New 'Stranger Things' Season 5 Film Gets Trailer and Release Date Amid Viral "Fake Ending" Theory

Eleven isn’t dead, talks of an extended cut of Season 5, and online petitions? What’s going on with Stranger Things? And now, a wild new theory about the Season 5 finale has gone viral.

Following the conclusion of the fifth and final season of the smash-hit series on Netflix, a shocking theory has taken hold. It proposes that the finale, which premiered on the streamer on December 31 and in over 500 theaters across the US and Canada, is a “fake ending”.

“Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up” marked the end of Stranger Things, which started in 2016 and spawned a multimedia franchise that includes comic books, tie-in novels, video games, walkthrough experiences, and stage productions. Now, the flagship series has ended.

Related: Stranger Things World: How Netflix’s Biggest IP Could Take Over Universal Studios GB

Why Is the Stranger Things Season 5 Finale So Divisive?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Season 5 Episode 8, “The Rightside Up”

The Season 5 finale, which followed Volume 1 (episodes 1-4) on November 26 and Volume 2 (episodes 5-7) on December 25, sees Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the gang take the fight to Henry Creel, AKA Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) in his world known as the Abyss.

After an epic showdown, Eleven finally defeats the dark wizard. But when the team returns home, they’re apprehended by Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) and her soldiers. Determined to break the cycle of shady agencies abusing children to create more “numbers” like her, Eleven allows herself to die in an explosion that destroys the Upside Down and seals the gateway.

Fans Are Demanding an Extended Cut of Season 5

However, the episode has left many fans disappointed, with some feeling cheated out of a proper finale. Criticisms point towards the script, several plot conveniences, Vecna’s swift demise, and Eleven’s ambiguous fate.

Now, hundreds of thousands of fans have signed a petition to demand a new version of the entire season à la the “Snyder Cut”, the online, fan-led campaign that saw Justice League (2017) revamped into a completely new film in 2021, with director Zack Snyder returning to the helm, after he was forced to bow out of the 2017 film due to a personal tragedy.

But the Stranger Things finale drama doesn’t end there.

The Stranger Things Season 5 “Fake Ending” Theory

A theory about the Stranger Things Season 5 finale has now gone viral, and that theory suggests that the ending is actually fake. Dozens of videos and articles have flooded the internet over the past day, each proposing that “The Rightside Up” is a “fake ending”.

According to the increasingly popular “fake ending” theory, our Hawkins heroes didn’t defeat Vecna, and that instead, the backend of the episode (the epilogue) was conjured up by the dark wizard, with each character stuck in a dreamlike state in his dark lair in the Abyss.

Further to that, the theory adds that a “secret episode” (a “true ending”) is due to drop on Netflix on January 7, with the streamer allegedly set to make some sort of announcement.

Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Confirms That Major Character Survived Season 5 Finale — Here’s How

What Fans Are Saying About “Conformity Gate”

The “fake ending” theory has also been dubbed “Conformity Gate” (#conformitygate).

It suggests that the finale — or at least the epilogue — is fake, and that upon searching the words “fake ending” on Netflix, Stranger Things Season 5 appears in the results (we’ve checked for ourselves — it’s true).

It also claims there are clues throughout the episode that support the theory.

One such clue in the epilogue apparently relates to “postures” held by several characters during the graduation scene, which is said to resemble how Henry Creel often holds himself (his arms at the front with his fingers interlocked at the waist).

Check out some of the comments that have been flooding X (formerly Twitter).

