Millie Bobby Brown Just Faced the Wildest Stranger Things Fan Theories and Her Reactions Are Priceless

There is something strangely grounding about watching a cast grow up alongside us, especially when that cast belongs to a show as stitched into pop culture as Stranger Things. For nearly ten years, the series has lived rent free in the collective mind, inspiring endless rewatches, Reddit deep dives, and fan theories so intricate they could probably pass as graduate thesis material.

So when the first episodes of Season 5 finally arrived last month, the internet didn’t ease back into the story. It launched itself headfirst into full speculation mode, magnifying every frame and whisper of dialogue as if decoding a national secret.

Which is why Millie Bobby Brown’s recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon immediately turned into an event. Fans weren’t just curious about behind-the-scenes stories. They wanted something far more precious.

A nod. A raised eyebrow. A slip of the tongue. Anything that could lend even the faintest credibility to the sprawling theories currently orbiting the Upside Down.

What they got instead was even better. Millie reacted to those theories live, looking equal parts amused, baffled, and impressed, as though she suddenly realized the fandom might be tracking Eleven’s journey with more intensity than she ever has.

Her unfiltered honesty, quick humor, and those perfectly timed side-eyes made the entire segment feel like a communal wink to viewers everywhere. And in that moment, it became clear just how deeply Stranger Things has woven itself into the audience’s imagination and, by the looks of it, the cast’s too.

After the first episodes of Stranger Things 5 dropped last month, there are plenty of fan theories as to what's going to happen next - and Millie Bobby Brown has given her verdict on some of them.

The British actor who plays Eleven in the hit Netflix series was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where the talk show host asked for her opinion on some of the predictions.

So what ones did Millie react to?

THEORY #1: The real villain is the Mind Flayer

"When the Demogorgon is first chasing Will in Season 1, the lock on his front door opens on its own from the inside. So Eleven may have been involved and used her powers to help it take Will," Jimmy said.

There was a slight pause, and then Millie said, "I've actually never heard that one! Did that happen?" which prompted laughter from the audience.

"I can't even believe that people remembered that! Wow I didn't know that, I mean... I can't confirm or deny it."

"Vecna is not the main villain. He's just being controlled by the Mind Flayer," Jimmy put to Millie.

In response, she tried to gauge the audience's reaction and then said, "Mmm...So I feel this is a very agreed-upon theory.. okay.

"I mean yeah, that's great."

Jimmy then said, "Karen Wheeler, Mike, Nancy and Holly's mom, is Vecna's little sister."

"This is hilarious!" Millie said straight away.

Netflix

THEORY #2: It's all just a big D&D game

"The entire series is just a game of Dungeons and Dragons that the kids are playing," the talk show host read out.

Millie smiled and shook her head side to side as she then chimed in, "I've seen a few, I've actually seen one theory about this and I thought 'Hm...'

She added, "It was an alternative theory. It wasn't similar to this, but it was almost bang on."

"You didn't happen to see that theory in the Duffer Brothers' office, did you? Jimmy quipped, to which Millie pulled a funny, guilty face.

"Eleven and Will are twins who are separated at birth," Jimmy said.

That's when Millie tweaked it to, "Noah and Millie were separated at birth," noting her close friendship in real life with co-star Noah Schnapp.

Netflix

THEORY #3: Eleven has time-travelled to present day

For the final theory, Jimmy put this to Millie, and she then showed her a clip from the show where she says "six", then "seven" to Hopper.

Millie then did the associated hand gesture with the meme (palms facing up and moving them in a juggling or weighing motion).

Jimmy then shows a picture of Eleven/Jane Hopper's missing poster as seen in the first episode of Season 5 and it shows that Eleven's birth is "67" aka 06/07/71.

"They've really done me up here, haven't they?" Millie quipped, "Every Season is a meme somehow of El or even just me..."

people.com

Stranger Things has always inspired theories that tap into nostalgia, fear, and curiosity in equal measure. Watching Millie grapple with those ideas in real time proved just how deeply the show has rooted itself in the internet’s imagination.

Fans build worlds inside the world, finding meaning in every frame, every pause, every tiny prop. And sometimes even the cast gets swept up in it. If you’ve ever spent an afternoon spiraling into a Reddit thread about the Upside Down or paused an episode to zoom in on a background poster, this moment probably felt like a warm acknowledgment of how fun it is to care too much about a story.

Share this with your group chat and see which theory they’re secretly convinced is true.