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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MCLA chapter.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things seasons 1 and 2.

So, if you are like me, you’ve watched Stranger Things 4 times and are desperately awaiting season 3 (it’s been confirmed by the way).  But until then, many fans have been left to speculate about the in-depth universe and intricate details the Duffer Brothers have created in the little town of Hawkins, Indiana. Here are some of my favorite fan- theories for Stranger Things:

1.      Eleven is Not Jane

So, this theory occurred to me pretty quickly into season one, but it wasn’t until it started circulating around the internet that I took it seriously. In season two, we meet Kali who is number 008 of the Hawkins Lab kids. That pretty much confirms that there are, at least, nine other kids besides Eleven and Kali who were taken by Brenner for experimentation.

Knowing this it seems a little odd that Eleven would be Jane Ives out of all the other kids. The only reason we think she’s Jane is because Hopper made the connection between two missing kids in season one, but maybe Jane is still out there, or worse, died in experimentation.

2.      Will Has Powers

In season 2, we see Will get taken over by the Mind Flayer, but in the last episode, it’s supposed to be burned out of him. However, some fans have pointed out that Will has survived far more than a young boy his age should be able to. He’s survived freezing temperatures for a week in season one while in the upside down then in season two he survives high fevers, being possessed, being nearly cooked when they’re trying to get the mind flayer out of him, and being jabbed in the ribs with a hot poker. It’s not unreasonable to think that due to extended exposure to the Upside Down that Will might have gained psychic powers of his own.

3.      Brenner is Eleven’s father

So, I haven’t seen this one floating around the fan chats, but it’s one my friends and I have wondered about. Could Dr. Brenner be Eleven’s father? We don’t know anything about Eleven’s father even if she is actually Jane Ives. That combined with the fact that he raises her to call him “Papa” and seems to show fatherly affection towards her, it might not be unreasonable.

4.     Hopper and Dustin might become spies for the Mind Flayer

 

So, with the Mind Flayer out of Will, it needs a new target. It’s been pointed out that in the tunnel Hopper and Dustin both inhaled some of the Upside Down “dust” particles. It was made obvious and seemed to have served a purpose that hasn’t been revealed to us yet. Could they be the Mind Flayer’s next victims?

5.      The Upside Down

One thing that fans were eager to have explained in season two was what is the Upside Down? However, it was never explained, but fans have a few theories.

One theory is that the Upside Down is actually our universe in the future. According to the theory, the Mind Flayer comes and destroys the town through the portal El creates, then years later it goes back in time through the portal to destroy our universe again (I know paradoxes confuse me, too).

There’s one glaring question I have about the Upside Down though, that I don’t know if anyone else has noticed. It always seems that things change in the Upside Down as they change in our universe. For example, in the very last scene of season two when it switches to the Upside Down, you can see Joyce’s car outside the school and the Christmas decorations up and on inside. Nothing exists in the upside down that could have put them there, and from the final scenes in season one we know at least the lights weren’t there before. So how is it connected?

The Duffer Brothers claim they have very specific rules about what can and cannot happen when it comes to the upside down so this wasn’t just for effect. I hope we get answers in season 3.

6.      Brenner is alive

One thing a lot of people picked up on in season 2 was that the agent Eleven and Kali go to kill said Brenner was still alive. If you re-watch season one we see the Demogorgon go near him, but we never see him actually die. Considering all the other deaths are pretty explicate (and not censored at all), it wouldn’t make sense to not show it, unless he is still alive.

7.     Hopper’s daughter

There’s one theory floating around I find interesting, but I’m not sure if I believe it. Some people think Hopper’s biological daughter, Sara, didn’t die of cancer. The theory says her death was faked by the lab (like Will’s) and she was abducted.

8.      The Mind Flayer is tracking Eleven

In the very final scene in season two, we see the Mind Flayer watching Eleven at the Snow Ball. This isn’t so much a theory as the theories surrounding what’s going to happen. The Mind Flayer is defiantly aware of Eleven now that she closed the gate. Some people think that she’s its next victim and they might kill her off. I certainly hope not because she’s literally my favorite character ever. 

Brigid Downey is a senior at the Massachusetts College of Liberal arts. She is an English major with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in business. On campus, she is the social media director for MCLA's chapter of Her Campus. She's also the events liaison MCLA's chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, a national English honor's society. She is also an inducted member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and is very involved with her school's Dance Company.  Off campus, she works on her own writing in hopes of one day getting published and runs her own blog, Creative Dreamer. She loves reading, writing, and working on her cosplay. She is always being creative and is a self-proclaimed nerd.  
Mitchell Chapman is a young journalist looking to make a name for himself. He's been published in The Berkshire Eagle, Bennington Banner, Brattleboro Reformer and the Huffington Post and was the editor of his school's newspaper, The Beacon, after serving first as A & E Editor and then Managing Editor. He is a big science fiction fan, and is known for his quips on the blockbuster movie industry. He is a proud brother of the Sigma Chi Beta fraternity.