Did Eleven create the Upside Down in Stranger Things? (Spoilers)

Stranger Things season 4 volume 1 has finally been released on Netflix, and we don’t know about you but we feel like the land of the Upside Down has gotten even scarier than what we remember.

The return of the sci-fi series has brought up some old questions for us, and as it seems, we might finally have an answer to the origin of the Upside Down. So if you were also wondering if Eleven created the Upside Down in Stranger Things, then wonder no more.

Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 4 part 1.

Did Eleven create the Upside Down in Stranger Things?

The origin of the Upside Down has long been something of a mystery, but with the end of the series fast approaching, it seems the Duffer Brothers have finally started answering some of our biggest questions.

Vecna — a.k.a. Number One, a.k.a. Henry Creel — was torturing his family and innocent animals before Eleven was born. As pointed out by Dustin in episode four of season 4 volume 1, “Eleven didn’t create the Upside Down,” but rather she “opened a gate to it.” And this seems to be true!

In the finale of season 4 part 1, we get to see a showdown between Eleven and Number One at Hawkins Lab while El is recalling her traumatic memories in order to regain her powers. It’s revealed that One is actually evil and just killed multiple people — including kids — in the lab and wants El to go with him to cause more chaos. She refuses, of course, and when they have a fight she uses her powers to basically banish him from the real world.

She brings the two dimensions more closely together when using her powers to blast One through the wall and into the Upside Down, thus creating a gate to the other world. So no, El didn’t create the Upside Down but she did create a portal to it. It’s believed the Upside Down might’ve existed for millions of years.