About

Conformity Gate is a fan theory hypothesizing that there is a secret ninth and final episode of Stranger Things season five that will be released on Netflix on January 7th, 2026, offering the true ending to the series. The theory started going viral on social media on January 1st, 2026, and is based on the idea that all of the main characters "conformed" to their expected roles in the finale episode, the idea being that the events of the eighth episode are simply being shown to the characters by Vecna. The theory was pushed by fans of the unrealized "Byler" ship between Mike Wheeler and Will Byers, suggesting that the two will end up together in the true ending.

The theory is purportedly supported by numerous pieces of evidence in the show, including the characters at the graduation sitting similarly to Vecna / Henry, the colors of several objects changing without explanation, the placement of the protagonists' D&D books in the show's final scene and more. While some see this as evidence of a ninth episode, others have suggested they're just continuity errors or coincidences.

The alleged secret episode did not release on January 7th, 2026.

Origin

It is unconfirmed exactly who started the Conformity Gate fan theory. The origins of the theory purportedly surround the "Byler" fandom, which is a ship fandom for Stranger Things supporting the relationship between Will Byers and Mike Wheeler, a long-running fan theory that was not realized by the eighth and final episode of Stranger Things season five. It has been claimed that the theory was largely fueled by the Byler Nation Discord server.^[1]

Theories about the existence of a secret, ninth and final episode of Stranger Things started gaining prominence as early as December 31st, 2025, the day the final episode was released.

For example, on that day, X^[2] user @rihnaisssance posted, "you guys… she told him this isn't like one of his campaigns and that he doesn't get to write the ending….. and we’re believing the ending he wrote," garnering over 31,000 likes in five days.

On January 1st, 2026, X^[3] user @67gate posted, "lowkey does anyone not find it weird how every single character in the end turned into a conformed version of themselves," garnering over 36,000 likes and 3,200 reposts in four days. This is one of the earliest known posts to suggest that the characters all "conformed" in some way at the end of the show.

That day, X^[4] user @alexgbyler posted a screenshot from the Byler Nation Discord server with the hashtag "#conformitygate" comparing the total length of the show's fifth season, coming in at roughly 10 hours and 20 minutes long, to a scene in the show's first season where Mike says their D&D campaign was 10 hours long, with commenters noting that Mike also says he needs "20 more minutes," garnering over 11,000 likes in four days. This is purported to be evidence that there is another episode coming.

Ultimately, the theory hypothesizes that the events shown in the last episode of the season are being shown by Vecna, supported by the fact that there are inconsistencies in the memories that Vecna shows people, such as Holly, in the show, such as the color in the center of a playground merry-go-round.

Spread

Conformity gate went viral throughout January 2026, mostly on X and TikTok, as believers in the theory found evidence to support it. The theory also inspired memes, including posts suggesting that believers in the theory are insane.

On January 1st, 2026, X^[5] user @miwibeams posted a meme using a scene from the series, edited to have Winona Ryder's character say that the last episode of season five is not the real finale, garnering over 10,000 likes in four days.

That day, Tumblr^[6] user veryfuckingc0onfused shared an enhanced audio clip of the static played from the WSQK broadcast at the start of the fifth season, where it appears that the message "you need to wake up" can be heard.

On January 4th, X^[7] user @rxyanvener posted a thread compiling all of conformity gate evidence up to that point, garnering over 7,200 likes in a day.

That day, TikToker^[8] @meechski posted a comprehensive video covering much of the same evidence, garnering over 3.5 million views in a day.

Also on January 4th, 2026, TikToker^[9] @bodyofanedit posted an edit highlighting several examples of supposed evidence, including claims that if you search "episode 9" and "conformity gate" in the Netflix search, Stranger Things shows up, claims about evidence on the WSQK website, evidence pointing to a January 7th, 2026, release date for the next episode and evidence suggesting that Steve ends up coaching baseball because Vecna has only seen him with a baseball bat, garnering over 320,000 views in a day.

A Google Doc^[10] also started spreading as the theory garnered attention in early January 2026, compiling information related to conformity gate.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References