Stranger Things ended its five-season-long journey on December 31, 2025. While people were excited to see how the Netflix show would tie all the loose ends, the finale ended up drawing mixed reactions from the audience.
Many felt that the conclusion was lacklustre for a series that kept everyone hooked for nine years. The disappointment soon turned into a manifestation of a bonus episode.
People refused to believe that Stranger Things actually ended the way it did and started believing that Netflix would release a bonus episode on January 7, 2026, that would serve as the real series finale.
the duffer brothers seeing #conformitygate and realizing they missed out on writing the craziest plot twist of any show ever pic.twitter.com/6aM2Un8oEc
— zoë (@ponyjackets) January 1, 2026
The theory soon gained momentum on social media, and people started to look for clues in the previous episodes that potentially hinted at a bonus finale.
The theory was named #ConformityGate. According to the theory, the last four episodes of the show featured an alternate reality that not only affected Mike in the show but also the audience.
Fans argued that under Vecna’s curse, all the characters had become watered-down versions of themselves, and would be back to their real selves in the bonus finale.
As for why everyone thought January 7 would be the release date of the actual finale, theorists pointed out how Joyce went into a frenzy for six days after Will’s disappearance in Season 1. Hence, they thought Netflix would take six days after the fake finale to air the real one.
#ConformityGate soon started trending on X and TikTok and sparked a meme fest. One user posted, “the duffers seeing #conformitygate and realizing they have eight hours to film, edit, and release a second finale to save their careers.”
Another wrote, “Joyce had to go crazy for six days, right? SIX. FULL. DAYS. Before her son finally came home and everyone realised she wasn‘t crazy. Guess what? The finale episode aired on 1st January for EVERYONE. Netflix is planning to bring something out on 7th January.”
One user remarked, “The reason why the duffers aren’t putting an end to #conformitygate is because they know that if they do, then the majority will actually stop talking about stranger things and they dont want that.”
the duffers seeing #conformitygate and realizing they have eight hours to film, edit, and release a second finale to save their careers pic.twitter.com/JuKVXR7HaK
— ana ☾ byler brainrot (@wiickitywhack) January 2, 2026
However, now that January 7 is here and there is no sign of an Episode 9 of Stranger Things Season 5, it is safe to say that the series has ended for good, and there is no bonus footage left for the audience.
Jamie Campbell Bower, who played Vecna in the sci-fi series, confirmed that the original series finale marked the final episode and was ‘the ending the show deserves.’
He said during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, “Even as the actor that plays Vecna, like, it just – it feels right. You know, the show is so much about friendship and love and hope and joy. And of course, like, the person who is not that has to go, you know?”
So if you are still not over Stranger Things, all you can do is rewatch all five seasons, streaming now on Netflix.
