2026 has so far been… strange. The Conformity Gate saga led a corner of the internet to believe that a secret Stranger Things finale was dropping on Netflix on January 7. Now the date has been and gone, the fandom has something to say.
Unless you’ve been living off grid for the past week, you’ll have seen #ConformityGate on your feeds. Seemingly spawned from disappointment with how Stranger Things Season 5 wrapped up, the theory goes that the events of the finale were an illusion created by Vecna.
The theory took on a life of its own on social media, with TikTok deep dives purporting to show evidence that Season 5 Episode 9 exists and will serve as the “real” finale – even a skit by Vecna star Jamie Campbell Bower had believers convinced it’s true.
But alas, no such episode exists. Still, Conformity Gate followers tuned in on January 7, reportedly causing Netflix to crash momentarily. In the aftermath of the saga, the fans who didn’t believe have one major complaint.
Conformity Gate theory sparks backlash
The complaint? Many viewers argue that the Stranger Things Season 5 finale was not as disastrous as some reactions suggested – and certainly not enough to justify the scale of the theory that followed.
Some have even compared it to finales of other shows widely considered far more divisive, suggesting the backlash may be overblown. The conversation unfolded on Reddit, where one user wrote, “A decade-long show had such a disastrous finale that viewers assume they’re in mass psychosis.”
However, another replied, “Or, you know, a whole bunch of outspoken people decided it was the worst episode they had ever seen and then proceeded to lose their minds a bit.” A third added, “Those people have clearly never watched The Umbrella Academy or Sherlock.”
In Sherlock’s case, the last episode was widely criticised for prioritizing spectacle and convoluted twists over coherent character resolution. Meanwhile, The Umbrella Academy’s ending threw fans through a loop with its flowery post-credits scene (IYKYK).
And then, of course, there’s the notorious ending to Game of Thrones. For the most part, fans think the hate for the Stranger Things ending is unjustified. “I thought the ending was sweet. Doesn’t deserve the hate it’s getting,” wrote one.
“I thought it was alright too. I’d probably rate it a 7/10,” commented another. “I agree with a lot of the criticisms, but I don’t think it was a bad finale overall.” A third agreed, “Exactly. A 9/10 show had a 7/10 finale and some fans are legitimately going insane.”
“I feel the same way. As far as emotional stakes and character beats go, it works just fine. Plot structure, less so, and the longer I’ve thought about it the more I’ve gone, ‘Wait, that seems contrived,’” a fourth chimed in.
“But overall, it was a pretty serviceable middle-of-the-road-quality finale. Not legendarily good like Breaking Bad, not legendarily bad like GoT, but simply average. That does put it as slightly lower quality than the rest of Stranger Things, but still, nothing to be angry about.”
Even though the date has been and gone, there are still plenty of fans who still believe in Conformity Gate. There’s even a change.org petition demanding Netflix to “release the secret episode” (granted, it’s only received 11 signatures so far).
Stranger Things Season 5 documentary leads to new theory
Others believe that the upcoming documentary on the making of Stranger Things Season 5 will actually be the secret episode.
Over on TikTok, one fan said, “I refuse to look at all this evidence we’ve gathered and all the information across TikTok that this is over,” before referencing Lucas’ line, “I don’t believe in coincidences.”
He then highlights the alternative theory about the behind-the-scenes documentary. For the uninitiated, One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 is dropping on Netflix on January 12, but voice actor Gregory Lawrence suggested that this could all be a ruse.
He references the 1994 meta horror movie Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, in which Freddy Krueger invades the real world and haunts the cast and crew involved in the making of the Nightmare on Elm Street films.
The theory goes that Vecna will do the same thing to the Stranger Things cast in the documentary. Lawrence also points out the fact that Freddy Krueger star Robert Englund plays Henry Creel’s father in the Netflix show.
“Maybe the number seven isn’t pointing to the seventh of January. Maybe the number seven that seems to keep cropping up in everyone’s theories is pointing to a homage of the seventh Nightmare on Elm Street film,” he continues.
“Like, the number seven that’s on the dice at the end of the ‘finale’… what if when we watch One Last Adventure… we see Vecna come out of his world into the real world, and we see the cast and crew fighting Vecna, and that is the final episode.
“It would be odd, but I think it would be brilliant.”
Other believers have added to the theory, with one writing, “Holly’s memory was watching Nightmare on Elm street on Halloween. It shows in the memory.”
Another said, “Well, Millie Bobby Brown did say the finale would be very meta, and I didn’t see that in the final episode.”
A third added, “Ok I just watched the preview [for the documentary] again. NO VECNA!! NO JAMIE!!! This could totally be true!”
MrBeast reveals he’s “committed” to making Beast Games for next 10 years