'Guys, It's Over': Stranger Things Star Says Secret Episode Fan Theory Was 'Dumb'

Stranger Things prima Caleb McLaughlin has said helium thought the 'Conformity Gate' instrumentality mentation surrounding a concealed last occurrence was "dumb," and that "people missed the conception of what the amusement is" if they expected more.

The finale of Stranger Things received mixed reactions from fans, and sparked the dispersed of the alleged Conformity Gate mentation — which posited that the show's communicative inactive wasn't over, and that Netflix had a concealed final-final occurrence waiting successful the wings. (It does not.)

"At first, I thought the 'Conformity Gate' mentation was dumb," McLaughlin, who played Lucas Sinclair, told The Hollywood Reporter. "I get that radical privation to unrecorded successful this optimistic spot of, 'Oh, we privation much Stranger Things,' but the amusement is done, guys. I was like, 'Guys, it's over. It's been 10 years. We were full-on kids, and present we're full-on adults, and we don't request immoderate much of us.'"

Caleb McLaughlin. Image credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images.

Instead, Sinclair continued, Stranger Things ended precisely arsenic helium believed it should person ended — with a "level of optimism" for astir each quality and with the series' main radical of friends, present adults, finishing a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. It's a last country that Stranger Things' creators the Duffer brothers person besides said they had planned since the series' inception.

"We started disconnected play 1 playing Dungeons & Dragons, and we ended conscionable similar that," Sinclair said. "And Mike [Wheeler]'s storytelling and penning quality is however the amusement should person ended.

"I deliberation radical missed the conception of what the amusement is erstwhile they were similar 'Oh, there's going to beryllium more,'" helium continued. "No, that's conscionable Mike's imagination. That's who he's ever been, adjacent successful play 1. It's each conscionable storytelling.'"

Not everyone connected the show's formed is successful agreement. Matthew Modine, who played the quality of Dr. Martin "Papa" Brenner, said lone past week that helium disliked the series' finale and hoped "for the fans" that the Conformity Gate conspiracy was really true. And portion Stranger Things itself whitethorn person ended, the franchise volition proceed successful respective forms — some with a live-action TV spin-off with caller characters, but besides the animated Stranger Things '85, which features Sinclair's quality and his friends having further adventures portion younger.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Netflix was besides filming Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the franchise's unrecorded signifier amusement which includes important backstory for the young Vecna himself, Henry Creel. While not a caller occurrence of the main series, the play's canon communicative does capable successful a fewer blanks not answered successful its finale.

Lastly, Sinclair touched connected the 1 quality who did not person a lukewarm and fuzzy ending astatine the extremity of Stranger Things. The destiny of Millie Bobby Brown's quality Eleven was near unfastened to mentation — though fans and different actors from the bid person suggested it's apt that she died.

"She's gone," Sinclair concluded. "I'm truthful sorry. I deliberation she evaporated."

Image credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social