Netflix’s biggest and most popular show, Stranger Things, dropped its final episode on Dec. 31, 2025. But superfans on the internet weren’t quite ready to let it go.

Stranger Things fans have a knack for creating elaborate and very far-fetched theories about the show, especially in the months and years leading up to the next release. But now that the show’s over, the thirst to theorize before another installment has gone unquenched. Thankfully, there were just enough loose ends and plot holes after the finale to lead fans into a new, and frankly unfounded, conspiracy: Conformity Gate.

According to Forbes, the Conformity Gate theory started on TikTok, with videos showing inconsistencies that seemingly hinted at the final episode being an illusion created by the main villain, Vecna. The theory states that the real final episode would be released on Jan. 7 of this year. Unfortunately, nothing happened.

At a quick glance, some of the questionable elements of the season seem to help fuel the theory; but on further investigation, simple answers can be found. Conspirators ask: Why are the people in the epilogue sitting like Vecna? Well, because it’s a graduation, and they’re being respectful. Why are some characters absent from the epilogue? It’s not because “Vecna doesn’t know who they are;” it’s because the writers forgot about them. Why does the D20 at the end of the credits show a seven? Because that’s the number Will Byers rolled in Season one, not because a new episode comes out Jan. 7. There’s one last part of this theory, which are supposed references to the Truman Show, a film that portrays a man named Truman who lives his whole life in a T.V. show, unbeknownst to him. These are a bit harder to disprove, but still can be dismantled.

One reference is that there’s a shot where Will looks at a window with drawings on it, and the camera shows a circle positioned around his head. In The Truman Show, there’s a similar scene where Truman draws an astronaut helmet around himself in a mirror. The Truman Show’s version is showing how Truman is going mad after noticing all the strange things happening in his town. But on the contrary, the Stranger Things version is showing how Will is strongly connected to the Upside Down, as well as to Vecna. While there are some scenes where people notice things that are wrong or slightly off while in Vecna’s mind like the Truman Show, the concept isn’t present anywhere near Will’s window shot. So basically, Stranger Things fans are delusional and just can’t accept the ending of their beloved show. Just kidding —sort of. These kinds of outlandish conspiracy theories are fun to dive into, even if they’re far from true. It’s sad thinking about the creators of Stranger Things, though. Just imagine putting your heart and soul into your passion project of a show, only to see that fans didn’t like the ending so much that they made a whole conspiracy theory about why the ending was fake. Maybe a better way for the creators to think about this is that the fans love the show so much, they made a conspiracy theory to explain why the show can’t possibly be over.

Article by Elliot Gardner