In heartbreaking news, the theory that a new Stranger Things episode was coming proved to be false. The fan-generated theory — also known as ‘Conformity Gate’ — that episode nine was en route genuinely had everyone going there for a second, and thus there’s been a lot of disappointment in its wake.
But never fear, more Stranger Things goodness awaits!
Let’s dive into what the Conformity Gate Theory centred around, how it got debunked, and what fans can expect next from the Duffer Brothers.
What is the Stranger Things ‘Conformity Gate’ theory?
First up, let’s dissect WTF it actually means! To do that, I’ll need you to cast your minds back to the final ep.
To give you a quickie recap of the finale — but you need to seriously peep our in-depth Stranger Things episode explainer HERE — the Hawkins crew hatch up a plan to rescue the missing kids and finally defeat Vecna for good (#Wicked).
During their daring mission, the gang face multiple obstacles, including the military and Kali’s death, before they finally find Vecna and the Mind Flayer.
When they finally defeat both Vecna and the Mind Flayer, the Hawkins crew are captured by Dr Kay and her army, throwing another spanner into the works. So, in a heroic move, Eleven sacrifices herself so that everyone can live.
While the fate of El is not confirmed, the finale jumps to 18 months after the final battle, which shows our beloved gang graduating from Hawkins High.
Although it (seems to be) a happy ending, some fans weren’t too pleased with the ending, leading us to… Conformity Gate.
It seemed that Stranger Things fans were so disappointed with how the series ended, they cooked up a theory that a secret ninth episode was in the works. Jokes, but not really…
Those who believed in Conformity Gate thought the ending was all an illusion created by Vecna, and that Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) failed in her attempt to kill the rancid, kid-stealing being.
This was highlighted by inconsistencies in episode eight, which had been pointed out by Conformity Gate truthers, such as the graduation scene, in which some of the students seem to have their hands positioned like Henry Creel (AKA Vecna).
One fan also likened the graduation gowns to prisoner uniforms, which could allude to everyone being under Vecna’s curse or being trapped in his wild fake reality.
Throughout the show’s epilogue, multiple WHATZIT games were scattered throughout scenes, which could relate to Holly’s imaginary friend Mr. Whatsit (AKA Vecna).
Another piece of Conformity Gate evidence was the inconsistent colours on the dial.
Peep below, my friends:
The fourth shred of proof was the stack of Dungeons & Dragons books seen in the finale, which conveniently spelt out “XALIE”, which some fans thought hinted that Dimension X — a realm in the Upside Down — was a darn lie.
X user @WilloMCI suggested the audience was a part of the story, and that we, as the viewers, were experiencing “mixed memories”.
Examples used by the fan included Holly seeing the wrong colour spinning wheel and Will’s coming out speech, where he mentions going for milkshakes at Melvads — which wouldn’t be possible in Will’s lifetime as it’s a general store, but possible in Henry’s as it was a diner.
“What I mean by this is that Vecna is actually using the audience in someway, and for some reason, and Vecna will tell us that we have helped him with his plan,” the fan wrote.
However — in probably the funniest piece of evidence in Conformity Gate — one fan pointed out that the Wheeler family all share the same hair as Henry after the final battle.
“This cannot be a coincidence that they decided to make Mike’s whole family basically have Henry’s hair,” one fan wrote alongside screenshots of the family’s hairdos.
How was the episode nine theory debunked?
Neither the Duffer Brothers or Netflix ever publicly addressed the theory. However, fans soon learned that it was all BS when, in the final hours before tonight, the streaming giant changed the bio on all its socials to “all episodes of Stranger Things are now playing!”
Bummer, huh?
The theory had so many people convinced that a record numbers of fans logged on to Netflix before midnight, causing the streamer to temporarily crash.
What’s next for Stranger Things?
You’ll be pleased to know there’s plenty more Stranger Things content coming!
First up, there’s the forthcoming documentary, One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, which drops on January 12.
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things is a feature-length behind-the-scenes documentary that takes fans inside the emotional, year-long process of creating the show’s final season, following the cast and crew as they film their last scenes, grapple with the pressure of ending one of Netflix’s biggest series, and say goodbye to characters that defined a generation.
Expect a mix of candid interviews, on-set footage, and intimate moments with the Duffer Brothers and the cast, as well as insight into how the show’s biggest scenes were pulled together — all serving as both a love letter to Stranger Things and a nostalgic farewell to a series that shaped 2010s pop culture.
Peep the trailer below:
But wait, that’s not all!
Even though Stranger Things wrapped its main story with season five’s finale, the universe is not ending there — Netflix and the Duffer Brothers are expanding the world with multiple spinoffs, starting with an animated series titled Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 that’s set in Hawkins during the winter between seasons two and three and follows the familiar kids (with new voice actors) as they face new Upside Down-related mysteries in an ’80s Saturday-morning-cartoon style for release in 2026.
There’s also an untitled live-action spinoff that will introduce all-new characters, a different decade and town, and new mythology connected to unresolved threads from the original show’s finale — offering fresh stories in the Stranger Things universe without the original Hawkins crew.
If we delve deep into the PEDESTRIAN.TV archives, the Duffer Bros previously revealed that a spin-off was in the works.
“Well, we are working on a spin-off, but it doesn’t involve any of the characters or Hawkins or even the Upside Down or the 80s,” they told P.TV.
“So it’s very, very different, but also very much Stranger Things.”
I guess it’s just a waiting game, but until then, I’ll be downing Steve Harrington edits.
Thank you!
The post That Stranger Things Episode 9 Theory Was Proven False, But This Is Coming Instead appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
