Is Stranger Things 5 episode 9 real? 'Conformity Gate' sparks major fake ending theory

5 January 2026, 16:12 | Updated: 5 January 2026, 20:48

By Katie Louise Smith

Is there another episode of Stranger Things 5 coming out on January 7th? The Conformity Gate theory is currently going viral but is there actually any truth to it? Is the ending fake?

Stranger Things has officially come to an end but a small section of the fandom seem to be having a hard time accepting that it's truly over. What do you mean fans are convinced there's a secret ninth episode dropping on Netflix on January 7th? Allow us to explain...

With the release of the series finale ('The Rightside Up') on January 1st, Stranger Things came to an end. While most of the stories were wrapped up, *several* looming questions remain and Eleven's fate was left up in the air. As a result, there's been backlash and widespread criticism.

Theories have now emerged that the ending we saw was not the true ending and that what we watched was a fake ending, or a 'distorted reality'.

'Conformity Gate' has since gone viral on social media, so here's what it means and why people think another episode is coming.

• Read more: Was Stranger Things just a game? The 'Stranger Things Players Manual' explained
• Read more: Stranger Things petition goes viral as 300,000 fans demand release of "unseen footage"

Is there another episode of Stranger Things coming?

Is there a secret Stranger Things episode 9 coming?

Despite the theory and the extensive 'evidence' that fans have shared online, it's very clear that Stranger Things 5 episode 8 ('The Rightside Up') is the final ever episode of the series.

The Duffer brothers themselves have also confirmed that they have not filmed multiple endings of the show either.

Speaking to Capital Buzz on the red carpet at the Stranger Things 5 premiere in London back in November, Matt Duffer said: "Oh, no. No, no. I mean, we wouldn't have—I love when I hear people do that but I'm like, 'How do you have the time?! Oh my god! The energy to, A: write it and then shoot it? Are you crazy? No. No."

Additionally, Matt and Ross confirmed to Deadline that there was no footage cut or missing from the finale.

They have also said that they have no plans to revisit these characters at all after the finale episode. Stranger Things ended with season 5 episode 8.

Stranger Things' Duffer brothers have not filmed multiple endings

What is 'Conformity Gate'?

Conformity Gate (#confirmitygate) is a fan theory that centres around the belief that there's another episode of the show coming on January 7th that will give us the 'true' ending.

Started on X/Twitter by @67gate, it mostly stems from fans not being satisfied with the way the show ended or fully convinced that it was 'true'. It's called 'Conformity Gate' because of the user who created the theory deeming everyone in the epilogue to be 'normal' and 'bland'.

The theory has taken on a new life following the other wild last minute theory that the audience was being "Vecna'd", thanks to Henry Creel appearing to break the fourth wall, looking directly into the camera. Some fans also theorised that certain character's memories were being altered by Vecna as the episodes went on.

Will's memory about "biking to Melvald's for malted milkshakes" has raised eyebrows because the general store doesn't appear to sell milkshakes in the show. Back in the '50s when Henry Creel was a child, however, it used to be a diner as shown in The First Shadow play.

Another detail fans have latched on to is a behind-the-scenes image that shows the party's D&D folders lined up in a different order than what is shown at the end of the show.

In the final episode, they read Max, Lucas, Dustin, Will and Mike from left to right. But in a photo posted by Noah Schnapp, they read Max, Lucas, Will, Dustin and Mike.

Lined up in the BTS shot, fans are convinced there's a secret hidden message, reading 'X A LIE', that hints that the ending was 'fake' and that Dimension X (renamed in the show as the Abyss) was not real.

Elsewhere, threads of 'details' and 'inconsistencies' have gone viral with fans theorising that Vecna is behind it all.

While it would have been one hell of a plot twist, the theory turned out to be false as we have now seen the finale episode. Sadly, it seems like some of those 'inconsistencies' were simply just continuity errors.

Why do fans think there's another Stranger Things episode on January 7th?

At the end of the final episode, a Stranger Things Players Manual is shown with a D20 dice rolled on a 7, the same number Will rolled in Mike's campaign before he got taken by the Demogorgon in season 1.

Fans have latched on to the number 7, finding several other instances of where 7 pops up in the show (days it took to find Will, seconds between the lightning in the Upside Down...), and have now theorised that seven days after episode 8's release, the ninth episode will come out... on January 7th.

Netflix are also teasing an announcement (which is highly likely a glimpse at their 2026 slate) on January 7th but 'Conformity Gate' believers think it has some thing to do with an announcement about the show.

The Duffer brothers have not yet responded directly to the 'Conformity Gate' theory, but it seems very clear that the show is over and there is no extra episode coming.

On January 12th, a final behind-the-scenes documentary detailing the 'making of the final season' will be released on Netflix, and it seems like that will be the final bow for the iconic series.

Read more about Stranger Things here:

• Is Eleven dead or alive in Stranger Things 5? Duffer brothers address ending
• Stranger Things' Duffer brothers confirm devastating detail about Eleven's ending
• Stranger Things' Duffer brothers explain why Demogorgons went missing
• Stranger Things creators confirm spinoff with hidden Easter egg in season 5
• Will there be a Stranger Things 6? Here's why it's ending with season 5

WATCH: Stranger Things' Finn, Caleb & Gaten vs. 'The Most Impossible Stranger Things Quiz'

Stranger Things' Finn, Caleb & Gaten vs. 'The Most Impossible Stranger Things Quiz'

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