Stranger Things’ Season 5 finale is either genius or Game of Thrones Season 8 all over again, and it hinges on one nutty theory

Spoilers about Stranger Things Seasons 1 through 5, including the finale, ahead.

I wasn’t expecting much from the final season of Stranger Things after watching the first part, and especially the second. The show was incredible when it first came out – a perfect blend of science fiction and Dungeons & Dragons that I absolutely loved. But for me, Season 1 was the high point, with only a few moments in Seasons 3 and 4 coming close to that level. I didn’t feel very invested in Season 5, and the finale was ultimately a letdown. It didn’t deliver on its promise of providing closure, and actually left me with even more questions than answers. I was particularly surprised by four specific things that seemed minor at first.

Everyone in the graduation scene was sitting in the exact same pose, which is the same as Henry Creel before he became Stranger Things‘ Vecna.
Dustin was eager to embrace and please his bullies as soon as they were kind to him after his graduation speech.
Robin was suddenly more feminine with no mention of Vicky, whereas Nancy and Mike were basically copies of their parents, and Steve ended up being a sports coach.
Heroes by David Bowie was played as the end credits song, the third time in the show.

As a huge movie and TV fan, I’ve been diving deep into theories about the final season of Stranger Things, and honestly, the most fascinating thing I’ve come across is the idea that everything we see in the finale might not be real. It all started with this hashtag, “conformitygate,” popping up on my Twitter. I looked into it, and it blew my mind – the theory suggests the finale could be a vision Vecna is inflicting, or even something Mike’s character is imagining. But before we get too far down that rabbit hole, I need to talk about David Bowie’s “Heroes” – it’s absolutely crucial to understanding all of this, and I’ll explain why in just a moment.

Stranger Things Season 5‘s Alternate Finale Theory Explained

You May Not Have to Say Goodbye to Stranger Things Just Yet

Before the fifth season of Stranger Things premiered, the cast and creators, the Duffer brothers, gave several interviews. They consistently hinted that viewers should pay close attention to details, promising a satisfying finale that would resolve long-standing questions and tie up loose ends. However, the recent episodes didn’t deliver on that promise. Instead of providing answers, they raised new questions about inconsistencies in the writing, problems with props, and major plot holes. These issues haven’t been explained, and when asked if they filmed multiple endings, the Duffer brothers were evasive and seemed to avoid a direct answer.

There’s a large and active community on Twitter discussing #conformitygate, and the evidence is starting to add up. For instance, the creators mentioned the final script was printed on red paper, but photos of the cast reading it show plain white pages. While that detail alone isn’t conclusive, fans believe it’s just one piece of a larger puzzle.

Every Hint to an Alternate Stranger Things Ending in Season 5 Explained

Image via Netflix

There are also numerous other hints we can explore, including specific moments in the story, the objects used, and even parts of the storyline itself. Here’s a look at some of them:

Holly’s roundabout: This is grey and yellow with a yellow middle section in Volume 1, and then with a change to the middle section becoming grey instead of yellow in Volume 2. This allows Holly to understand that something’s wrong, and she finds a portal underneath the roundabout, which was misconstructed by Vecna using memories that are not his.
Henry Creel’s pose (hands and arms): Before becoming Vecna, Henry Creel used to keep his hands joined and his arms in a resting position. This was seen a lot in Dr. Brenner’s lab. Everyone has the same pose in the high school graduation scene, but also while listening to Will coming out as gay. Importantly, this was also seen with Billy and some of the Flayed in Season 3, and it’s the same pose Eleven and Henry have when playing chess in the lab.

The ‘Duffers’ T-shirt: During the finale, Steve is talking to Robin while a cameraman is sitting next to him wearing a T-shirt that reads “Duffers,” which is a way to break the fourth wall. This is also done with several random characters watching the camera, rather than something that is happening, and it’s even done by Hopper in his final speech to Mike. Most of the students graduating also stare at the camera. A member of the audience during graduation day also holds a blank yellow poster.
A Wrinkle in Time and Camazotz: Holly and Max call Vecna’s mindscape Camazotz, which is a nod to A Wrinkle in Time. However, the various characters staring at the camera and acting in sync is very reminiscent of the scene where all the kids in the neighborhood play with a red bouncing ball in sync, meaning that all of Hawkins could be under Vecna’s spell.
No time on watches or dates on recordings: A clever Twitter user that goes by @fearlessclaps pointed out that in the post-final confrontation, no watches or recordings in Stranger Things‘ Hawkins show the time or date. This is similar to what happens in dreams, as you will mostly be unable to read text, see the time, or even dates on a calendar.

