STRANGER THINGS Star Matthew Modine Was Not a Fan of the Series Finale
Some fans are still processing the ending of Stranger Things, and it turns out they aren’t alone. One of the show’s more interesting characters feels the same way. Matthew Modine, who brought the chilling Doctor Martin Brenner, aka Papa, to life, recently shared his blunt thoughts on the finale and they line up pretty closely with a corner of the fandom that refuses to let go.
The conversation kicked off on Instagram when Modine was asked directly if he liked the series finale. His response was as short and sharp as it gets. “Nope.”
That alone would’ve been enough to get fans talking, but he didn’t stop there. Another fan jumped in with a question aimed straight at one of the internet’s favorite theories, asking, “Does Papa believe in Stranger Things episode 9?”
Modine replied, “Hoping so for the fans.” Screenshots of the exchange quickly made the rounds on social media after being shared by Discussing Film.
Modine first appeared in Season 1 as Brenner, the unsettling mastermind behind Hawkins Lab and the twisted father figure to Eleven and the other gifted children.
As Papa, he oversaw the experiments that shaped the show’s mythology and directly connected Eleven to One, later revealed as Vecna. Brenner met his end in season 4, which meant Modine had no involvement in the final chapter of the story. That hasn’t stopped him from chiming in on how it all wrapped up.
Modine has openly played along with the Conformity Gate theory before. Back on January 29, he posted a video of himself dressed as Brenner with the caption, “Waiting,” a clear wink at fans still holding out hope for something more.
For anyone who missed that whole saga, Conformity Gate is the idea that the season 5 finale was essentially a fake-out orchestrated by Vecna, and that a secret ninth episode would eventually drop to reveal the real ending.
The theory gained traction in January after some viewers walked away unhappy with how things concluded and convinced themselves one last surprise was coming. It didn’t.
Other cast members, including Joe Keery and Jamie Campbell-Bower, have since shut the theory down, making it pretty clear that what we got is what we got. Still, as Modine’s comments show, the belief hasn’t fully disappeared.
Even if episode 9 never materializes, the world of Stranger Things isn’t done yet. The animated spin-off Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is on the way and is set to arrive on Netflix on April 23. The series will explore what happened between seasons 2 and 3 and give fans another excuse to hang out in Hawkins a little longer.
For now, the full run of Stranger Things is available to stream, finale included. Whether fans accept that ending or keep hoping Papa is right about Conformity Gate being real is another story entirely.