Warning! There are spoilers in this article for Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 1! You should read at your own risk!
Eleven has been unable to reclaim her powers since the Season 3 conclusion, as though she lost them after the Battle of Starcourt. In Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 1, she was brought into the prison by the authorities and afterward by Dr. Owens to get her skills back and even better, stronger, after an awful episode in California after she was ridiculed by her peers in the midst of a skating rink.
Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 1 saw Eleven being tormented at school by her peers. She fools Mike into thinking she’s fine while she’s actually suffering from estrangement. Will is the only friend she has in California. Eleven attempted to use her talents against a bully in one case, only to discover that her powers had not yet returned.
Eleven had had enough of the bullying when the bullies made fun of her while she was at the skating rink with Will and Mike. She was pushed to the center and humiliated to the point that she grabbed a skate and punched the bully in the face, resulting in a concussion and maybe a fractured bone.
Dr. Owens responded quickly when he learned that a government agency was hunting for Eleven, and he grabbed her from the police before the other authorities arrived. He explained to Eleven how she may reclaim her abilities, this time magnified and greater than before. Eleven consented, and the two of them were whisked away to a top-secret location.
Dr. Owens, together with Dr. Brenner, had a plan in place for when Eleven‘s capabilities would be lost, and they had the means to restore them. They dubbed it the Nina Project. It’s a tank buried underground at a top-secret location that allows Eleven to travel back in time and relive her experiences.
Dr. Brenner, in a manner akin to time travel, presents footage of Eleven‘s past, when she was still a patient at Hawkins National Laboratory. She learned about the memories there, and how to rewire her brain to remember how to wield her talents once more. Her skills were only latent, and they hoped that reawakening Eleven’s memory would boost her abilities whenever they returned.
By the time Volume 2 arrives, it is assumed that the Nina Project would have been successful, allowing Eleven to confront someone from her past, someone she has battled before, who is now preying on her companions at Hawkins.
Eleven is humanity’s final hope, the last straw for her companions, as Vecna becomes a looming menace to the community in Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 1. Will she be able to reach them in time, or will it be too late?
Now we can watch Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 1 on Netflix. On July 1, 2022, Vol. 2 will be released.
