How Eleven's Return In Netflix's New Stranger Things Spinoff Is Different From The Original Series Explained By Shawn Levy

WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things' series finale!

Eleven and the rest of the Party's presence on Netflix isn't over after Stranger Things' series finale, but it'll look very different from how they appeared on the main TV show.

In Stranger Things' series finale, Eleven's fate was left ambiguous after sacrificing herself as the Upside Down was destroyed, hoping to prevent the government from conducting more experiments on children like her. However, Mike proposed a theory in which Eleven secretly survived, fleeing to a place with three waterfalls. Whether she's dead or alive after the main show remains up to interpretation, yet Eleven will still be returning alongside Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, and Max in Netflix's next Stranger Things spinoff series.

Debuting in 2026, Netflix's upcoming franchise spinoff, Stranger Things: Tales from '85, brings back the original series' beloved characters in the animated format to explore the gap between seasons 2 and 3. Not only will Tales from '85 have different actors voicing Stranger Things' returning figures as they solve a mystery and face more monsters from the Upside Down, but executive producer Shawn Levy has revealed that the spinoff's story will have some core differences from the flagship show.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Shawn Levy revealed that Tales from '85 isn't just "Stranger Things, but animated," but also has a very different tone and visual storytelling style from the main show. Tales from '85 will be a very distinct story and approach to the franchise from the original Stranger Things show, which Levy likens more to the '80s and '90s "all-family audience" cartoon sentiment:

"I’m excited. You’re not getting a watered-down continuation of the show you’ve watched and loved. You’re getting a different tone, a different visual style. It’s filling in blanks of mythology and timeline that you’ve never gotten in what we call “the mothership,” the original show. The Duffers loved a certain style of ‘80s and ‘90s all-family audience animation and cartoons, and this show is made in the spirit of that. So it’s not “Stranger Things, but animated,” it’s very much its own tone and style."

The darker, more mature tone of the main series won't be mirrored in Stranger Things: Tales from '85, meaning the ways in which Eleven and Stranger Things' returning characters interact and how they approach the new mysteries in Hawkins will change. Consequently, a difference in tone means seeing these characters in a new light, which likely won't reflect how they appeared in the Stranger Things finale's epilogue.

While fans will get to see Stranger Things' iconic original characters back on Netflix shortly after the main story's finale, they'll be in a completely different state of mind and dynamic than when audiences last saw them. Taking place in "snowy 1985," the Party will be back in middle school for the animated spinoff, returning to the much more youthful, relatively naive approach to their conflicts that defined season 2.

In Tales from '85, Eleven, Mike, Max, Dustin, and Will get to be kids again, and audiences won't be seeing them in the most dire, harrowing, tragic moments of their youth that are instead saved for the main series. While Stranger Things grew darker with each season, Tales from '85 is able to explore the franchise's horror and sci-fi mystery elements from a lighter and more family-friendly angle.

Currently, Netflix has yet to announce Stranger Things: Tales from '85's official release date for 2026. The next release from the franchise on Netflix will be One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things Season 5 on January 12, which offers an inside look at the years of work that went into making the final season of the hit series.

While the original Stranger Things cast has now bid farewell to their beloved characters, Tales from '85 ushers in a brand-new ensemble cast to voice the familiar Hawkins residents. In the animated spinoff, Eleven will be voiced by Brooklyn Davey Norstedt, Mike by Luca Diaz, Dustin by Braxton Quinney, Lucas by Elisha Williams, Will by Ben Plessala, Max by Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, and Jim Hopper by Brett Gipson.