Fans of Stranger Things have expressed their disappointment that the Conformity Gate theory didn’t come to pass.
READ MORE: ‘Stranger Things’ season five, volume one review: the big, bold beginning of the end
The finale of Stranger Things, released on New Year’s Eve, was one of the biggest events in recent TV history. However, fans of the Netflix hit were disappointed at the ending, which saw Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) fate remain ambiguous, and various plot holes left unanswered.
With so many questions remaining, some believed that this wasn’t the end at all, and formed the Conformity Gate theory, with the name stemming from people’s belief that the final episode concluded in an unadventurous way, rather than offering any surprises.
The theory is that the final episode wasn’t the true ending, and that the characters of Hawkins were held in an illusion created by the evil Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), and that they hadn’t saved the world at all. Fans pointed to “clues” in the final episode, such as a graduation scene where all the students have their hands crossed in a similar way to Vecna, and Dungeons & Dragons books on a shelf reading “X A LIE”, implying their dimension could not be trusted.
The theory explains that this would be revealed in a surprise episode and lead to the real showdown, presumably ending the series in a way that would keep fans satisfied.
Exponents of the theory believed that the episode would air as a surprise on January 7, a week after the official ending. Neither Netflix nor creators The Duffer Brothers have given any indication that this might be the case, and the date passed without a new ending.
On X (formerly Twitter), fans reacted to the news. Many mocked what they viewed as “mass psychosis” on the part of disappointed fans, with one user saying it will “go down in history”.
“conformity gate” need scientists to actually study this severe case of mass psychosis pic.twitter.com/WlfdhXuD2s
— f* (@D0RIANSCROCHAN) January 6, 2026
conformity gate will go down in history
mass psychosis after ST5 finale will go down in history
— ꩜ (@sweetgumdropp) January 8, 2026
Others shared their disappointment, with one using a clip from the show of Max (Sadie Sink) expressing her frustration during the final episode.
Everyone after realizing conformity gate doesn’t exist: pic.twitter.com/gkFgurHe2E
— kaiju slayer (stranger Things 5 hype) (@tim_burtonfan) January 8, 2026
it’d have been so banger if there had been a 9th episode of stranger things… like the potential conformity gate had… fans hyped me uppp i’m actually so disappointed it’s not real pic.twitter.com/JMImxVq7Bv
— jade! (@coopersjake) January 8, 2026
There were also others who used the phenomenon in order to highlight how people felt the ending wasn’t what they wanted.
says a lot about how bad it was… ofc ppl don’t want to believe their favorite show fucking sucks. me included
— Rory ♡ (@wahoo_puppies) January 8, 2026
Not everyone was disappointed, however, as Iron Maiden celebrated ‘The Trooper’ being featured in the final episode. Elsewhere, Stranger Things cast member David Harbour has pulled out of an upcoming project following the intense rollout for the final season.
The post ‘Stranger Things’ fans upset #ConformityGate secret episode never arrived appeared first on NME.
