Fact Check: Did the Duffer Brothers Lift Charlie Brooker’s 2018 Series for Stranger Things 5?

Stranger Things rumor mill spun up this weekend, and for a second it sounded wild: three different finales, randomly assigned like Netflix loot boxes. Fun idea. Also not true.

No, Stranger Things is not doing Bandersnatch-style endings

A post from the X account DiscussingFish on December 1 claimed the Duffer Brothers shot three endings for the series finale, and Netflix would serve them up at random from household to household. It also teased that the second ending supposedly makes a long-time fan theory canon. Sounds tailor-made to melt the internet, right?

Here’s the catch: DiscussingFish is a parody account known for making things up. The claim is fake. Stranger Things is not pulling a Bandersnatch, which, for the record, is the Black Mirror interactive movie that actually did branch into multiple viewer-determined endings. Cool experiment. Different thing.

Quick reality check

• The viral post said: three finales, randomized per household, with one that canonizes a big fan theory.
• Reality: that account is satirical; the multiple-endings rumor is bogus.
• What the Duffers have actually said: they’ve had a North Star for the final moment for a long time and built toward it, not three parallel finales.

What the Duffers did say about the real ending

In recent chats with The Hollywood Reporter, the brothers looked back at how the show evolved alongside the cast, season by season. They didn’t map out every future season years in advance; instead, they focused on making each one feel like its own complete story. Still, they’ve had a clear idea of the very last scene since early on — a guidepost they kept in their back pocket while everything else shifted around it.

And yes, they’re feeling exactly what you’d expect as the finish line approaches: some nerves, a lot of excitement, and relief to finally get to show everyone where all this has been heading.

Kali is back, and this time it matters

If you remember Kali from Season 2 — the episode fans love to rank near the bottom — she reappears in Season 5 Volume 1, episode 4. After Eleven busts through a vault at a military base inside the Upside Down (yes, that sentence is doing a lot), she finds Kali alive, strapped into some sort of machine.

According to the Duffers, Kali’s return isn’t a cameo for nostalgia’s sake; it’s a pivot point for Eleven in the home stretch.

"Now as we go into volume two, she plays a really important role moving forward. We’re really excited for people to see more of Kali and how she impacts Eleven’s journey."

They’ve said bringing Kali back was always on the board — they just wanted it to serve her character and have a real effect on the story, especially Eleven’s arc. With the gang reassembled for the finale, expect Kali to be part of the last stand against Vecna and the Upside Down, not just window dressing.

Bottom line

Ignore the fake three-endings chatter. The Duffers have one ending in mind — the one they’ve been steering toward for years — and Volume 2 is set up to pay it off, with Kali’s return positioned as a key piece of Eleven’s final push.

Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix.