Explore the Conformity Gate theory claiming Stranger Things’ Season 5 happy ending is a Vecna illusion as fans speculate a secret Episode 9 drop on January 7.

The Stranger Things Season 5 finale end credits feature a map with coordinates, sparking a theory about Eleven – but it’s not what it seems.

So instead, upon seeing that Ted is alive and well, one only has to assume that his grief was entirely focused on Eleven, which then allows for his optimistic outlook to have peak impact. If he'd been too much of an emotional wreck during graduation day, it might have made his D&D-tethered theory sound far more desperate and nutty than idealistic.

Fans think Stranger Things didn’t really end. The “Conformity Gate” theory claims Vecna won — and the finale was a lie.