Stranger Things season 2: Is this confirmation Eleven will return?

Will the Netflix hit's huge cliffhanger actually find a conclusion in the show's second season?

Stranger Things season 2 became a dead cert in fans' minds right at the point of the first season's closing scenes; there was no way we could all be left on that cliffhanger as to whether Eleven survived her encounter with the Demogorgon, and why exactly Chief Hopper was leaving out Eggos in the box in the woods.

Fans are hoping and praying Eleven will make her return, especially after such a command performance by Millie Bobby Brown; yet, The Duffer Brothers have been keeping a total lockdown on the storyline for season 2, outside of releasing the episode titles and sparking some rampant speculation. Are 'The Secret Cabin' or 'The Palace' references to where Eleven might be hiding?

Though we already know Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Joyce (Winona Ryder), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) have all been confirmed to return; there's no word on whether Brown will be making an appearance, though a recently posted Instagram photo seems as if it could be confirming the fact.

Both Brown and David Harbour (who plays Chief Hopper) attended a panel for the show at Phoenix Comic-Con Fan Fest, with Brown's photo hinting that Harbour's having a pretty hard time keeping Eleven's fate a secret. In fact, Harbour followed up with his own photo of Brown, who apparently "won't let me talk season 2".

One matter which will be conclusively solved is the rather contentious 'Barb-gate', with the Duffer Brothers promising the fan-favourite character will find some level of justice after her rather cruel fate in the Upside Down. A casting call also revealed three new characters will be joining the series: a tough 13-year-old girl Max and her stepbrother Billy, and outsider Roman.

The directing duo has also promised the upcoming episodes will reveal much more of the Upside Down; "We kinda just peeled back the curtain and revealed a tiny bit of the Upside Down. So we definitely want to explore a little bit more. There’s a lot we don’t know about the Upside Down at the end of season one."

Stranger Things season 2 hits Netflix in 2017.