Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, who are more widely known as the Duffer Brothers, have shut down some interesting rumors that have been circling the internet in regards to the 80s sci-fi series’ ending. According to Deadline, after production of the show was on hold for a while because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, fans started to have some fun online speculating how the show was going to conclude. There have been some out-of-this-world theories, and some really funny ones, but there are no direct answers nor hints as to how the hit TV series is going to end. 

While fans have created some elaborate theories, one that stuck out the most to viewers was, needless to say, quite cliche. Deadline reports this theory being that everything that had happened in the series, was not real. Everything was just a simple Dungeons and Dragons game and it was all made up. This fan-generated conclusion got so much traction on the internet that some fans grew concerned that it would become the actual ending itself. But, in a recent interview with Metro at the premiere of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the West End stage adaptation of the series, the Duffer Brothers shot down the theory and reassured fans that the conclusion will bring viewers towards a conclusion they are happy with.

When presented with the fan theory, Matt Duffer jokingly said, “That is correct. That is the ending…. No.” His brother Ross added, “That would be the equivalent of, ‘That’s all a dream.’ No, I assure you that is not how we’re going to end the show. We’ve known where we’ve been going for a while. And we feel comfortable with it; hopefully, it satisfies everyone. We’ll see.”

Actor David Harbor (Black Widow), who plays the beloved Hawkins police chief Jim Hopper, recently commented on the series coming to a close. He talked about how bittersweet it is and how emotional it has made him.

“The beauty of it is there’s a real ending — things will end in a very real way,” Harbor said via Deadline.

Stranger Things’ fifth season will be available to stream on Netflix. While there is no concrete date as to when it will be released, production will begin again in early January 2024 after being on hold due to the Hollywood strikes.