Stranger Things star shuts down Conformity Gate theory

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Randy Havens, who plays Mr. Clarke on Stranger Things, has jokingly apologized to fans who believe there’s a hidden, extra episode of the show, confirming that no such episode exists.

For the past week, a popular fan theory has suggested that the final scenes of Stranger Things’ eighth episode, ‘The Rightside Up,’ weren’t real, but rather a cleverly crafted illusion created by the show’s villain, Vecna.

A rumor called ‘Conformity Gate’ predicted a hidden final episode of the show would be released on January 7, 2026, but that date passed without any new episodes appearing.

On that specific day, a cast member from Stranger Things announced on Threads that the show has officially ended.

Mr Clarke actor says Episode 8 was “truly the end” of Stranger Things

Randy Havens portrayed Mr. Clarke, the supportive science teacher on Stranger Things. Throughout the series, he was a dedicated mentor to his students, offering guidance and crucial help, especially during the climactic fight against Vecna.

So, the new ‘Conformity Gate’ episode was finally coming out, and the actor actually hopped on Threads to give a shout-out to the artist, Matt Taylor, who did that awesome Mr. Clarke drawing you see at the end. He also used the post to finally put the brakes on a fan theory that was going around – good to get that cleared up!

Havens shared their excitement online, writing, “It was incredible to see my face in the Stranger Things finale’s closing credits!” They were especially surprised and grateful for a final mention of their character, Mr. Clarke, and thanked artist Matt Taylor for the fantastic Dungeons & Dragons manual featured in the credits.

He confirmed, “Yes, this is the real finale. I apologize to anyone who thought there might be more, but this truly is the end of Stranger Things.”

It wasn’t just Matt and Ross Duffer trying to set the record straight this week! Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Vecna, also jumped in. He was on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and basically said Episode 8 felt like the perfect way to wrap things up – the ending the show deserved, according to him. It felt like he was trying to calm down all the debate we fans were having!

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2026-01-08 13:54