Stranger Things' series finale Season 5, Episode 8, "Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up" landed on Netflix on December 31, 2025, but a subsection of fans are simply not convinced this was the series' actual ending. Despite a fairly conclusive ending for the show thematically, Stranger Things 5, Volume 3 did not answer all of the series' mysteries. In particular, Eleven's fate remains up in the air: is she alive or dead? After all, Stranger Things 1 ended with a similar conclusion, only to reveal that Eleven was in fact alive.
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There's also the issue of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a canon Broadway play which the show itself never fully embraced as part of its narrative. With so many loose threads to pull at, the ambiguous nature of the finale's ending has left fans to believe that the Duffer Brothers are holding back Stranger Things' real series finale and final episode. Fans previously predicted that Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 9 would air on January 7, 2025, but the day came and went with nary a secret episode on Netflix.
When Does Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 9 Release? (If It's Real, That Is)
The new release date for Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 9 has been moved to January 12, 2025, to coincide with the release of One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 Documentary – but only time will tell if #ConformityGate actually proves true. All things considered, there probably isn't a secret episode the Duffer Brothers intentionally held back and then rescheduled because fans caught onto the theory too quick. Stranger things have happened, of course, but Sherlock fans are sure to remember when they thought Season 4's series finale was a fake-out, only for nothing to come out of the theory.
Stranger Things Fans Are Convinced Season 5 Could Get A Secret Episode 9
The theory does sound exciting, but it's highly unlikely we will get another episode of Stranger Things.
At least with Stranger Things, wild conspiracies and staggered releases fit the series' MO and personality fairly well. At the same time, it's not unusual for theorists to overthink what's in front of them. Sometimes what you see, is what you get – whether you like the final product or not. A lot of #ConformityGate stems from disappointment in the resolution of certain plot threads and relationships in Stranger Things 5. There is some compelling evidence, but fans really shouldn't hold their breath. Realistically, the only new Stranger Things episode releasing on January 12 is One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 Documentary.
What Is #ConformityGate?
First and foremost, there is nothing from Netflix or the Duffer Brothers suggesting or confirming the existence of #ConformityGate. In the strictest definition of the word, #ConformityGate is just a fan theory. According to Conformity Gate truthers, Vecna actually won in the series finale and everything fans saw was an illusion. The orange graduation gowns are meant to symbolize the characters being imprisoned (and unverified extras on Reddit suggest the ceremony was actually re-filmed with green robes at one point). Several characters during Hawkins High's graduation also have their hands posed similar to Henry.
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Other pieces of evidence include Mike rolling a 7, but this could also simply be a callback to Stranger Things 1's series premiere with no greater meaning beyond a visual connection, something that isn't at all unusual for a series finale to do. This was one of the biggest pieces of evidence suggesting the episode would drop on January 7, so the day passing without the secret episode dropping is a blow to the theory. If #ConformityGate does end up real, Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 9 will go down as one of the strangest ways to drop a finale yet and likely lead to record-breaking numbers for Netflix. It would also give the show a chance to resolve loose ends and offer a more compelling ending for those fans left unsatisfied with Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up.
Realistically, though, Conformity Gate isn't happening and Stranger Things fans are better off waiting on a spin-off or sequel focused on the younger cast to continue the story into the '90s.
- Release Date
- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Netflix
- Showrunner
- Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Cast
-
Millie Bobby BrownJane 'Eleven' Hopper -
Finn WolfhardMike Wheeler
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz
- Writers
- Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
- Creator(s)
- Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
