Conformity Gate believers ultimately think that the real finale will air on January 7, 2026, due to the dice in the credits reading seven and the fact that Will Byers went missing for seven days in season 1. January 7 also marks Orthodox Christmas, so it would fit season 5's release pattern of dropping episodes during the festive period.

Lucas and Max get a happy ending in the Stranger Things 5 finale, but the Duffer Brothers have cast doubt on their future as a couple in college.

Stranger Things may be over, but fan theories refuse to fade, especially as viewers what truly happened to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in the finale. Adding fuel to the speculation, Sadie Sink - who plays Max - has shared her own heartbreaking theory about Eleven’s fate,

Stranger Things' director Shawn Levy on directing Max's return, that Jonathan-Nancy scene, Will's big moment and his final day on the set.

After building up momentum in Volume 1, Stranger Things Season 5 came to a screeching halt in Volume 2. The second part of the final season of Netflix’s mega-hit sci-fi series spent far too much time stalling the action with grueling, cheesy heart-to-hearts, riddled with awkward dialogue, all nuance and subtext be damned.

Questions remain about the fate of Eleven, and talk of a secret 9th episode on Jan. 7 has bubbled up on social media.

The Duffers spill more details about that Max and Lucas date scene in the Stranger Things series finale, revealing what movie they're watching.

The main concern of The First Shadow is how a kid like Henry Creel can become a remorseless child-snatching monster like Vecna. And over the course of the play, Henry's actions get more and more violent, leading up to the big Creel Murders that were a focus of Stranger Things season 4.