Friday, March 29, 2024

Were We Ever Really Supposed to Sympathize With Dr. Brenner in ‘Stranger Things?’

Do the ends justify the means?

Editor’s note: The article contains spoilers for Season 4 of Stranger Things.

The main antagonist Dr. Brenner in the Stranger Things of Netflix’s original series also serves as one of Demogorgon’s two main adversaries in Season 1, the main antagonist in Season 2-3, and a significant anti-hero in Season 4. He was presented in a negative light. In contrast to the Demogorgon and the fantastical misdeeds it committed, he represented all that is bad and corrupt in the actual world.

After all, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) was only able to bring the Demogorgon into existence with Dr. Brenner’s help in the first place. Without his assistance, the Demogorgon would never have been able to materialize. This pattern of Dr. Brenner being a villainous character continued to play out as Season 2 revealed additional heinous acts that the scientist had committed.

such as plotting to steal Eleven away from her mother at the time of her birth and causing additional harm to the mother when she attempted to take her daughter back. Due to the lack of information provided regarding Dr. Brenner in Season 3, the revelation that he is still alive in Season 4 came as quite a shock.

Were We Ever Really Supposed to Sympathize With Dr. Brenner in ‘Stranger Things?’

The narrative complexities of his character in Season 4 called into question some of what viewers already knew about the scientist. Yet at the same time, it reinforced everything else to an even greater extent. The question of whether or not we were supposed to have sympathy for Dr. Brenner still stands, as does the question of whether or not this was a cheap attempt to get spectators to feel bad for a character who is, in all honesty, a villain.

Dr. Brenner in Stranger Things of Season 4

The fact that a villain’s motivations can be either straightforward or convoluted while still functioning satisfactorily is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of evildoers. This concept is presented throughout the first season of the show Stranger Things. The fact that the Demogorgon is a hazardous creature that intends to cause the protagonist damage is not hard to figure out and does not require a lot of mental effort on your part. Even if its goal is explained on an instinctive level, it is nevertheless effective as a terrifying antagonist that audiences should support in their fight against.

Dr. Brenner in Stranger Things of Season 4

In the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things, Dr. Brenner continued to play an important part as he assisted Eleven in regaining her powers. However, in order to accomplish this goal, he was forced to expose her to an extremely distressing event from her past. This event was so detrimental to her mental health that her conscious mind had purposefully hidden it from her recollection. Even though it was ultimately determined that the project was a success, the entire process felt less like a constructive venture and more like a burdensome chore that had to be endured.

Who is the guy who helped Eleven escape?

Who is the guy who helped Eleven escape?

Dr. Brenner in Stranger Things was the one who maintained that this was the only way for her to get back in touch with her powers.  Which does not mean that Dr. Brenner necessarily loved watching Eleven suffer through these horrible events again. Once Eleven had regained control of her abilities, she insisted on departing from the bunker so that she could assist her friends.

The faith that Dr. Brenner would enable her to leave if she wished to did play a significant role in the experiment.  Nevertheless, it turned out that this was an act of deception on the part of the scientist, as he blocked her from leaving the facility. Instead, he took control of the bunker and restrained Eleven with a shock collar in order to prevent her from putting up a fight.

He argued that she was not yet strong enough and that additional tests needed to be carried out in order for her to fully unlock her real potential. He said this because he believed that she was hiding something. His scheme is thwarted almost immediately. However, when agents of the United States government storm the bunker in an effort to eliminate Eleven. Dr. Brenner suffers multiple gunshot wounds while attempting to break out of the bunker alongside Eleven.

Is Dr. Brenner 11’s biological father?

Eleven refers to Dr. Brenner as “Papa” despite though he isn’t her biological father. Brenner seemed to be doing it to come out as friendlier to her and the other subjects.

Eleven was freed from the collar just as he was passing away, and he used his last minutes to tell her, “I want you to know…I am proud of you.”

So extremely proud, that you all are a part of my family. My child… My goal has always been to be of assistance to you… In order to safeguard you…Everything I did, I did for you. I really need you to comprehend this. Please reassure me that I have your comprehension. As a teary-eyed Eleven listens to Dr. Brenner’s pleading for an answer, the scene is overlaid with melancholy and depressing music. She was left with only two words and a single tear for the man who had given her so much suffering: “Goodbye, Papa.” Her heavy look of reflection on her face left her with only those words and tears.

After Eleven and her friends vanished into the desert, Brenner succumbed to his wounds and accepted his fate as he watched the van drive away. Eleven had vanished into the desert with her pals. It gives the impression that the entire scene is filled with strong feelings, which gives the impression that Dr. Brenner is a sympathetic character.

Who is the biggest villain in Stranger Things?

If one were to rank villains on a scale of complexity in terms of their motivation. The Demogorgon would be located far to the left, where deeds are done only out of instinct. At least during the first season, it may be argued that Dr. Brenner is closer to the scale’s center than to either extreme.

Although he leads the team that is tasked with finding Eleven and eliminating anyone who may have come into contact with her, he is not motivated to cause harm by a purely instinctual or internal desire to do so. He is the leader of the team that is tasked with finding Eleven and eliminating anyone who may have come into contact with her.

In his opinion, these were the steps that had to be performed in order to guarantee that no one would find out that Eleven actually existed. In addition to being one of the most horrifying Stranger Things villains, Demogorgon is also one of the most inventive and terrifying TV monsters ever created.

