A wild conspiracy theory called Conformity Gate has taken over the Stranger Things fanbase following the controversial finale of the hit Netflix series, and now fans are convinced that the Duffer Brothers (Stranger Things' creators) and Netflix are secretly plotting to release at least one more episode of the show. Stranger Things has essentially ruled the streaming world for 10 years now, since it was released in 2016. The show has an extremely loyal and passionate fanbase, and many within that fanbase were not particularly happy with how the series came to a close.
Anyone who has been on social media since the release of the Stranger Things Season 5 finale (even if they aren't a fan of the show) has likely seen a post with #conformitygate somewhere within it. If it seems as though this hashtag and movement literally came out of nowhere overnight, that is because it did, but it gained a lot of traction in a short amount of time.
Essentially, Conformity Gate is a Stranger Things theory that centers around the idea that the show is not actually over, and that the happy ending that occurred in the finale was really the product of everyone being under Vecna's control and conforming to the lives he has given them.
Many fans have studied every single frame of the final season and found clues that they believe suggest Netflix is planning on either releasing an additional episode of the series or that Netflix and the Duffers will go back and edit the existing episodes and bring in additional footage to tie the story together in a more complete manner.
This movement originated due to many fans finding plot holes throughout the final season, and especially the final episode. Tons of TV shows in the past have had underwhelming finales, but the build-up to the Stranger Things ending was so grandiose that fans felt there should have been more. Some elements were even confusing to many viewers, and others thought that some plotlines and moments simply did not make sense.
Something like Conformity Gate has never happened before, which is why it seems completely impossible. There is no way that a show could have secret content already filmed without it getting leaked in some way, right? It seems absolutely insane, and that is because it is. However, the deeper skeptics dive into Conformity Gate, the more it actually makes sense. It is likely just a coincidence, but, at the same time, can dozens of examples be labeled as coincidences if they would make sense if an Episode 9 was actually released?
Stranger Things' Conformity Gate Evidence
January 7 and the Number 7
Conformity Gate really found its footing thanks to January 7. Not only is the number seven found throughout Stranger Things Season 5 a lot, but January 7 is also Orthodox Christmas. Notably, the volumes of Stranger Things Season 5 were released around or on major holidays. Volume 1 came out on November 26, the day before Thanksgiving, followed by Volume 2 on Christmas Day, and the finale on New Year's Eve.
As mentioned, January 7 is Orthodox Christmas (another holiday), which could explain why the Duffers originally teased that it was going to be a dark Christmas. For reference, before Volume 2 was released, the Duffers said, "It's going to be a dark Christmas." This confused fans because nothing really dark happened in Volume 2, and no one in the show died to make it particularly dark.
However, Conformity Gate subscribers believe the Duffers could have been referencing Orthodox Christmas if another episode is going to be released on January 7. Also, January 7 is notably seven days after the release of the finale, which actually gives more credibility to this theory.
To make things even crazier, in Season 4, it was mentioned that Vecna's curse takes around a week to fully play out. Notably, January 7 is seven days after the finale was released, adding fuel to the theory that the audience will have been under Vecna's curse for seven days before the truth is revealed on January 7.
For reference, some other notable uses of seven in Season 5 include the number of seconds the screen went black after Steve Harington lost his grip and appeared to fall off the radio tower, the number on the die that appeared beside the game manual in the finale's credits, the amount of seconds between each clap of thunder when Eleven is timing her jump in Volume 1, etc.
Breaking the Fourth Wall
One of the unwritten rules of filmmaking and acting is not breaking the fourth wall. This happens when a character looks directly into the camera, seemingly making eye contact with the audience. In certain projects, it can work as a powerful tool (like the Deadpool franchise), but, for the most part, breaking the fourth wall doesn't happen.
However, in one Season 5 episode, Caleb McLaughlin's Lucas Sinclair looks directly into the camera and utters the words, "I don't believe in coincidences." Many fans have theorized that this was the Duffers' way of indirectly telling fans that none of these Easter eggs and mysterious happenings were unintentional.
It is also worth noting that several background characters break the fourth wall in the finale's epilogue. Most notably, this occurs during the high school graduation scene, where some of the school's staff members and audience members can be seen looking directly into the camera.
Speaking of Graduation...
The more fans study the graduation scene in the finale, the weirder things get. For example, all of the Hawkins High graduates are wearing orange gowns. That may not seem too strange, but in a canon novel told from Nancy Wheeler's point of view, she talks about how the gowns are an ugly green color.
Many have also pointed out that literally every single student sitting in the graduation field has their hands in their lap, which is the exact pose Henry Creel (aka Vecna) is always sitting or standing in. If a few sat like that, it wouldn't be a big deal, but for every single student to be in that pose, that is definitely odd. However, to take it a step further, even every audience member sitting in the bleachers in the back of the shot is sitting in that same pose.
"X A LIE" or "X A ILE?"
Another clue that many fans have spotted comes from one of the final shots of the show. After the emotional Dungeons & Dragons game that took place in Mike's basement at the end of the epilogue, the members of the party who were down there put their books on the shelf and essentially said goodbye to the audience and to their stories.
