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Teresa "Terry" Ives is a recurring character in the Netflix original series Stranger Things and a main character in the book Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds. She is portrayed by Aimee Mullins.

Terry was a test subject who took part in Dr. Martin Brenner's Project MKUltra experiments. Brenner abducted Terry's newborn daughter Jane, raising her at Hawkins National Laboratory along with several other child test subjects, and renamed her Eleven. Terry attempted to take her daughter by force, entering the lab with a gun; however, Brenner caught her and forcefully subjected her to electroshock therapy, leaving her in a permanent state of severe catatonia.

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Who portrays the character of Terry Ives in Stranger Things? toggle section
The character of Terry Ives in Stranger Things is portrayed by Aimee Mullins.
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What is the relationship between Terry Ives and Eleven in Stranger Things? toggle section
Terry Ives is the biological mother of Eleven in the popular series Stranger Things. Terry was desperate to get her daughter back after she was kidnapped at birth by Brenner. Despite Eleven initially having no knowledge of her mother, she eventually learns about her through the Void and defies rules to meet her. However, the reunion is bittersweet as Eleven is heartbroken to see her mother's condition.
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What role did Terry Ives play in Dr. Martin Brenner's Project MKUltra experiments? toggle section
Terry Ives was a volunteer test subject in Dr. Martin Brenner's Project MKUltra experiments at Hawkins National Laboratory. These experiments were designed to push the boundaries of the human mind, involving the use of psychedelic drugs and sensory deprivation. Terry's involvement in the project took a dramatic turn when Dr. Brenner took her daughter from her, leading to a series of events that included Terry filing a lawsuit against Brenner and attempting a daring rescue mission at Hawkins Lab.
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What actions did Terry Ives take to try and reclaim her daughter in Stranger Things? toggle section
In Stranger Things, Terry Ives took drastic measures to reclaim her daughter. After her daughter was taken by Brenner, Terry developed a deep hatred for him and even filed a lawsuit against him. However, when she couldn't produce any evidence that Brenner had kidnapped her daughter, Terry decided to take matters into her own hands. She stormed into Hawkins Lab armed with a gun, determined to rescue her daughter. Unfortunately, Brenner's men managed to recapture her daughter before Terry could escape with her.
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What is the significance of the character Terry Ives in the book Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds? toggle section
Terry Ives is a central character in the book Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds. She is a test subject in Dr. Martin Brenner's Project MKUltra experiments. The most significant event is when Brenner abducts Terry's newborn daughter Jane, who he renames as Eleven and raises her at Hawkins National Laboratory along with other child test subjects. Terry's attempts to rescue her daughter lead to her being subjected to electroshock therapy by Brenner, leaving her in a permanent catatonic state. This backstory provides a deeper understanding of Eleven's origins and the circumstances that led to her unique abilities.
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History[]

This section includes information from Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds, and is of questionable canonicity.[canon-rationale 1]


1951 - 1970[]

Terry Ives was born in 1951 and lived with her sister Becky and her parents in Bloomington, Indiana. Terry followed her father’s advice of standing up for the truth and freedom, leading to her interest in conspiracies. After her parents died in a car crash, Becky became Terry's financial supporter. By the late 1960s, she had begun dating Andrew Rich.[1]

While studying at Indiana University Bloomington in 1969, Terry took part in Project MKUltra. Under the supervision of Dr. Martin Brenner at Hawkins National Laboratory, she was subjected to experiments involving the intake of mind-altering psychedelic drugs and becoming sensorily deprived; she entered a kind of inner "void".[1]

Brenner and Terry

Terry walks with Dr. Brenner

During this time, she was unknowingly pregnant with her and Andrew's daughter, Jane. Due to Brenner's influence, Andrew was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War and was eventually killed, having never learned of Terry's pregnancy.

1971[]

During Terry's final appointment at Hawkins Lab, she was administered an injection by Dr. Brenner. This injection induced her into an early labor in her third trimester of 1971; she was taken to hospital, where the doctors performed a caesarean.[2][3] After Terry gave birth to Jane, she told her infant daughter she loved her, but before passing out, noticed Dr. Brenner was among the doctors, and saw him take Jane away from her.

Upon reawakening, Terry was told she had miscarried, but knowing what she had seen, she decided to sue Dr. Brenner and his associates. However, Terry's bid to get Jane back was thrown out of court due to a lack of evidence.

