season 3 | Netflix
Stranger Things star Maya Hawke recently appeared on the Podcrushed podcast hosted by actor Penn Badgley, Sophie Ansari, and Nava Kavelin. Hawke opened up about her projects Inside Out 2 and Stranger Things Season 5. She revealed during the interview that the fifth season will have eight episodes in total.

She further added that the episodes of the season were going to be really long and went on to share that they were basically making eight movies in the final season. Hawke also praised the writers of the show who were serious about maintaining quality. Hawke shared on Podcrushed:

They have an amazing team of writers. They’re very involved and they write a lot. They are very intense and serious about the quality of the continued writing. So it takes a long time to write each season and it takes a long time to shoot them. We’re making basically eight movies because the episodes are very long.

When Badgley asked her how long it took to film one entire season, Hawke replied that it usually takes a year. Badgley was taken aback by her revelation, sharing that it was a really long production schedule for a TV show. The hosts also joked about Atlanta becoming a second home for Hawke and the Stranger Things cast.

Stranger Things Season 5 is expected to be released on Netflix in 2025.