Sometimes it can be hard to let go of a beloved series, especially if it’s been airing for a decade, but Stranger Things is over, and this star is here to set the record straight.
Netflix’s sci-fi series Stranger Things took the world by storm with its young and impressive cast, including Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, and Gaten Matarazzo, to name a few. The series showed the town of Hawkins as it comes under siege by strange entities and demogorgans wreaking havoc and kidnapping children, but the residents, and more specifically the children, must do whatever it takes to save their families.
While promoting his first role since leaving Stranger Things, which is Sony Animation’s GOAT, McLaughlin finally addressed the rumors and theories surrounding the final episode of the series with The Hollywood Reporter. Fan conspiracies went viral and became “Conformity Gate,” which was believed to be a theory that would mean the ending was not actually the end, and it was part of the show’s main antagonist, Vecna’s plan. This was also said in the hope that the series wouldn’t be over just yet.
“At first, I thought the ‘Conformity Gate’ theory was dumb. I get that people want to live in this optimistic place of, ‘Oh, we want more Stranger Things,’ but I was like, ‘Guys, it’s over. It’s been ten years,’ I think people missed the concept of what the show is when they were like, ‘Oh, there’s going to be more.’ No, that’s just Mike’s imagination. That’s who he’s always been, even in season one. It’s all just storytelling.”
Clearly, McLaughlin is not here for any theories or rumors, as he also came out and stated that he’s convinced Brown’s character Eleven is officially dead, much like his co-star Sink, who confirmed the same thing. The Conformity Gate theory spread across social media as many expressed their disappointment with the way Stranger Things ended.
Mike, Lucas, Max, Will and Dustin in the Stranger Things epilogueImage via Netflix
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer were under fire for their final season, especially after the release of the documentary One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, which showed that while filming season 5, there was no final script written for the final episode.
McLaughlin is currently promoting his latest role in GOAT alongside Stranger Things co-star David Harbour, which is an animated sports comedy with McLaughlin as the main character.
All seasons of Stranger Things are available to stream on Netflix now.