It’s officially over: Stranger Things has wrapped for good, and despite wild fan theories, Netflix is putting all rumors to rest.
For weeks, speculation had swirled online that season five didn’t truly end with episode eight.
Fans suspected a secret finale episode, dubbed the "Conformity Gate" theory, might be released this week, but Netflix has confirmed that’s not happening.
On the morning of January 7, the official Stranger Things social media accounts updated their bios to read, “ALL EPISODES OF STRANGER THINGS ARE NOW PLAYING.”
That means there's no surprise episode, twist ending, or any more trips to the Upside Down.
While the show has wrapped, its universe isn’t done expanding. A new documentary, One Last Adventure, chronicling the making of season five, drops on January 12.
Meanwhile, two spinoffs are in the works: Stranger Things: Tales of ’85, an animated series set between seasons two and three, and a mysterious live-action series still being written by creators Matt and Ross Duffer, E! News reported.
That forthcoming live-action series will explore some of the mysteries left behind, especially about Vecna’s origin and his link to the Mind Flayer.
However, it will feature “completely new characters, new town, new world, new mythology,” Matt Duffer confirmed.
“No common characters,” he explained. “It's very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining.”
But as Netflix closes the door on the main storyline, some actors and fans are still grappling with what didn’t make it into the final season.
Jennifer Marshall opens up about being left out of season five
Marshall, who played Max’s mom, Susan Hargrove, in earlier seasons, revealed her disappointment at being excluded from the show’s final chapter, especially as she battles cancer.
“I had cancer, I get it. But I was in remission during the shooting of season five,” she wrote on Instagram on January 6. “Shooting would have helped me obtain my health insurance through the union.”
The 44-year-old shared that returning to the role would have not only been a meaningful career moment but also vital for her healthcare coverage.
“Maybe they had too many characters, idk but obv Susan Hargrove is THE WORST MOTHER EVER LMAO,” she added, ending the post with the hashtags "#cancersucks" and "#butwhy".
Sadie Sink speculates over Susan Hargrove’s fate
Max’s disappearance into a coma and the lack of her mother’s presence became a noticeable absence throughout season five.
In the series, Susan was last seen in season four, where she appeared briefly, mainly in a distorted memory as a vision conjured by Vecna. Since then, nothing.
Marshall herself questioned this in an earlier post, sharing an image of Max unconscious in a hospital bed with the caption: “What kind of mother isn’t there for her child while she’s in the hospital?”
Fans responded with theories, suggesting Susan may have died during the destruction of Hawkins, which tore the town into four sections by the end of season four.
Even Max’s actress, Sadie Sink, addressed the mystery in a December 2025 interview with Vulture, admitting that the show “kind of glossed over” Susan’s fate.
“It’s kind of common for the parents on the show: You just don’t know where they are except for Karen Wheeler,” Sink said.
As for Susan, her personal theory is that “she must have disappeared or died at some point in the rift at the end of season four, because it goes through the trailer park.”