Season 4 is the point at which Dr. Brenner’s placement of motive continues to tilt further toward the side of complexity. In this season, we got to glimpse Dr. Brenner’s more compassionate side for the first time.

In the flashbacks to Eleven’s past trauma, he displays genuine concern for her, and a significant portion of the reason why he attempted to keep her locked up in the bunker was that he was concerned that she was not strong enough to confront Vecna, which would have ensured her death if she attempted to confront him at that time. In other words, he was afraid that she would die if she tried to confront him.

brenner and eleven 2r

Dr. Brenner never regarded Eleven or any of the other children he experimented on as if they were simply data. Neither did he treat any of the other children he experimented on. There is no question that he was cruel to them. As evidenced by his use of shock collars as punishments and his decision to isolate them from the rest of the world. But, he did to some extent; consider them to be his children who were in his care.

We are in no way trying to explain the actions he performed or to claim that what he did was appropriate; nonetheless, we are able to say that Dr. Brenner had some true amount of compassion for the children, especially Eleven. This is the reason why they all nicknamed him “Papa” in the first place.

Eleven discovers that, above all else, Dr. Brenner is obsessed with the abilities possessed by the children he attempted to raise. Making the big reveal that Dr. Brenner’s obsession with Vecna (who was revealed to be One, the first child he experimented on) is what led to the events of Stranger Things unfolding in the first place has a massive impact on the overall plot of the show.

Even after one had reached adulthood, Dr. Brenner never stopped keeping a close eye on him in any situation. It’s possible that the scientist genuinely did love Eleven as if she were a member of his family. But that his affection was conditioned on the fact that she possessed paranormal abilities. The fact that Eleven constituted a scientific oddity was the primary factor that piqued Dr. Brenner’s interest. When he tells her that he is proud of her, he is probably thinking that he is proud of how powerful she has become via the use of her abilities.

There was not a single untruth in anything that Dr. Brenner stated to Eleven, at least not in his opinion. When his statements are placed in their proper context, one can begin to see how dishonest he really is. He claims that he did everything in his power to protect her. But his actions included putting her through excruciating tests and isolating her from the rest of the world. Brenner forces her to remain imprisoned against her will. He attempts to eliminate her close friends so that her identity could be concealed.

In the time before Dr. Brenner met Hawkins, Eleven may have been the only relative-like figure in his life, but if this is the case, theirs was not a happy or healthy family. He was abusive in every meaning of the word regardless of whether or not he recognized it. And because of all the violence and anguish, he exposed Eleven through. She more than deserved of denying him his peace in his final moments on Earth. He was abusive in every sense of the word.

In those few seconds of reflection, Eleven realized that the man who was laying in front of her needed to hear that what he had done was okay. And despite everything that he may have done wrong, she could forgive him for it. She knew this because she had been in his shoes. After all, he was the one person in her life who come the closest to filling the role of a father for most of her life. And she never doubted for a second that he thought of her as his daughter.

Even after helping Eleven to regain her powers, she owed nothing to this old man who had undeniably caused her so much pain and strife. It was nothing short of beautiful to watch as the abused acknowledged that they did not have to forgive their abuser. And it was nothing short of beautiful to witness as the abused acknowledged that they did not have to forgive their abuser. No matter what feelings were exchanged between the two of them. The facts remained that he was abusive, and no amount of love could ever make up for what he had done in the past.

It is one thing to have empathy for someone and to comprehend the feelings that they are going through. However, compassion is not the same thing as forgiveness, and despite the fact that Dr. Brenner in Stranger Things is a character who one can undoubtedly have pity for; he is not a figure that deserves to be forgiven for the actions that he has taken in the past. The question of whether or not we were supposed to have sympathy for Dr. Brenner in Stranger Things? He seems like a sympathetic character in Stranger Things.

Video Credit@Stranger Things

FAQ

Is Dr. Brenner good or bad in season 4?

Before he was attacked by a Demogorgon at the end of Season 1, Brenner, who assisted Eleven in honing her telekinetic abilities at the notorious Hawkins National Laboratory, served as the show’s primary (human) antagonist.

Is Papa a bad guy or a good guy?

Papa will always be difficult to pitch as a good man or even an antihero. Despite his apparent demise at the end of Season 1, he remains a character with a lot of stories yet to tell. The doctor probably doesn’t regard himself as the bad guy, but rather as a man working to keep the world safe.

How did Brenner give the kids powers?

Due to the infant’s dormant psychokinetic skills brought on by the mother’s testing, Brenner and his colleagues seized Jane in June 1971 after she gave birth to the child.

Did Brenner really want Eleven dead?

Brenner was a nasty man, but he did care for his “babies” in his own special way. One broke free from his bonds and proceeded on a murderous rampage, killing almost everyone in the lab, including the children. But he didn’t want to kill Eleven. They were going to collaborate under the direction of Henry, who once found strength in unity.

Who is the traitor in Stranger Things Season 4?

Vecna psychically abducts Nancy’s consciousness just as she is about to flee and reveals that he is Victor Creel, a patient at Pennhurst Asylum and that he was responsible for the infamous killings before Doctor Brenner. Meanwhile, Nancy and the Hawkins crew had entered the Upside Down to rescue Steve.

What was Dr. Brenner’s intention?

Brenner declares what he considered to be his noble aims as he takes his final breaths before being shot by Sullivan’s soldiers. Eleven is informed that all he wanted to do was protect her and other kids with exceptional talents and skills like her.

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