In the actual show, the spines of the books don't line up to spell anything specific. However, on Instagram, IMDb shared a group of behind-the-scenes photos of the spines of the books, but the order of them had been rearranged, and, going horizontally, "XALIE" can be seen spelled out. Altogether, it doesn't mean much, but broken apart, it appears as "X A LIE." Some fans think this could be a hint that everything that occurred in Dimension X was fake and that the Mind Flayer and Vecna were never defeated.
This part of Conformity Gate would be a little bit of a stretch on its own, but the fact that the order of the books was changed really does make it strange. Mike and Will were likely always supposed to be the last two characters to put their books on the shelf so that they could be beside one another, so it is genuinely puzzling that someone would have switched Will and Dustin's book, as in the Instagram photo.
Why Does Mike Look Like Henry Creel?
During his monologue, where he told his friends how he believed their lives would turn out, Mike also let them know that he would one day become a storyteller. While saying this, the camera cut to a shot of Mike typing, indicating that he would one day become a writer.
Interestingly, when it showed Mike that way, he looked eerily similar to Henry Creel. Not only did he have the exact same hairstyle as Henry, but he was also wearing large glasses that looked a lot like Henry's glasses.
The similarities to Henry's appearance don't stop at Mike, though. In the epilogue, Nancy, Ted Wheeler, and Karen Wheeler all have basically the same hairstyle. Many fans think that it is odd that all four members of the family would have the same hair, and that it would look just like Henry's.
Will's Foggy Memory
This particular scene did not take place in the finale, but, to many fans, it is still evidence that what happened in the second half of Season 5 is all just an illusion. During the scene where Will told everyone his sexuality, he also mentioned that he liked to "get lost in the woods."
This line immediately made many viewers raise an eyebrow, particularly because one would think getting lost in the woods would be extremely traumatic for Will. After all, at an extremely early age, Will got lost in the woods and wound up taken to Vecna. So, a lot of people were wondering why Will would even say that.
In that same scene, Will also said that he enjoyed getting milkshakes from Melvald's, which is another instance where many were also confused. In the 1980s, which is when Stranger Things takes place, Melvald's was a hardware store and did not sell milkshakes.
However, and this is the bigger "aha" moment from this part of the theory, Melvald's would have sold milkshakes in the 1950s when Henry Creel was a boy. So, if everything that is seen in the final few episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 is truly just Vecna's creation where he is holding them prisoner, it would make sense for Melvald's to be the same as he remembered it when he was alive.
WSQK The Squawk
Stranger Things brought back WSQK (the in-universe radio station) during the final installment. However, they also made it a listenable radio station that played '80s music when fans tuned in. That interactive station had its own hosts, just like a normal radio station does, and they were named Mindy Flare and Vance.
If something seems off about those names, that is because something is. Both of them are anagrams. When the letters are rearranged, Vance becomes Vecna, and Mindy Flare becomes Mind Flayer.
On one occasion, Mindy even talked about controlling the audience, which is exactly what Vecna does to his victims. Specifically, she mentioned that she was "reading [the listener's] mind" and "controlling [them] now, too:"
"Don't go anywhere. I know exactly what you want to hear. It's like I'm reading your mind. And the tune you're thinking about, I'm going to play it next. Now, go and get yourself a snack or a soda. You deserve it. Ha, I'm even controlling you now, too."
Coincidentally, just before saying this, Mindy also mentioned that there were some strange noises coming from the radio tower. Once again, some fans believe this is nothing but the host being playful, but #conformitygate theorists think it could be another hint.
While on the topic of WSQK, fans have also pointed out that the voltage dial at the radio station mysteriously changes colors midway through the season. The first time it is seen, the dial is clearly red. Later on, it appears gray.
Continuity mistakes happen all the time in film and TV productions. However, this one does seem particularly strange. The Stranger Things crew would have built the dial for the set, so there would be no genuine reason for the color to change from red to gray. It is possible that they may have had to build a second one, but the dial is not something in the background of a shot or two. On multiple occasions, it is the focus of a shot, so it seems strange that the crew would not make sure to get the color correct.
One Dark Possibility
There is one other possibility to explain everything that happened in the final half of Stranger Things Season 5, and it actually makes the most sense.
Perhaps Vecna and the Mind Flayer did secretly defeat the heroes. Maybe all of the characters are either dead or are trapped inside Vecna's illusion. That would explain everything that happened, but it would also be extremely dark since the villain would have come out victorious.
After all, Henry Creel did tell Holly and the other kids earlier in the season that their parents and friends would be joining them inside his mind. Perhaps that's exactly what happened.
There are more Easter eggs, unsolved mysteries, and plot holes from the final season of Stranger Things. If someone were to compile a full list of everything fans have found, it would almost seem endless. Most likely, it is nothing more than a lot of strange coincidences, legitimate plot holes, and continuity errors that weren't resolved.
However, there's always a chance for something insane like #conformitygate to be true. If the Duffers were to actually reveal what fans are theorizing to be true, it would likely go down as the biggest plot twist in film and TV history, knocking The Empire Strikes Back off the throne that it has sat on for 46 years.
