While of course every Stranger Things character is great, there’s something special about smart and determined Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). She escapes from Hawkins National Laboratory and finds herself in a small Indiana town where she meets the first real group of friends she has ever known. From Eleven’s bond with Jim Hopper (David Harbour) to her love for Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), it’s tough to imagine the show being so memorable without her.

Eleven’s Stranger Things parents are one of the biggest and most fascinating mysteries on the Netflix series. Fans have many questions about Eleven’s mother and father, along with her connection to the evil Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine).

Who is Eleven’s Mother?

Eleven’s mother is Terry Ives (Aimee Mullins), a woman who is heartbroken when Martin Brenner kidnaps her daughter, who she calls Jane, and keeps her at Hawkins National Laboratory. She is devastated to live without her child and in her brief Stranger Things scenes, she is struggling with her mental health and unable to cope with her daily life. It’s really sad watching what has happened to Terry.

Eleven has rebellious Stranger Things moments and Eleven’s parents have their own strong-willed personalities. In 1974, Terry does what she thinks is right and attempts to get Eleven again and brings a gun into the lab. Dr. Brenner once again proves how evil he is when he gives her electroshock therapy, which is what makes her unable to function from that point on.

Terry gives Birth to Eleven in 1971 and is just awake enough to watch Brenner kidnapping Eleven. Brenner is in charge of Terry’s life even earlier than this, as she takes drugs and is part of Brenner’s experiments called Project MKUltra. This involved the CIA having subjects use mind-altering substances so they can take this data and information and hurt others during the Cold War. While Brenner appears to die in season 4, Modine thinks Brenner is still alive, and if he comes back in season 5, it would be interesting to learn more about his past experiments.

In season 2, Eleven finds her mother Terry, and finds out about her past as a test subject. Eleven was supposed to kill her mother on Stranger Things, but the writers decided against this dark storyline, which makes sense as that might have been a little much to see.

Who is Eleven’s Real Father?

While of course Eleven calls Dr. Brenner “Papa,” he isn’t actually her real father. Eleven’s dad was shared in the book Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond. The novel was published in 2019 and is a prequel to Stranger Things. It includes important information about Eleven’s family history as it focuses on Terry’s life before she becomes Jane’s mother. This fills in necessary and compelling details that fans have been waiting for.

Suspicious Minds says that Eleven’s father is Andrew Rich, and Dr. Brenner manipulates him from the start. After learning that Terry and Andrew are in a relationship, Brenner makes sure that Andrew is drafted into the Vietnam War because he wants Terry to be afraid.

While an Eleven Stranger Things spin-off isn’t happening and that’s a shame for fans who want to see more of this fan-favorite character, Eleven is thankfully given enough backstory and screen time on the series, and this prequel book also shares more about her family.

Is Eleven’s Real Father In The Show?

While Suspicious Minds shares that Eleven’s real Stranger Things father is Andrew Rich, he isn’t a character on the TV series. It’s possible that he could be part of season 5 if there is an episode focused on flashbacks of Eleven’s parents. Fans would be curious to see more of Terry and Andrew’s love story since their relationship led to the birth of such a fascinating character.

While the Stranger Things episodes will be shorter, there will likely continue to be a focus on Eleven since she’s one of the most compelling and coolest characters on the popular Netflix series. Sharing more about Eleven’s real father Andrew Rich could be a great way to wrap up the story.

Even if Andrew is never part of Stranger Things, that would still work, as the mystery surrounding where Eleven comes from does have some merits. The fact that Eleven doesn’t know her parents very well enables her to grow closer to Hopper. And it’s definitely true that Eleven has found a family on the TV show as her friends have become so much more than just pals. After so many life and death situations, it’s no wonder that they have gotten so close. No matter what is revealed in season 5 of Stranger Things, it’s going to be powerful.