Stranger Things: Who Is Eleven's Biological Father?

Throughout the "Stranger Things" timeline, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) encounters several father figures who take her under their wings. But modern-day mad scientists and sheriffs on the road to redemption aside, one question many fans still have is: who is Eleven's biological father?

During the events of "Stranger Things 4," Eleven finally gains something she never had before, which is a solid mother figure in Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder). After all, she grew up without her biological mother, Terry Ives (Aimee Mullins), who was experimented on at the Hawkins National Laboratory. So, where does that leave the real dad to the number one enemy of the Upside Down? Well, die-hard fans of all things "Stranger Things" have already met Elle's biological poppa in the book "Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds."

Released in 2019 and written by Gwenda Bond, the novel is a prequel to the show's events, and as it reveals previously unknown information, it details Eleven's family tree, specifically Terry Ives and her time as a test subject leading up to the birth of Jane, aka Eleven. The book also breaks down how Terry met Eleven's father, Andrew Rich, who was eligible for the Vietnam draft after being stripped of his student status for protesting Nixon's Address to the Nation in 1969. Unbeknownst to both he and Terry, though, the wheels that were in motion to get him there were given some extra grease courtesy of Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine), leading to Andrew being killed in action and never knowing that he even had a daughter.

When it returns, "Stranger Things will pick up the pieces left by the shocking ending of Season 4. The final chapter of Netflix's hit show will presumably be as much of a rescue mission to bring back Max (Sadie Sink) as it will be a final battle between Eleven and Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), the one character that has a higher kill count than Eleven herself. With all those potential plot points unfolding, will there even be time to name-drop Andrew Rich, much less explain who he is to the audience?

There's never been any mention of Eleven's father on screen, even when we met her mother. But that's not to say that his name couldn't pop up in the last hurrah of the beloved series. In what will undoubtedly be one last push to put the young psychic's dark past behind her, for better or worse, it would be nice if she was given even a shred of information about her parents, especially since they were apparently once a happy couple before things turned upside down for them. We'll find out for sure, one way or another, when "Stranger Things" Season 5 debuts in, presumably, 2025.