Stranger Things Star Millie Bobby Brown Ends A Major Upside Down Debate
"Stranger Things" is full of magic and monsters, most of which seem to originate from the Upside Down, a demonic mirror dimension that runs on a plane of existence parallel to Hawkins. The strange, corrupted plane of the Upside Down is a core component of the show's mythology, and Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven on the series, has given her opinion on a debate over its origins.
Though more is learned about this spooky dimension in each season of "Stranger Things" as demogorgons pour forth from its shadows, its mysteries have never been fully revealed. Season 4 gave fans more answers than ever before, showing how Eleven was responsible for opening the portal to the Upside Down when she banished One (Jamie Campbell Bower) there after he went on a killing spree in the secret lab underneath the town.
Some have asked whether Eleven created the Upside-Down by opening that portal, but according to Brown, it predated her character. In a 2022 interview with variety, the star shut down that idea, saying, "I think that the alternate universe was always there. That is always going to be under Hawkins. I just think she has access to it. I don't think that she created the Upside Down. No, I think that it was always there, I think she just created a gate to it which no one could before."
The Upside Down existed before Eleven opened it, Brown says
While Millie Bobby Brown's take on the origins of the Upside Down are the closest we'll get to a declarative end on the debate over who created it, it's well-known that even the actors on "Stranger Things" aren't told all the secrets of the world. The Duffer Brothers keep their secrets close to the vest, and the only definitive answers will be those included in the long-awaited fifth and final season of the series.
However, based on the events of Season 4, it seems pretty clear that Brown is right. The children like her who have paranormal abilities seem to draw those powers from the Upside Down, meaning it would not be possible to use them if the Upside Down did not already exist. When Eleven opened a portal to the parallel dimension and banished Henry Creel there, she likely thinned the membrane between Earth and the Upside Down. In other words, she punctured a hole in the dam separating the two dimensions. That understanding is further supported by Vecna, who tells Eleven in the episode, "The Piggyback," that when she banished him, she opened the portal. "All I needed was someone to open the door," he says. "And you did that for me, without even realizing it."
Although Vecna also refers to the Upside Down as "somewhere new," he probably means it was new to him, not that it was created when he arrived. Lets hope Season 5 clears things up once and for all as the children of Hawkins take their final stand against Vecna's plan for destruction.