We're Pretty Sure We Know Exactly How Stranger Things Ends

Nine years. Five seasons. A lifetime of memories. The end is nigh — for Netflix's "Stranger Things," of course. Here's a secret, though: We think we know exactly how this beloved show will conclude. Watch the video above to find out more.

It's almost all over for the Hawkins gang, but don't cry because it's ending; smile because it happened. "Stranger Things" remains one of the best Netflix original series of all time, as well as a viewership monster for the streaming service. It's left a mark on a generation of viewers who'll be sad it's concluding, though at least there's still the animated spin-off "Stranger Things: Tales from '85" to look forward to.

Fans haven't been able to get enough of the series, but there's always been a question about how it would eventually end. After all, "Stranger Things" has seen Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) get trapped in the Upside Down, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) turn into Jean Grey when the gang needed her most, and Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower, who looks very different in real life) become one of the most terrifying TV villains in recent memory. Where else can the show go, or is this a doomed scenario like "Lost" where no matter what the creators do the fanbase won't be satisfied?

Since the show began, Matt and Ross Duffer have remained the creative masterminds behind "Stranger Things." The co-creators and showrunners run a tight ship and they mapped out the story they wanted to tell quite some time ago. What we know for sure is that one character in particular will play a big role in how it all wraps up: In 2023, the Duffer brothers revealed that Will's journey is vital to the ending of "Stranger Things." As it turns out, the ending was planned way earlier than 2023.

"Obviously, it's stressful trying to figure out how you want to end the show," Ross said at Lucca Comics & Games Festival 2025 (via Variety). "Luckily, it was about six or seven years ago that we knew at least what the final scene is. We always knew what the last 40 minutes were going to be." The good news is that the Looper team has been paying attention — even to those wild and wacky "Stranger Things" theories. So, make sure you watch the video above and see if our crystal ball successfully predicts what happens to the citizens of Hawkins.