This one fan echoes an opinion held by many, that the most recent episode isn’t the finale:

I think the last episode of stranger things isn’t the last episode. I think everything was an illusion from the time the worlds started colliding! Immediately after hopper “shot” eleven in that water. I think they are all in Vecna’s mind & that was a fake ending

I think the last episode of stranger things isn’t the last episode. I think everything was an illusion from the time the worlds started colliding!
Immediately after hopper “shot” eleven in that water. I think they are all in Vecnas mind & that was a fake ending

— The biggest (@thebliss1_) January 6, 2026

Another agrees, suggesting that the scene where Mike is stacking books at the end contains a massive clue that suggests the whole thing was “a lie”:

The Finale Was “A LIE” Some fans noticed that Netflix released a photo of the kids D&D binders from the Stranger Things Finale but in a different order and noticed a clue with “A Lie” The theory was everything from Vol 2 & on was Mike in a trance from Vecna’s curse……

The Finale Was “A LIE”

Some fans noticed that Netflix released a photo of the kids D&D binders from the Stranger Things Finale but in a different order and noticed a clue with “A Lie”

The theory was everything from Vol 2 & on was Mike in a trance from Vecna’s curse……😂 pic.twitter.com/OU09K8V9Fa

— The Legacy of Nerd (@thelegacyofnerd) January 5, 2026

The theory has quickly gained traction online, but it’s not just X where the conversation has run wild — after you’ve typed “fake ending” into Netflix, do the same on Google, YouTube, etc. and you’ll see just how big this has become over the past 24 hours alone.

Others, however, aren’t convinced.

One fan says that a “secret ending episode” would be “genius”, but adds that it’s unlikely to be the case given the length of the epilogue and how each character’s arc was completed:

A secret ending episode will be genius, but it won’t be Stranger Things that does it. Show is over. If it was a fake ending, they wouldn’t have put in an hour of epilogue in the final episode and neatly wrap up every character. It would have been a way more controversial ending

A secret ending episode will be genius, but it won’t be Stranger Things that does it. Show is over. If it was a fake ending, they wouldn’t have put in an hour of epilogue in the final episode and neatly wrap up every character. It would have been a way more controversial ending

— TMO_Falco (@smashual) January 6, 2026

Another simply points out that the theory is driven by nothing more than dissatisfaction with the show’s ending:

I really enjoyed the stranger things finale personally, the mind flayer looked AWESOME. Meanwhile people are in extreme denial making up an insane theory that there is another episode coming on the 7th because they hated the ending so much they think its fake

I really enjoyed the stranger things finale personaly, the mindflayer looked AWESOME
Meanwhile people are in extreme denial making up an insane theory that there is another episode coming on the 7th because they hated the ending so much they think its fake 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/4ogBgyDYdj

— octo :3 (@DailyFionna) January 5, 2026

Is the Season 5 Finale Real or Fake?

So, is there any stock to the Stranger Things Season 5 “fake ending” theory, or is it all nothing more than copium; disappointed fans who refuse to accept the ending they were given? It does seem like a pretty bizarre stunt for Netflix and the Duffer brothers to pull, especially seeing as the finale was dual-released on the streamer and in theaters. Should it turn out to be fake, then surely fans who weren’t disappointed with it will then feel cheated?

Either way, according to the theory we’ll find out on January 7.

Of course, it’s possible some fans are getting their dates mixed up. A new Stranger Things episode is indeed coming to the streamer, but on January 12. And it’s not a “secret” episode — it’s a behind-the-scenes, curtain call-style documentary film titled “One Last Adventure”.

Check out the trailer for “One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5” below:

Eleven Will Return This Year Either Way

Fans who have been left heartbroken by Eleven’s death will also get to see the character return in the upcoming Stranger Things spinoff, the 3D animated series Tales From ’85.

Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 takes place between seasons 2 and 3 and follows Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and other well-known characters from the flagship series on a never-before-seen adventure, with new actors lending their vocal talents to the ensemble.

Tales From ’85 premieres on Netflix sometime this year. Watch the official teaser below:

A Live-Action Spinoff Is Also Coming

Another Stranger Things spinoff is also now in development. The Duffers have confirmed that the untitled project will focus on the “briefcase rock” from the Season 5 finale, with “new characters”, a “new town”, a “new world”, and “new mythology.”

Stranger Things Season 5 Is Now Streaming