Matthew Modine Explains Why Eleven Is the True Villain of 'Stranger Things'

When Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in 2016, Millie Bobby Brown's character, Eleven, [...]

By Hannah Barnes

When Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in 2016, Millie Bobby Brown's character, Eleven, instantly became a fan favorite. The gifted teen immediately became a social media superstar, and fans have been eagerly awaiting her return when the series' second season arrives this fall.

Despite her warm reception, there's one person who doesn't seem to view Eleven the same way many fans do — Matthew Modine, who plays Dr. Brenner on the show, told Variety at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend that he thinks the supernatural tween is actually more of a villain than his own character.

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"There's a lot of people who think Dr. Brenner is an evil character," Modine said. "In all those scenes that you see him with Millie, did he ever speak harshly to her, did he ever harm her, did he ever not explain what it was that he was going to do with her?"

In the show, Brenner is a research scientist who performs experiments on Eleven to test her supernatural abilities. After her escape, he and his team feverishly search the town for her.

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"Since her escape from the laboratory, how many people has she killed?" Modine continued. "And how many people has Dr. Brenner killed?"

The answer — several, although it can be argued that she acted in self-defense, as the agents she killed were trying to return her to the laboratory.

Modine also offered one more idea to think about. "And perhaps the only reason Dr. Brenner is so ardently pursuing Eleven is because what happens if Eleven were to get in the hands of somebody that is truly evil?" he queried.

Whatever the answers may be, fans will have plenty of time to mull these new questions over before the second season of Stranger Things drops on Netflix October 27.

Photo Credit: YouTube / Netflix

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