Distorted memories and wrong objects: Twitter user @Jm4rxx pointed out that the pointer in the tower changes from grey in Volume 1 to red in Volume 2, much like Holly’s roundabout. Similarly, Will’s coming out speech mentions going to Melvald’s to get milkshakes, but the place no longer sells milkshakes and only did in the past, when Vecna could have visited it as Henry Creel. This indicates that the story in the entire Volume 2 may be told by Vecna.

Netflix’s January 7 teaser: While not part of the show itself, Netflix’s new 2026 teaser is a short clip involving a girl who sees reality reshape in front of her eyes. It’s supposed to be an ad for all the things coming to Netflix in 2026, but it’s also heavily played around Stranger Things, including a series of Season 5 posters on the wall, an Upside Down-like shot, and the entire theme itself. This could be about the Stranger Things spin-off, but it could also mean that the “real” finale will drop or be announced on January 7. This could also have further significance when considering the famous “It was a 7” line in Season 1 and the fact that the final shot of the DnD campaign in the finale shows a d20 die with a 7 on it.

Why Stranger Things’ Ending Soundtrack Matters

There’s More Than Meets The Eye to Heroes by David Bowie in Stranger Things

Let’s revisit David Bowie’s “Heroes” and its significance. As I previously noted, the song appears a total of three times in the show:

Heroes by David Bowie (Peter Gabriel’s version) plays in Stranger Things Season 1, Episode 3, when the police find Will’s body in the quarry. The episode ends with Mike, Lucas, and Dustin believing that Will is dead, which is later confirmed to be false.
The same song and the same version plays in Stranger Things Season 3, Episode 8, when Eleven reads Hopper’s letter after his presumed death. He is later confirmed alive.
The original version of Heroes by David Bowie is played during the end credits of Stranger Things Season 5. This could mean that, for the third time in a row, what the audience sees or believes is not real.

It seems more than accidental that this particular song played during scenes where a character appeared to die, and again after the season finale, hinting at a possible continuation. While the creators now say Joe Keery suggested the song for the credits, the timing feels deliberate – it would be a strange coincidence otherwise, or a poor music choice.

What Even is Stranger Things’ New Conformitygate Theory?

Looking back at the finale, the theme of conformity really stood out, and it all seemed to stem from a couple of moments. One was during graduation, when Dustin gave this speech as valedictorian about how everyone trying to fit in – no ‘jocks,’ ‘nerds,’ or ‘freaks,’ as he put it – was a bad thing. It was weird because they were all forced to wear these bright orange outfits, which honestly looked like prison jumpsuits. And honestly, it didn’t quite add up that Dustin was valedictorian, especially considering how he struggled with his grades in seasons four and five of Stranger Things. It just felt…off.

Another key moment happens when Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Max get together in the Wheelers’ basement to play Dungeons & Dragons. Max isn’t pleased with how the game ends, finding it predictable and overly cheerful. She’s disappointed that Mike isn’t the imaginative storyteller she thought he’d be. This scene might be the show’s way of hinting that the comfort and happiness experienced by everyone except Mike and Eleven isn’t the true resolution of the story, setting the stage for what fans have dubbed “conformitygate.”

How do Stranger Things Characters Conform in Season 5?

Mike starts to become a lot like his father – withdrawn, full of regret, and clearly unhappy. He even begins to look like him, eventually adopting the same hairstyle as Henry Creel. Interestingly, Nancy also ends up with a similar haircut, though hers is longer. Like her mother, Nancy also gives up on college, falling into the same pattern she’s always known, despite previously expressing a desire to avoid that fate.

Throughout Season 5, characters seem to be repeating patterns from the past or struggling with difficult choices. Hopper returns to police work even though he knew there were problems with the system. Will starts acting like his estranged and disliked father, adopting a similar style. Robin and Vickie have broken up, and Robin seems to be changing her appearance. Eleven feels overwhelmed and isolated, leading to a sense of despair and a major sacrifice. Even Dustin, after urging others to be themselves, finds himself tempted to fit in with those who used to harass him. These recurring themes and ironic situations are hard to ignore and feel like more than just chance occurrences.

Is Stranger Things Getting a Season 6?

It’s currently unclear if the show will continue, but several hints suggest the final four episodes don’t represent the true conclusion. If that’s true, many viewers likely wouldn’t be satisfied with that ending if there are no plans for future episodes, films, or seasons – unless they’re easily content with it.

One final detail: the ending intentionally echoes a scene from the first season of Stranger Things. Remember when the kids are playing Dungeons & Dragons in the basement, and the camera shows the stairs and basement door with the handle on the left? In the eighth episode of Stranger Things Season 5, titled “The Rightside Up,” the doorknob is deliberately placed on the right side.

2026-01-04 18:06