The true origin of Eleven's powers, revealed

After Stranger Things Volume 1 concluded things on a big cliffhanger, time couldn’t go fast enough for new episodes to come our way and give us some much-needed answers. We all wanted to see the aftermath of Will using his powers for the very first time in the series, and such a day is finally here.

Stranger Things Volume 2 doesn’t miss a single beat and picks things up right where Episode 4 left them. We see how characters like Mike and Joyce react to learning they have a new weapon on their side, and we also learned what role Eight had to play in Dr. Kay’s lab. So without further ado, here’s every burning question of Stranger Things Episode 5 explained.

Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things 5

Eleven’s mom was infused with Henry Creel’s blood, explaining her powers.

Ever since Stranger Things first debuted in 2016, fans have had the same question in mind: What is the true source of Eleven’s powers? Well, for a very long time now, we’ve known that El’s mom participated in Project MKUltra, and she was given some strange substances while pregnant. Due to that, her daughter was born with fantastic abilities that few others could replicate. But what exactly were these substances? Before the release of Season 5, it was implied that the answer was a mixture of different drugs. However, that is far from being the truth.

Henry Creel’s alias is One because he’s the first ever human being in the Stranger Things universe to possess telekinesis and telepathy. Stranger Things Season 4 tells us he was born with these abilities, yet Stranger Things: First Shadow gives us a more compelling explanation that involves the Mind Flayer. Whatever the case, Doctor Brenner founded the MKUltra projects in an attempt to replicate Henry’s special abilities. The goal was eventually accomplished by infusing pregnant women with Henry’s blood.

Eleven also has superpowers because she has been carrying Henry’s mutated blood since birth. Other subjects, like Eigh,t also underwent the same procedure, but the results weren’t as effective in them. Now, history is repeating itself, but Henry isn’t the golden goose anymore.

STRANGER THINGS: SEASON 5

Dr Kay’s true mission is to reactivate Project MKUltra

Ever since Stranger Things Season 4, the military has been actively hunting Eleven for very dubious motives. Every now and then, we’d hear about how the men in green believe Jane is behind all the child kidnappings taking place in Hawkins and the horrible attack that took place on the Wheelers’ house, hence why they want to stop her. However, something didn’t click about their motivations… until now.

Dr. Martin Brenner ran the MKUltra experiments in the hopes of creating more super soldiers just like Henry Creel, allowing the US to get the upper hand in the Cold War. After the Doctor’s supposed death in Season 1, it was widely believed the experiments were officially dead, but it turns out they merely needed a new administration. Wouldn’t you know it, but that’s where Dr. Kay comes in.

Since the Military couldn’t get their hands on Henry Creel, they used the next best subject: Eight. For a long time now, they’ve been getting many samples of Kali’s blood and infusing pregnant women with it. However, the results have been less than ideal, as the test women get sick, and both they and their babies slowly start to die. Dr. Kay knows this, and that’s why she’s been desperately looking for a better source of mutated blood. That’s why the military has been desperately chasing Eleven all throughout Hawkins and the Upside Down. They aren’t looking to stop Jane and whatever troubles she is accused of. Kay simply wants an army of super soldiers on her side, with Eleven being at the center of it all.

StrangerThings_S5_0350_R

The true nature of Will’s powers is finally explained

Stranger Things Season 4 ended with the shocking revelation that Will has powers, but that moment alone also raised a lot of questions. Does he himself have special abilities, much like Henry Creel, or is he simply a true Master of Puppets and puppeteered the Demogorgons by taking advantage of his connection to the Hive Mind? Well, at long last, we have a better explanation about what is truly going on.

When talking to Lucas and Mike, Will reveals that he is simply “borrowing” Vecna’s powers by tapping into the Hive Mind. He doesn’t have special abilities of his own that he can use at any given time, unlike Eleven or even Eight. However, Joyce suggests that the group could get him near the Hive Mind again, and this time, he could use Vecna’s powers on the villain himself. Will could deliver one single death blow that would stop all of the madness. Everyone agrees, and that’s when they devise a risky plan.

Mike, Lucas, and Joyce get a Demogorgon’s body and take it to the WSQK radio station, where they wire it directly to the radio’s antenna. They then proceed to turn the voltage halfway up, electrifying the Demogorgon to a point where it barely reanimates. At that moment, Will, who was near the Demogorgon, could tap into the Hive Mind and look for Hawkins’ greatest villain. Things go right for a moment, and Will is able to locate Vecna, who’s hunting Max and Holly while they were attempting to escape Camazotz. However, Will barely manages to break the monster’s leg before retaliation hits. Henry figures out what is going on and telepathically pushes Will back in the real world.

Mike, Lucas, Robin, and Joyce realize Will is in danger, so they help him by turning the radio’s voltage all the way up, effectively frying the Demogorgon and closing the connection Will had to the Hive Mind. Fortunately, Will managed to buy Holly and Max some time to escape Vecna, but they had to go back to square one and return to the cave where the monster refuses to enter. Their attempt to escape Camazotz was effectively halted.

STRANGER THINGS: SEASON 5

Dustin and Steve’s relationship collapses, but it’s not in total vain

Stranger Things has given us some iconic duos over the years, but few are as beloved as Dustin and Steve. That’s why it has been heartbreaking to see them be on bad terms for most of Season 5. See, Jonathan, Nancy, Dustin, and Steve decide to investigate the Hawkins National Laboratory after discovering it is located right in the center of the Upside Down. They don’t know what exactly they are looking for, but Dustin theorizes that Vecna created an energy shield that’s keeping the wall enclosing the Upside Down up, preventing them from reaching Holly. So, the plan is to find the energy shield in the Lab and destroy it.

Since the lab is so big, the four heroes divide into two teams of two. While Dustin and Steve don’t want to work together, they have no other option but to do so. They head downstairs and constantly tease each other every step of the way. Eventually, they reach the room where Vecna killed all the kids of the MKUltra Project, and where he was first transported to Dimension X. It is there that Dustin and Steve’s relationship reaches a breaking point.

Steve calls Dustin selfish for ditching Hopper and Eleven back in the church. He also brings up Dustin’s inability to show up to the crawl just because he was looking for an excuse to get into a fight. Eventually, Steve says that he might not be Eddie (whom Dustin loved), but at least he’s alive and didn’t do something stupid by trying to play hero. That’s when Dustin starts to fight Steve, while Harrington tries to ease things. After a few punches, Steve leaves Dustin crying on the floor and leaves the room.

While it was heartbreaking to see our favorite Stranger Things pairing throw some hands, Dustin realizes that there was a secret door just right behind the place where he was crying. It is there that he comes across some schematics and journals that detail some unnerving information about the Upside Down, but that’s a story for Episode 6 to handle.

The true origin of Eleven’s powers, revealed

Tags: