Stranger Things Was Originally Going to Kill Off a Very Surprising Character

Stranger Things might have been a very different show if it had only lasted one season.

In fact, one of the most popular characters would not have made it out alive, according to CinemaBlend.

According to new comments made by show creators Ross and Matt Duffer at a Q&A event, one of the Netflix series’ breakout stars, Millie Bobby Brown, was originally slated for a tragic demise before they decided to expand the show to keep it going for future seasons, rather than cap it off after only one season.

“Maybe I shouldn’t say this because I like to pretend that it was all planned out, but it was originally pitched as a limited series,” Ross Duffer explained, as Cinemablend reports. “So it was like, Eleven was gonna sacrifice herself and save the world and then that was gonna be it, because there was a moment where limited series were a big deal.”

Luckily for us all, Eleven — played by 13-year-old fan favorite actress Millie Bobby Brown — survived her brush with the Demogorgon and came back to win audience hearts once more on the much-hyped and much-watched second season. And with more seasons in store, it looks like they made a good choice by scrapping their first plan and keeping her character in the mix.

Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com.