After Stranger Things’ Conformity Gate Crashed Netflix, Here’s What The Ending SHOULD Have Been

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The final episode of Stranger Things focused more on emotional impact than strict plot logic, which at first seemed like a good choice by the creators, the Duffer brothers. Currently, the episode has a user score of 7.7 out of 10 on IMDb, based on over 159,000 reviews. Many viewers found the finale to be predictable but ultimately felt it provided a satisfying conclusion.

A popular fan theory called #conformitygate emerged, suggesting there was a hidden ninth episode of Stranger Things. This idea gained traction because of unanswered questions and inconsistencies in the show, along with details about how it was made and designed. Many viewers found the theory believable, and when fans flooded Netflix to see if it was true, the streaming service actually experienced technical difficulties. The theory was especially widespread on TikTok, with some videos receiving over 2 million views, showing just how much attention it had garnered.

In retrospect, the finale of Stranger Things wasn’t as satisfying as many initially thought. While some fans might have simply been sad to see the show end, it’s clear that all the fan theories, plot inconsistencies, and details viewers picked up on really captured the public’s imagination. This raises the question: what would a better ending have looked like?

It’s Very Hard to End a Series Well

All good TV shows eventually come to an end, and there’s a lot of pressure to finish strong. The more popular and long-running a show is, the higher the stakes. The finale of Game of Thrones is famous for being particularly disappointing, but even highly-regarded series often leave some viewers unsatisfied. While shows like Breaking Bad and The Sopranos were generally well-received, their endings still sparked debate, as different viewers had different ideas about how the story should conclude.

It’s hard to overstate how popular Stranger Things is – the Netflix hit really helped launch the streaming era. While five seasons might not seem like a huge run historically, it’s rare for a show to last that long today, especially considering how much time went into making each season. That means Stranger Things was a major part of the cultural conversation for almost ten years. Ultimately, even if it hadn’t faced the same ending as Game of Thrones, it would have been impossible to please everyone.

Considering this, the ending of Stranger Things – leaving Eleven’s fate uncertain – seemed intended to prevent fan frustration. The creators allowed viewers to choose their preferred reality, and stated they wouldn’t revisit these characters, meaning a definitive answer wasn’t planned. However, this obvious attempt to satisfy everyone while still leaving things open, combined with a finale full of plot inconsistencies and unresolved issues, ultimately didn’t work as intended.

ConformityGate Suggested a Major Vecna Twist

Let’s think about what would make a satisfying ending for Stranger Things, especially considering the issues fans noticed – what’s been called ‘#ConformityGate’. It seems viewers really wanted every detail to feel significant, even minor errors like props changing color or oddly staged scenes (like everyone sitting the same way at graduation). The show has always encouraged close attention, but these particular details didn’t quite add up, and that bothered people.

This sparked the idea that the final events were a carefully crafted illusion created by Vecna. He trapped the Hawkins heroes in a fake reality, mixing their ideal endings – like Dustin giving a speech and finally getting asked out – with their deepest fears, such as Mike losing Eleven and him and Nancy eventually becoming like their parents, even mirroring their hairstyles.

This is a clever idea, and it suggests a storyline where the heroes from Hawkins discover something isn’t right and fight to escape a false reality, finally defeating Vecna for good. It would mean the show’s seemingly happy ending wasn’t genuine, and that truly anything could happen – characters could live or die, and we might see even more surprises and excitement in the Upside Down.

There’s One Major Thing ConformityGate Hoped For

At its heart, the controversy surrounding the “Stranger Things” finale comes down to wanting to see characters find love. While Max and Lucas end up together, and Joyce and Hopper are getting married, most other potential couples don’t get happy endings. Many fans hoped Eleven and Mike would reunite, but that doesn’t happen. The popular idea of a romance between Mike and Will is also dropped. Nancy ends up alone after the love triangle with Steve and Jonathan resolves, and even Robin seems to have broken up with Vickie without it being shown on screen.

As a huge movie and TV fan, I’ve noticed something really interesting lately. We’re seeing a ton of romantasy shows popping up, but a lot of modern sci-fi and fantasy seems to drop the ball when it comes to actually doing romance well. Take Star Wars, for example. The way they handled the love triangle between Han, Luke, and Leia felt totally different from what we see in Stranger Things – and honestly, since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, it feels like we haven’t gotten a really solid romance storyline in any big or small screen sci-fi or fantasy. Stranger Things is falling into the same trap, and it’s a little frustrating as a viewer.

I think the biggest issue with the reaction to the ending, and especially “ConformityGate,” highlights something important. Vecna’s illusion offered a chance to fix the ending, to let more of our favorite characters have happy relationships. It’s true you can’t please everyone – especially when it comes to shipping Eleven and Mike versus Will and Mike – and there will always be conflicting desires. But what it really shows is how much fans want to see romances actually succeed in sci-fi and fantasy. I honestly think the writers of Stranger Things missed that mark, and that’s why the ending felt so off to so many of us. Looking at it that way, maybe all the conspiracy theories were bound to happen!

What did you think of the final episode of Stranger Things? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-01-08 16:12