Stranger Things fans are having thoughts about Season 5, Volume 2 — and they aren’t exactly positive. When the second volume of the final season debuted on Netflix on Christmas Day, dedicated viewers were quick to watch all three episodes of the drop. But what was initially hopeful anticipation following that explosive reveal at the end of Volume 1 quickly devolved into dissatisfaction among many.
Now, the Stranger Things fandom is attempting to take matters into its own hands. A couple of days after the second installment was released, a fan by the name of Wennii J started a petition on Change.org demanding the release of what is claimed to be “unseen footage” from Season 5, Volume 2. The crux of the petition, it seems, is the assertion that Netflix and the Duffer brothers, who created the show, are withholding footage that was wrongfully cut from Volume 2.
“This has been a long 10 year process and this is what we get,” Wennii J wrote. “They must have cut out a lot of scenes from volume 2 and from our loved characters. I believe we as fans should stand up and take the initiative to get the footage and make the decision. We should sign this petition, trend hashtag, and make videos together to get Netflix and the duffer brothers to notice us. WE WANT ANSWERS!!”
Wennii J went on to assert that “everyone is clearly dissatisfied with this season volume” and that the show’s legacy hinges on the release of this supposed footage.
Wennii J isn’t alone in thinking this way. As of Dec. 29, the petition has garnered more than 325,000 signatures from Stranger Things fans worldwide. Disappointed fans have left detailed comments and impassioned videos on the petition page as well.
“It's genuinely disappointing to see how this final season is turning out,” a fan named Maxx from Santa Clarita, Calif., wrote. “Ever since I was 10 this show has meant so much to me, especially because of the representation that makes me feel seen. Now it just feels soulless and we deserve to see how this story was truly supposed to end, with all of our beloved characters.”
Another fan by the name of Sheldon Lee from São Paulo accused the Duffer brothers of failing to provide “decent closure,” writing, “I've loved this show ever since I was 10 years old. I related to the experience of the characters, being an outcast, and especially Will, as a queer person myself. It all made me fall in love with the story immediately. To not have a decent closure, after such a good and promising development, to be robbed, is extremely upsetting. Please, release the director's cut, or even the scripts. We, as fans, have all been waiting for this, waiting so many years and years... We deserve this.”
These fans, however, seem to be petitioning for the release of something that doesn’t exist. Randy Havens, who plays Hawkins science teacher Scott Clarke, debunked the existence of any “unseen footage” via his Instagram story.
“There’s no secret Snyder cut of the show,” Havens wrote on Dec. 28, referring to director Zack Snyder’s original, longer version of Justice League , which was released in 2021. “Please don’t believe everything some random ass tells you on the internet.”
The Duffer brothers have not publicly commented on the backlash or the petition.
