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For years, Stranger Things fans have argued about one big question. Who created Upside Down? According to speculations, it was Eleven who actually created the Upside Down, or did she only open a door to something that already existed?
Season 5, volume 2, finally settles that debate and the answer comes straight from the Duffer Brothers themselves. In an interview with Variety, the Duffers addressed the question by saying that Eleven opened the gate, but it wasn't her fault and that she was forced to do it by Doctor Martin Brenner.
Variety asked Matt Duffer:
"So did Eleven create the Upside Down? Because this is a debate we’ve been having at Variety since Season 4."
To which, Duffer responded:
"Oh! Yes. The answer is yes. Not her fault, I would say! She was forced to do that."
Stranger Things: The big finale reveal, explained clearly
In Stranger Things season 5, volume 2, the show explains the Upside Down in clearer terms than ever before. The Upside Down is revealed to be a wormhole and it connects the real world to another dimension called the Abyss.
This reframes everything viewers thought they knew since season 1. The Upside Down is not just a dark copy of Hawkins but exists because a tear in reality locked the two worlds together.
How Eleven create the Upside Down?
Eleven accidentally created the Upside Down when she opened the gate in Stranger Things season 1. This happened during her forced experiment at Hawkins Lab. Duffer made it clear that this was not a choice she made freely.
He stressed that the blame lies entirely with Dr. Martin Brenner. Eleven was pushed, controlled, and used as a tool and she did not understand the consequences of what she was doing.
Why November 6, 1983, matters
Stranger Things Season 4 revealed that the Upside Down is frozen in time. Everything there is stuck on November 6, 1983. That date is not random. In fact, it is the exact day Eleven opened the gate.
When she created the wormhole, the Upside Down locked into that moment. This detail quietly supported the finale’s confirmation long before season 5 arrived.
Eleven did not create the monsters
The finale also clears Eleven of another long-standing accusation. To be clear, she did not create the Demogorgons. Nor did she create the Mind Flayer.
These creatures already existed inside the Abyss and Season 4 hinted at this through Henry Creel’s flashbacks. When Eleven sent Henry into another dimension, he encountered these beings there.
Stranger Things Season 5 confirms that the place was the Abyss, not the Upside Down itself.
Brenner’s shadow still looms large
Even though Brenner died in Stranger Things season 4, his damage did not end with him. Season 5 introduces Dr. Kay, who revives Brenner’s work and her goal is to use Eleven’s blood to create new superpowered children.
The program now has government backing and this shows how Brenner’s mindset infected the system, not just one lab. Eleven remains trapped in the consequences of actions forced on her as a child.
Kali’s dark but logical conclusion
Kali believes the cycle can only end one way and that both she and Eleven must die. Her reasoning comes from lived experience. The harsh truth is that Brenner used them and Kay plans to repeat that abuse.
While her conclusion feels extreme, it is not irrational. The show treats her fear seriously, not as villain talk.
What Eleven still needs to do
The final battle is not just about defeating Henry. It is also about ending Brenner’s legacy for good.
Eleven must stop the program from continuing under new leadership and saving the children matters as much as saving Hawkins. The emotional core of the finale rests on that idea.
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Final takeaway
So, yes, Eleven created the Upside Down. No, it was never her fault. The show places responsibility where it belongs. Here, it's completely on the adults who abused power and on the systems that allowed it to continue. The Stranger Things finale reframes Eleven not as a cause of destruction, but as its survivor.
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