A surprise move by Netflix has sparked chaos among Stranger Things fans!
After the Duffer Brothers concluded their hit mystery, sci-fi show on New Year’s Eve, a cryptic video posted by Netflix on Christmas 2025 has attracted widespread attention for hinting at a possible surprise episode.
On December 25, when the popular video streaming platform was set to release Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2, it also posted a mysterious clip.
While the video did not gain much attention at the time due to the buzz around the Vol 2 premiere, fans have now noticed several cryptic clues, suggesting that Netflix and the Duffer Brothers might be working something behind the scenes.
According to the wild fan theories, the creators might release a surprise episode of Stranger Things on January 7, 2026, following an ambiguous conclusion to the series in the season finale.
“Your Future is on its way #WhatNext Jan 7, 2026,” they captioned the December 25th post.
Notably, January 7 also marked Orthodox Christmas, which aligns with Season 5’s release pattern of premiering episodes on major holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
In the video, a woman, wearing a blue jacket, can be seen sitting at a bus stop with a Stranger Things poster on the wall behind.
It also shows the same woman meeting a tarot reader, dressed in a yellow attire, which a fan connected to the Russian secret code in Season 3 that stated, “When blue meets yellow.”
The code also had a phrase: “The week is long,” aligning with January 7, which completes the first week of 2026.
In the clip, a millisecond-long fiery flashback can also be seen, which appeared like the Abyss – the place where Vecna and the Mind Flayer lived.
It also featured a grey cat, connecting to one more phrase of the secret code: “The silver cat feeds.”
Fan theories and reactions:
On Netflix’s post, one of the fans wrote, “STRANGER THINGS SECRET EPISODE, I BELIEVE.”
“I don't believe in coincidences,” stated another.
A third speculated, “’Call it a coincidence’ and right then there is a Stranger Things poster in the background!?????”
“Wait… January 7th 2026??? It’s something with ST9…?” guessed a fourth.
Stranger Things:
Stranger Things concluded its five-season run on December 31, 2025.
