Photo Courtesy of Netflix- Wikimedia Commons
Stranger Things (2026-2025) is a series that remained strong in the hearts of its fans long after its ending. Their hope for the ending to not truly be an end has at last paid off, though not in the way they expected.
Stranger Things (2016-2025) was an instant classic upon its release, and successfully retained a loyal fanbase throughout the entirety of its nearly 10-year-long run. However, the series came to a conclusion just last year, with an epic movie-length finale that aired on Dec. 31, 2025, according to IMDb.
Unfortunately, the finale proved not to be satisfying for everyone. In fact, some were so upset with the way their favorite show ended that hope for there to be a different ending spiraled into a full on conspiracy theory. This theory was known as “Conformity Gate.” According to The Guardian, fans of Stranger Things (2016-2025) believed that the conclusions and happy endings that were seen in the finale were actually an illusion conjured by the main villain of the series, Vecna. Fans believed there would be a secret episode—the true ending—that would launch on Jan. 7, 2026.
As we know now, that date came and went, and there was most certainly no secret episode. Stranger Things (2016-2025) fans were forced to give up on their hope for a better ending and either come to appreciate the one that they had, or simply remember Stranger Things (2016-2025) for the years of joy it had given them before it was wrapped up with a not-so-neat bow.
At least, that was true for about a year.
In the past few weeks, Conformity Gate has seen a massive resurgence, with vague posts from the cast and crew of Stranger Things (2016-2025) themselves feeding into it. According to Parade, one of the creators of the show, Ross Duffer, posted on Instagram that something was coming on Stranger Things Day, which is Nov. 6, the in-universe day that Will Byers was taken to the Upside Down Dimension.
Similarly, Millie Bobby Brown, the actress who portrayed the character Eleven according to IMDb, posted a video to Instagram that featured her dubbing over audio about being stuck in the mountains, with the caption “If lost, please return to set.” Many fans quickly assumed that this was proof of Conformity Gate and that the mountain Brown spoke of was in reference to the place of mountains and waterfalls that Eleven was last seen at during the Stranger Things (2016-2025) finale.
On Nov. 6, fans did indeed get news about their favorite show, which may now be their favorite franchise. It was revealed by an Instagram post that a brand new show is coming, titled Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure (2028). This will be a prequel to the original series, taking place not in Hawkins but in 1995, in the town of Marion, Nevada.
According to Variety, Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure (2028) will focus on the time before Henry Creel, better known as Vecna, ever got his powers. It will be written by the Duffer Brothers, just as the original Stranger Things (2016-2025) was, as well as Kate Trefry, who worked on the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow. It does not look like the original cast will be making a return, as the Duffer Brothers stated the series will follow “a new setting, new heroes and villains” according to Variety.
To some, the announcement that the world of Stranger Things will be expanded is exciting. Perhaps it will be able to recapture the magic of those first seasons, and this will be a wonderful new series to get just as invested in as we were back then. However, to others, the Stranger Things brand was forever butchered by the original finale, which will almost certainly go forever uncorrected. Only time will tell, but hopefully Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure (2028) will be something to look forward to.