Created by The Duffer Brothers Nickname(s) El, 011 Played by Millie Bobby Brown | Portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown Gender Female TV show Stranger Things | |
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Family Terry Ives (mother)
Becky Ives (aunt) First appearance The Vanishing of Will Byers" ("Chapter One) Similar Demogorgon, Jean‑Ralphio Saperstein, Leia Organa, Negan, Harley Quinn | ||
Eleven, presumably born as Jane Ives, also known as El and 011, is a fictional character from the Netflix series Stranger Things. Portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown, she is a girl with psychokinetic abilities and a limited vocabulary.
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Fictional character biography
Eleven is presumed to be the daughter of Terry Ives, a participant in the Project MKUltra experiments conducted by the United States Central Intelligence Agency. Eleven was raised in the Hawkins National Laboratory in Hawkins, Indiana by Dr. Martin Brenner, who used her as a test subject in trying to develop her psychokinetic skills. When placed in a sensory deprivation tank, she can engage in astral projection and access other dimensions, primarily for the purposes of international espionage. She eventually escapes the laboratory and meets Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, and Dustin Henderson, who were looking for their missing friend, Will Byers.
Eleven helps to locate Will using her supernatural abilities, and determines that he is trapped in a dimension known as the Upside Down. However, the use of her abilities temporarily weakens her and gives her nosebleeds. The group sets out to find Will using their compasses, but Eleven interferes with their search when she realizes that they are being led towards the laboratory. Lucas becomes angry at her, having distrusted her from the beginning, and she uses her abilities to violently throw him. She flees, steals boxes of frozen waffles from a store, and consumes them in a forest. When Mike and Dustin are threatened by bullies, Eleven returns and saves them.
Mike, Dustin, and Eleven reunite with Lucas and make amends, and they travel to their middle school with Dr. Brenner and his associates in close pursuit. During a chase, Eleven uses her powers to cause a laboratory van to flip through the air. The group, aided by Joyce Byers, Chief Jim Hopper, Nancy Wheeler, and Jonathan Byers, produce a makeshift isolation tank with a pool and bags of salt. Eleven accesses the Upside Down and confirms that Will is alive. As laboratory personnel close in on the school, Eleven and Mike share a kiss. Eleven helps them escape by using her powers to kill most of the agents. The monster from the Upside Down makes its way into their dimension, and Eleven seemingly sacrifices herself to destroy the creature and save her friends.
One month later, after a Christmas party, Chief Hopper leaves the police station and drives to the woods. There, he leaves waffles in a concealed box. The whereabouts or condition of Eleven are left ambiguous.
Reception
The character has received positive reception. Alice Vincent of The Telegraph wrote that "Millie Bobby Brown continues to be the star of the show: she has inspired fan art and tattoos, a worldwide acknowlegment of Eggos, the waffles her character devours and given a whole new life to the phrase 'mouth breather' ". Ashley Hoffman of TIME magazine recommended Eleven as a mascot for National Waffle Day. However, Lenika Cruz of The Atlantic stated that "despite a rich backstory, Eleven is the show’s most thinly sketched protagonist".