Stranger Things Star Matthew Modine Gets Vocal About His Feelings on the Finale and His Support of ‘Conformity Gate’

The finale season of Stranger Things was something of a world-changing event in pop culture — but not everyone in the cast liked the direction the show went in season 5. In fact, star Matthew Modine recently opened up about his feelings on the ending of the series.

Modine — who played Dr. Martin Brenner, aka “Papa,” the scientist who trained and nurtured Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven beginning in season 1 — recently shared a video of himself on Instagram, and in the comments, a fan asked if he liked the series finale. “Nope,” he bluntly replied to the fan.

From there, he was asked by another viewer, “Does Papa believe in Stranger Things episode 9?” (If you’re thinking, wait, the season only had eight episodes, we’ll explain in just a second.) Modine’s response to the question clearly echoed his distaste for the episode: “Hoping so for the fans.”

So, about that ninth episode. In case you’re not aware, the “Conformity Gate” fan theory gained significant traction online last month as fans claimed that the show’s finale was not actually its finale, but a clever trick played by the Vecna itself. Unhappy with the show’s actual ending, fans suggested another finale was on the way — something that was later shown to be nonsense.

Interestingly enough, Modine has been a vocal supporter of the theory for a little while now — and this isn’t his first time addressing it. At the end of January, the actor shared a clip of himself dressed in character with the caption, “Waiting.” It can be inferred that the actor is alluding to the wait for the secret ninth episode, and if so, unfortunately he’s still waiting even now.

The Duffer brothers, co-creators and showrunners of Stranger Things, have ruled a Stranger Things sequel out, saying making such a thing would come across as a “gross cash grab.” That said, more from the show’s universe is already in the works — such as a live-action spin-off with new characters, and Stranger Things ’85, an animated series showing further adventures with the gang while they were younger.

Stranger Things can be watched in full on Netflix.

Image credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.