As the UK prepares for the New Year's Day premiere of the Stranger Things season five finale, a significant fan rebellion is underway. A petition calling on Netflix to release any unseen footage has amassed close to 300,000 signatures, with supporters arguing the final season's edit has left crucial storylines on the cutting room floor.
Fan Fury Over Final Season Edits
The petition, hosted on Change.org, was launched ahead of the concluding episode, which is set to run for just over two hours on 1 January. Fans behind the movement express profound disappointment, feeling the culmination of a decade-long journey has been mishandled. The petition states: "This has been a long 10-year process and this is what we get. They must have cut out a lot of scenes... I believe we as fans should stand up and take the initiative to get the footage."
One supporter commented on the campaign, highlighting a sense of personal loss: "Ever since I was 10 this show has meant so much to me... Now it just feels soulless and we deserve to see how this story was truly supposed to end." The discontent stems partly from the structure of the final season, which was split into three volumes. The second volume, comprising three episodes, faced backlash for cramming in major reveals, such as the true nature of the Upside Down as a 'wormhole'.
Allegations of Cut Content and Divided Reactions
Beyond the petition, fans have circulated documents alleging details of "entire plot lines and character arcs" were altered or removed during filming. Viewers have also noted that the original runtimes for episodes were reportedly longer than what was finally broadcast on Netflix.
However, not all viewers support the campaign. On platforms like Reddit, some have labelled the petition "nonsense." One user, Autographz, argued: "So we have a verified list of 230,000+ delusional fans then who can’t grasp that deleted scenes... are a staple of nearly every single show or movie ever made?" They criticised the depth of fan investment, suggesting parasocial relationships were at play.
The Final Confrontation and Creative Challenges
The finale will determine the fate of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), and their friends in their final battle against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). The penultimate episodes set the stage, with Vecna using kidnapped children, including Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher), to merge worlds, while the gang entered the Upside Down to stop him.
The season also delivered emotional moments, such as Max Mayfield's (Sadie Sink) awakening from her coma and reunion with Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will Byers' emotional coming-out speech. Meanwhile, the show's creators, the Duffer Brothers, have spoken about the immense challenges of producing the final season. They told Creative Screenwriting about complex action sequences: "When you’re writing it, you don’t have to think about how painful it is going to be to execute... this is kind of a nightmare."
With the petition's signatures continuing to climb—currently at 282,594 and rising—the debate highlights the intense relationship between a global phenomenon and its dedicated fanbase. Both producer Shawn Levy and Netflix have been contacted for comment regarding the fans' demands.
