After nearly a decade of supernatural twists, 1980s nostalgia, and a loyal fanbase, Stranger Things ended its fifth and final season on December 31, 2025. But what should have been a celebratory send-off for Netflix’s most popular series was instead clouded by controversy, as the penultimate episode, “The Bridge,” became a lightning rod for debate and backlash. The episode, which featured Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) coming out as gay to his friends and family, quickly became the lowest-rated in the show’s history and ignited a storm of online reactions—both supportive and critical.
On January 2, 2026, Matt and Ross Duffer, the sibling creators of Stranger Things, publicly addressed the intense review bombing campaign that targeted “The Bridge.” According to Variety, the Duffer brothers were taken aback by the ferocity of the backlash. “No is the honest truth,” Matt Duffer said when asked if they’d anticipated such a reaction. “Because it is, as Ross said, something we’ve been building for a really long time. I always say, Ross and I are many things, but subtle is not one of those things!”
For the Duffers, Will’s coming out scene was not a last-minute addition or a reaction to current trends. Instead, it was the culmination of a narrative thread woven through five seasons. “The coming out scene is something we’ve been building to for nine years now. It was a really important scene for us, and a really important scene for Noah—not just from a thematic point of view, but also a narrative point of view,” Ross Duffer told Variety. He explained that the show’s central theme has always been about characters overcoming evil by embracing themselves and each other. In the context of the final season, this meant Will’s self-acceptance was essential to the group’s ability to defeat the villain Vecna.
Matt Duffer elaborated on the storytelling logic: “It was the final step in Will’s journey. And Will is, in so many ways, the key to defeating Vecna. Volume 1 is really about self-acceptance, right? I mean, that’s sort of step one. And then step two is Will is talking to Robin—it’s something that he wants to do. He’s trying to figure out how to come out, and he knows that he needs to do that, and that that’s the final step for him. And he finds the courage to be able to do it. And it’s really the ultimate f--k you to Vecna. That was the intention.”
Despite the creators’ intentions, “The Bridge” episode received a 5.7 IMDb rating based on 50,000 reviews, marking it as the lowest-rated episode in the series’ history. The audience score for the final season on Rotten Tomatoes also dropped sharply—from 73% before the episode aired to just 56% after. According to Variety, some critics and fans called the coming out scene “forced” and “cringey,” arguing that it distracted from the show’s climactic action. Others accused the show of prioritizing “woke” messaging over storytelling, with one social media user writing, “Netflix decided to RUIN their most popular show of all-time, Stranger Things, by focusing their final season on Will coming out as a homosexual, promoting the propaganda that Will’s superpowers are because he’s ’embraced his sexuality.’”
But the backlash was far from unanimous. Many fans and critics praised the scene as a long-overdue and emotionally resonant payoff for Will’s character. Noah Schnapp, who came out as gay in 2023, approached the role with deep personal investment. He told Netflix, “I read it every morning, every night for the month leading up to it. And that allowed me on the day to just completely forget the script, completely forget about remembering my lines, and that just kind of poured out of me. And what I could focus on is just tapping into that feeling and that emotion.” Schnapp later described the scene as “perfect,” adding, “I was just in tears. It was perfect.”
The Duffers revealed that writing Will’s coming out scene took longer than any other in the series. They wanted to ensure every part was handled with care, especially given Schnapp’s own journey. “Our goal was to make sure that he was comfortable and happy with the scene,” Matt Duffer said. “And when he was, we felt good about it. I’ve been texting with him a lot, but texting with him specifically after that scene and after that episode aired. And he’s in a really good place. He’s very proud of the scene, and we’re proud of the scene.”
Despite the creators’ and actor’s pride, the online discussion was not limited to the episode’s content. A petition demanding the release of additional unseen footage related to Will’s coming out garnered nearly 400,000 signatures. Rumors circulated, fueled by an anonymous Google document, that hours of extra scenes—particularly between Will and Mike (Finn Wolfhard)—had been left on the cutting room floor. The Duffer brothers responded to these calls, standing by their editorial decisions and asserting that the final version best served the story’s emotional arc.
Beyond the controversy, “The Bridge” episode and its aftermath highlighted broader cultural tensions around LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream media. While some viewers saw Will’s journey as a meaningful step forward, others felt it clashed with their expectations for the show’s finale. The Duffers, for their part, remained steadfast: “We’re proud of the episode, and we’re proud of the scene, and proud of Noah, who gave a really brave, very vulnerable performance,” Ross Duffer told Variety.
Looking back, the story of Stranger Things is as much about the people who made it as the monsters they imagined. The series, inspired by 1980s pop culture and the works of Stephen King, almost didn’t make it to air—rejected by nearly 20 networks before Netflix took a chance. Its young cast, including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and Gaten Matarazzo, grew up on screen as their characters battled the Upside Down and navigated the complexities of adolescence. The Duffers always envisioned a five-season arc, and with the show’s conclusion, they hinted at a possible spin-off, though details remain tightly under wraps.
For better or worse, “The Bridge” will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the Stranger Things saga. It forced fans, creators, and critics alike to grapple with questions of identity, storytelling, and the power of popular culture to reflect—and sometimes challenge—the world around us.