1974[]

In 1974, Terry decided to retrieve her daughter by force and took a gun to Hawkins Lab. Walking in, she was confronted by a guard asking for her badge. She shot him in the abdomen and fled down a corridor. As she looked for her daughter, Terry came across a room with a rainbow painted on the outside and opened it to find Jane along with another child. Overjoyed, Terry attempted to take her away but was captured by the scientists. Strapped to a table, Dr. Brenner had her forcefully put through electroconvulsive therapy (otherwise known as electroshock therapy).

Hopper-template-test
"Oh my god, none of this is real."
This information from Stranger Things: SIX is of questionable canonicity.[canon-rationale 2]
According to one source, Terry's rescue attempt actually occurred in 1978. The security breach and commotion caused by Terry distracted the lab's staff, allowing Ricky/Three, Francine/Six and Marcy/9.5 to escape.


1974-1983[]

The electric shocks fried Terry's brain and locked her in a vegetative-like state; traumatic events started running through her head on a loop. Her verbal ability degraded, and she could only say a small number of words connected to the memories on-loop in her mind. She would continually repeat: "Breathe. Sunflower. Rainbow. Three to the right. Four to the left. Four fifty." Becky became Terry’s caregiver following the electroshock therapy, and was seemingly unaware that Hawkins Lab was responsible for her sister’s condition.

1983[]

Believing Hawkins National Laboratory had something to do with Will's disappearance, Hopper went to the public library in order to research past newspaper articles concerning the lab. Among the clippings, he discovered that Dr. Brenner had been involved in MKUltra and accused of abusing his test subjects. One of those subjects was a woman named Terry Ives, who had attempted to sue Brenner for allegedly kidnapping her daughter.

After finding out that Will's body had been faked, Hopper went to Joyce to tell her everything he had discovered while investigating. He showed her the newspaper clipping about Terry Ives, and remembered the sighting of a kid with a shaved head at Benny's. He then realized he had been inadvertently tracking down Terry's daughter the whole time. They decided to find Terry, hoping she could shed some light on the lab and help in the search for Will.

Terry newspaper

Upon arriving at Terry's residence, they were greeted by her sister, Becky, at the door. Before letting them in, she warned them that if they wanted to know anything they were "about five years too late." Joyce and Hopper attempted to question Terry about her relationship with Brenner and the lab, but received no answers due to her being in a catatonic state.

Becky explained Terry's participation in Project MKUltra and the supposed effects it had on her. In hopes of "expanding the boundaries of the mind", participants such as Terry were given various psychedelic drugs—mostly LSD—and placed in isolation tanks, where they would become sensorily deprived. During the time she was undergoing these experiments, Terry was unaware of her pregnancy.

When asked if they had any pictures of Jane, Becky revealed that Terry had suffered a miscarriage in her third trimester. Leading Joyce and Hopper to a baby room, she told them how Terry liked to "pretend" that Jane was real. For the past 12 years, Terry had kept the room especially for Jane, saying she'll someday return. Not only did Terry believe Jane was alive, but that she was also born with "abilities", such as telepathy and telekinesis, and it was because of those abilities that she was taken to be used as a human weapon by the government.

Joyce wondered if Terry could have been telling the truth about Jane, but Becky informed her there were no records of Jane's existence, with even the doctors having confirmed the miscarriage. Hopper suggested that it could have been covered up, which made Becky remark that he and Terry would've gotten along.

1984[]

Hopper kept the files about Hawkins Lab, including the files about the experiments on Terry, in the same storage cabin in which he and Eleven resided. After an argument with Eleven resulting in a telekinetic tantrum, he coerced her to clean up the mess she had made, agreeing to consider fixing the television. While cleaning, Eleven discovered the files and the existence of her mother, as well as discovering her true name.

Eleven traveled to her mother's home and encountered her aunt Becky, who dismissed her. Proving her power to her, Becky told Eleven what happened to her mother years ago. Eleven also discovered her mother possessed powers as well, as she was guided through the lights to her mother. Eleven managed to mentally connect with her mother and see the events that occurred that led to her current state. While distraught over her mother's condition, Eleven discovered the existence of another psychic child and interpreted that her mother wanted her to find her, and later used the files on other missing children to find her.

1986[]

The previous year, Eleven's powers had been lost after suffering a stroke when battling the avatar of the Mind Flayer. By March, Dr. Brenner and Dr. Sam Owens took her to the Nina Project where she, with the help of a sensory deprivation tank and CCTV footage, re-experienced her life at Hawkins Lab to get back her powers. Eleven re-experienced One reminding her of Terry and her failed rescue attempt.

Later, after the Nina Project was attacked by Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan, Eleven escaped with the help of Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Jonathan Byers, and Argyle. As she looked for a way to defeat One, she eventually decided to "piggyback" off of her friend Max Mayfield's mind, just as she had done with Terry in 1984.

