Conformity Gate: The Stranger Things Season 5 Conspiracy Theory Explained

Contains spoilers for "Stranger Things" Season 5, Episode 8 — "Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up"

Fandoms can be impossible to please, and fans of "Stranger Things," which concluded on New Year's Eve 2025, have expressed their dissatisfaction with the final product the only way they can; by believing that the show isn't over. Followers of Conformity Gate think that the real finale will air on January 7, Orthodox Christmas, the same date shared on a Netflix promotional trailer, especially given that all of Season 5 has been released over the holidays.

The viral theory states that Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) won his final battle with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Hawkins gang. The endings of each main character are actually illusions created by the master manipulator. Tiny details in the background of "The Rightside Up" — such as the position of everyone's hands during the graduation, the several characters that were forgotten about, and the changing colors of the levers and dials at WSQK reflecting something Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) noticed while in Vecna's subconscious — indicate that everyone has conformed to Vecna's vision, hence the "Conformity Gate" name. Regardless of what happens (or doesn't) on January 7, it's fitting that a show like "Stranger Things" has inspired such a complex plot based on details. 

While there are plenty of dumb moments too hard to ignore in the "Stranger Things" finale, there doesn't seem to be any chicanery involved. Co-creators the Duffer Brothers have blown a hole in at least part of Conformity Gate, explaining there's no way Vecna can reach his victims anymore. "Whatever's up there in the Abyss, they've severed the bridge. There is no connection anymore. There's no way of anything in the Abyss from reaching Hawkins again," Matt Duffer told Entertainment Weekly. 

That pretty much nullifies the notion of Vecna winning, or still being able to manipulate the kids and their families. You could say that he wins at some point during the battle and his death is a lie, but that would involve a whole lot of coincidences coming to fruition. The hope has been spurred on by two different fan shippings — those who want El and Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) to get together and those who want Mike to be with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). It looks like both parties are going to end up disappointed in the end. But fans of the show have much more to look forward to, with two spin-offs coming soon and a documentary called "One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5" dropping on January 12.