Stranger Things Season 5 theory exposes Eleven’s “real” father

With Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 set to drop on Netflix in a matter of days, the fan theories are coming in thick and fast, with one potentially indicating that Eleven’s father isn’t who we think he is. 

Born Jane Ives on June 7, 1971, Eleven is the daughter of Teresa “Terry” Ives, a subject in the MKUltra-style experiments of Dr Martin Brenner. As revealed early on in the Netflix series, Brenner abducted Terry’s newborn and raised her at Hawkins National Lab.

When it comes to her biological father, the show hasn’t confirmed an identity – but the novel Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds introduces Andrew Rich, a college student born in 1951, said to be the biological father of Eleven and the boyfriend of her mother.

Brenner pulls strings to ensure Andrew gets drafted in the Vietnam War, where he meets his untimely death. But the books aren’t officially canon to the show, leaving plenty of room to share new theories about Eleven’s father. 

Stranger Things Season 5 theory on Eleven’s father

One such theory was posed by internet personality Tanner Schroering, who took to TikTok this week to suggest that Vecna, aka Henry Creel, aka One is El’s biological dad. 

“This Stranger Things theory makes so much sense,” he said, noting that “people are afraid to talk about it because it reminds them of a previous storyline in a very popular movie franchise.” FYI, he means Star Wars. 

“The theory starts out with Henry being the first subject of Dr. Brenner and being tested on a lot of times,” Schroering explained.

You see, Henry was abducted by Dr. Brenner to be experimented on in 1959, and Eleven was born 12 years later in 1971, at which stage Terry was 20 years old. Since Henry was born in 1947, he was 24 years old at this time. 

“Whenever Terry was pregnant and was around 20 years old, that’s when she went into Hawkins lab for the Montauk project, where Dr. Brenner would pay these people to come in and get tested on LSD and everything.

“But little did Terry Ives know Dr. Brenner was actually targeting pregnant women so he could make more lab experiments. And since Henry was the first lab experiment ever, there is a theory out there that Dr. Brenner was using Henry’s DNA to create all of these children.

“And, of course, Terry Ives’ body was a vessel, which would in turn make Eleven Vecna’s real daughter.”

As Schroering pointed out, this isn’t how a baby is made in the traditional sense, but with Henry’s DNA being used to create these children, this would make him Eleven’s dad. 

But how does this tie into Stranger Things Season 5? Well, given we’re going to get an epic battle between Eleven and Vecna, this adds a whole other messed-up dimension to that fight. 

Schroering concluded, “That means in Season 5 we are going to get a father and daughter epic battle, and potentially watch the daughter kill her father.”

The theory has sparked a lively discussion, with one adding, “And how would they know Eleven had powers as a baby?? The dad was HENRY, maybe Henry was a test to see if he can ‘reproduce’ and his babies turned out with powers.”

“Why could this actually be true? I’ve heard some crazy theories, but this one takes the cake. It would make sense as to why they are all ‘Brothers and sisters’ according to Papa (Dr. Brenner),” said another. 

Others have pointed out the fact that the Stranger Things play had already established that the pregnant test subjects received transfusions of Henry’s blood.

“We already knew that Henry’s DNA is in El. And not just El, but in all the kids,” said one. “Dr. Brenner used his blood and put it in all the pregnant moms or in their babies. That’s implied in Season 4 already and the Broadway play shows that as well.”

And then there are those who have alternate ideas. “My theory is a bit darker than that… I think Martin Brenner is the biological father of all the children but 001,” wrote one Redditor.

“Season 1 says they were born from parents who were MK Ultra participants. Eleven’s mother had a history with Brenner. I think he impregnated all of them in order to have good test subjects for the child program.”

Of course, even if this theory does turn out to be true, everyone knows Eleven’s real father is and always will be Jim Hopper.