Personality[]

Powers and abilities[]

Powers[]

  • Psionics: As a result of her experimentation during Project MKUltra, Terry acquired a range of preternatural abilities.
    • Telekinesis: Terry can manipulate objects with her mind, being able to change the channel on a TV with her mind.
    • Electrokinesis: Terry displayed being able to manipulate electricity to an extent, as she could manipulate the lights in her house to lead her daughter, Eleven, towards her.
    • Remote Viewing: Terry was seemingly able to use this ability to see where her sister and daughter were in her house in order to lead them towards her. She was also able to interact with Eleven mentally inside the Void.
      • Telepathy: Terry was able to interact with Eleven mentally while inside the Void, showing her a range of her memories so that Eleven could find another test subject from Hawkins National Laboratory, Kali Prasad.
        • Memory Interaction: She was able to interact with her own memories, showing Eleven the ones she wanted her to see and not any others.

Abilities[]

  • Skilled Marksman: Terry demonstrated proficiency with firearms, easily knowing how to aim and shoot a gun at an employee at Hawkins National Laboratory, killing him.

Relationships[]

Appearances[]

Season One appearances
The Vanishing of Will Byers The Weirdo on Maple Street Holly, Jolly* The Body
The Flea and the Acrobat The Monster The Bathtub The Upside Down

*Terry's picture appears in a newspaper article in "Holly, Jolly".

Season Two appearances
MADMAX Trick or Treat, Freak The Pollywog
Will the Wise Dig Dug The Spy
The Lost Sister The Mind Flayer The Gate*

*Terry appears in a flashback in "The Gate".

Season Three appearances
Suzie, Do You Copy? The Mall Rats The Case of the Missing Lifeguard The Sauna Test
The Flayed E Pluribus Unum* The Bite The Battle of Starcourt

*Terry appears in a flashback in "E Pluribus Unum".

Season Four appearances
The Hellfire Club Vecna's Curse The Monster and the Superhero
Dear Billy The Nina Project The Dive*
The Massacre at Hawkins Lab* Papa* The Piggyback*

*Terry appears in a flashback in "The Dive", "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab", "Papa", and "The Piggyback".

Family tree[]

note: family trees are only visible on desktop.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unseen and Unnamed Character Family Tree icon
Andrew Rich
 
Terry Ives Family Tree icon 001
Teresa Ives
 
 
Becky Ives Family Tree icon 001
Becky Ives
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Eleven S4 port 01
Jane Hopper
 

Memorable Quotes[]

  • "Breathe. Sunflower. Three to the right, four to the left. 450. Rainbow..."

Gallery[]

View Gallery For this subject's gallery, see Terry Ives/Gallery.


Trivia[]

  • In the original pilot script, a Terry Ives is mentioned; however, this Terry Ives is male, implied to be a conspiracy theorist, and had no direct connection to the lab, its experiments, or Eleven. The name would be repurposed for Eleven’s mother, while the conspiracy theorist character would ultimately appear from Season 2 onwards in the form of Murray Bauman.
  • In the room she kept for Jane, there is a baby mobile that plays Brahms's Lullaby. Eleven appears to have a strong reaction to Nancy's music box, which plays the same lullaby. This has led fans to speculate that Eleven's reaction towards the music box was her "recognizing" the melody.
  • She has a lot in common with Vicky Tomlinson, the mother of the main protagonist of Stephen King's novel Firestarter. Both participated in government studies involving the intake of hallucinogenic drugs while in college, and as a result, both gave birth to daughters with preternatural abilities.
  • Her referring to the government as "The Man" could imply she was part of, or at least a supporter of, the hippie movement.
  • Like her daughter, the use of her powers causes her nose to bleed.
  • According to Brenner, Terry killed the guard she shot while entering Hawkins Lab in 1974.

References

CanonCanon hierarchy[]

  1. Information from Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds, a Tier 3 source, conflicts with the timeline the series presents, and with behind-the-scenes materials.
    • In the novel Suspicious Minds, Jane's birth occurs in June 1970. This conflicts with an Instagram post by lead makeup artist Amy L. Forsythe, which indicates Jane was instead born in 1971. Dialogue from "The Monster" also refers to Terry's 'miscarriage' occuring "twelve years ago" from 1983, which is 1971.
  2. Information from Stranger Things: SIX, a Tier 3 source, conflicts with what's presented in the main series.
    • The comic versions of the test subjects are at odds with what the fourth season depicts. Additionally, the dating of Terry's rescue attempt differs between Stranger Things: SIX and what behind-the-scenes material suggests (an Instagram post by lead makeup artist Amy L. Forsythe)
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