Stranger Things Season 1: Before Hopper, Benny Hammond stepped up for Eleven 

Stranger Things Season 5 wrapped up with an exciting two-hour-long finale episode. Even though it left us scratching our heads about Eleven's fate, one thing was sure: the fear of the mindflayer, Vecna, and the Upside Down is all gone, and Hawkins is now safe.

But beyond the bittersweet end, let's roll back to the premiere episode of Stranger Things Season 1, 'The Vanishing of Will Byers, ' when we met Benny Hammond, the owner of the diner, Benny's Burger.

When Eleven ran away from the Hawkins Lab, she snuck into the diner and munched on some French fries kept on the kitchen slab. Benny, who was busy serving the diners, caught Eleven stuffing her mouth and hurried towards her. At first glance, you might have thought he would have thrashed the poor girl for stealing, but he turned out to be the sweetest soul.

He offered Eleven, who looked quite tired, hurt, and most importantly hungry, a burger. Out of concern, he calmly asked her about her home and her family. But Eleven, unaware of it, stayed quiet and kept eating. Benny got a little agitated when she refused to answer his question, and he took her burger away. He asked her name, but she kept mum. When he noticed 011 tattooed on her wrist, he called her Eleven.

Eleven, still eager to eat that burger, introduced herself, and Benny gave it to her. He rang up the social service, but that turned out to be the biggest mistake of his life.

Continue reading to know more.

Benny Hammond stepped up for Eleven in Stranger Things

Jim Hooper, the police chief of Hawkins, has been the ultimate father figure for Eleven. Since the time he took her in, he had been protective of El. From being absolutely furious with Mike dating El to training her for the final battle, Hooper has worn his protective dad instincts on his sleeve. He always feared losing her (and that might be due to him losing his biological daughter to cancer).

In the finale episode, when Hooper accidentally shot El due to Vecna messing with his mind, he lost his mind, smashed the water container, and rescued El, being quite aware that the mission was incomplete. For Hooper, at that moment, only El's life mattered.

But did you know that before Hopper, it was Benny Hammond who stepped up for Eleven? He fed her and made sure that she was comfortable. Still quite unfamiliar with the world, Eleven was lost, but Benny was the first person who was kind to her. He even made El smile, and honestly, it was one of the warmest moments of the episode.

Out of concern, he rang up the social service, like a responsible citizen. Little did he know that would become a fatal mistake. Dr. Brenner was still looking for El, tapped Benny, and the social services, and they reached the diner.

How did Benny die in Stranger Things?

After Benny informed the authorities, Connie Frazier, pretending to be a social service agent, came late at night. Even though Benny was a little suspicious about how social services reached this early, the woman blatantly manipulated him. Benny apologized to her for thinking she was a customer and turning her away from the door. But right when he led her to the kitchen, she took out a gun and shot Benny, who died on the spot. However, right before Dr.Brenner arrived, El managed to escape.

Benny's role might be short, but it did leave an impact. In a world full of opportunists and evils, El met Benny, who took care of her. When the Hawkins police discovered Benny's body, the crime scene looked like he had taken his own life.

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