This was the first New Year I found myself looking forward to January 1 more than the celebration itself. Granted, a wild night out was never really an option thanks to a sore throat and a body still recovering from the flu, but even if that hadn’t been the case, the first hours of 2026 were completely taken over by the Stranger Things finale. To those who don’t know what I’m talking about, congratulations, you’re clearly living under a rock with no access to digital platforms of any kind. As for those who do know, whether they wanted to or not, and most likely not, they inevitably became witnesses to the steroid-fueled hype surrounding the most successful project in Netflix’s history.
Related: The show’s final season is not the end for the Stranger Things universe
And just when we thought the madness was over, and that all that remained was to look forward to spin-offs and stage adaptations, the internet caught fire last night with a theory about a secret ninth episode of the final season, one that has since grown into a full-blown blaze. The so-called conformity gate theory, or the theory of the real ending.
Related: The ’80s films that shaped Stranger Things and the references you likely overlooked
I can’t even imagine the bittersweet feeling the creators of the series, the Duffer brothers, must be experiencing right now. Imagine your show’s ending being so unacceptable to fans who simply can’t fathom a world without it that they begin to believe it’s actually fake. That is precisely what is happening with Stranger Things at the moment, as fans increasingly debate a theory suggesting that the finale of the fifth season is, in fact, not the true ending of the series.
“Conformity Gate” theory
According to the so-called Conformity Gate theory, the Stranger Things finale is not the show’s true ending. Instead, viewers have allegedly been misled, with the real conclusion set to be revealed as a secret ninth episode tonight, January 7. The idea is that Vecna is manipulating not only the characters’ perception, but also that of the audience, creating the illusion of an ending. And, as is often the case with fan theories, there is “no shortage” of evidence:
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at the end of every previous season finale, the show’s logo appears alongside the season number. The only exception is season five, where the number is missing. If this truly is the end, fans ask, why break such a long-established pattern
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Stranger Things appears in Netflix search results when users type in “Fake Ending” and “Season 5 Episode 9”
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there were reportedly five confirmed deaths that never actually happened
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the Duffer brothers’ answers in interviews strike many as unusual, such as the claim that Vecna didn’t know they were coming for him
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it’s hard to believe that writers of this caliber would leave as many plot holes as fans believe appeared in the final season
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in Mike’s house, a game called “What’s It” can be seen, and “whatsit” is what the kids in the show used to call Vecna
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in the very final moment, the characters Max, Lucas, Will, Dustin, and Mike are said to form the sequence “X A L I E” when their names are spoken, which fans interpret as “Dimension X a lie”
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a soldier who sees Mike for the first time addresses him by name, even though he shouldn’t know who he is
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the prom dresses were supposed to be green, but are shown as orange, a color Henry would remember from the time of his own prom
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in a scene where Will talks about memories he loves, he mentions biking to Melvald’s for milkshakes. However, Melvald’s was a store in their time, while it was a diner during Henry’s era
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the character Vicky does not appear at all, which fans interpret as part of the manipulation
Why January 7
One of the key elements of the theory suggesting there is another episode revolves around the claim that it will air on January 7, a date tied to the recurring symbolism of the number seven. Fans point to the following “evidence”:
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in the final game of Dungeons & Dragons, a seven is rolled
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in the first episode, Will rolls a seven just before being taken by the Demogorgon
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Will disappears for seven days
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thunder in the Upside Down occurs after seven seconds
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in the end credits, a die showing the number seven appears
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when Steve falls from the radio tower, the screen goes black for exactly seven seconds
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on January 2, Stranger Things posted a photo in which Eleven is holding up five fingers
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on January 3, Stranger Things posted a photo in which a book titled “Score: Four” can be seen in the background
Whether this is a case of collective conspiracy thinking or a brilliantly concealed final chapter remains an open question. One thing, however, is certain. Stranger Things fans are among the most relentless right now, which suggests that one of the biggest franchises of the decade lies ahead. Even if we never see a ninth episode, I personally am more than satisfied with the stage production The First Shadow, currently playing in London, as well as the documentary One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things Season 5, set to be released on January 12, and the confirmed animated spin-off Stranger Things: Tales of ’85.
