Source
r/StrangerThings•
paperd

ST Fans who have been in the fandom for a long while, what's your favorite disproven fan theory of yore?

Pretty much what it says in the title.

If you're a fan that's been active in the Stranger Things fandom through multiple seasons, tell us about fan theories you remember that were later disproven by season releases.

It doesn't have to be your favorite, exactly. Feel free to also tell us about:

  • Theories you simply liked

  • Theories that you think would have been interesting, if the show would have gone that route.

  • Theories that annoyed you at the time, but now that you've got some distance on and it's disproven anyway, they have a certain charm to them

  • Theories that are funny in hindsight

  • Disproven theories you just want to share, for whatever reason

Just looking to take a trip down memory lane. Thought it might be fun.

Posted Feb 15, 2023, 2:14 AM UTC

1119
LopsidedUniversity29•

Hopper went straight to the Soviet Union through the gate, because the Russians were using the machine’s gate to the Upside Down to dimensionally teleport from one area to another. That’s why they wanted the gate open.

16
paperdOP•

Actually, that would make more sense for why they felt the need to build a gate under a shopping mall in Indiana

7
Few_Interaction2630:Mike:•

Not sure anyone but myself though of this but I made theory in my first watch of season 2 where I thought due to Kali bring introduced at the start that season would be all about numbers. And there for when Max and Billy showed up out of no where suddenly my brain worked over time believing they wore numbers sent by Dr Brenner to find 11 my evidence Billy's dialogue "and my sister don't call her that she isn't my sister" and "like it or not Max we are family now" like looking back DUUUH step siblings but kali had my brain think numbers I even guessed that Max would be 5 and Billy would be 13 or 14 like that how convinced I was. but nope they wore not numbers and looking back it so funny that I thought they wore but that game we call speculation it is funny though looking back

15
paperdOP•

I remember the Numbers theories for Max and Billy. Specifically because people were wondering about them moving Billy part way through their senior year, and people had all sorts of opinions on the Kali stuff.

7
Few_Interaction2630:Mike:•

Well glad to know I wasn't alone in my crazy theory.

1
LopsidedUniversity29•

I never thought it, probably because I’ve seen Sean Austin as the good guy in other films. But I saw so many younger Stranger Things fans think Bob was a spy for the lab and that’s why he was dating Joyce. None of them thought Bob was just as he was presented as, a nice guy.

9
paperdOP•

I have LOVED Sean Astin in other things, but I still thought they might be pulling a switcheroo on us. He was just so nice, and so supportive. I thought for sure they made him that way to feel the sting of betrayal, but actually it was to feel the sting of grief.

5
h0lymaccar0ni•

I don’t know many others movies with him other than lotr but I just cannot imagine this sweetheart playing anything else than the friendliest most kindhearted man in the world in any movie.

2
MaxPeskyTotally Tubular•

For the first few episodes of S2, when Max and Billy showed up mysteriously in Hawkins, I thought Max had powers or from another lab maybe in CA and they were hiding from the government. And Billy perhaps was some unwilling caretaker sent there with her, based on him screaming who’s fault is it that they are there, how he always has to drive Max around and his throwaway line of “she’s not my sister”.

I’m so glad I was wrong!

8
Few_Interaction2630:Mike:•

I thought simlar but I thought they wore order by Dr Brenner to 11 and I thought Billy had powers along with Max as I would they wore number Max being 5 and Billy being 13 or 14. Kali just had my brain go over time but I am glad I wasn't alone in thinking powers.

2
ThatTwistedBruh•

For the longest time I theorized that El didn't escape alone, meaning several of the lab kids escaped with her. Which is why I was kinda excited after the Sister/Kali epi, because I expected a few more of them to resurface in the show, and end up helping El somehow.

Needless to say S3/S4 was quite shocking to me in that sense, I would have loved for more kids to have their revenge on their abusers aka Brenner and the lab people.

7
AtticusProctor:BaldEl:•

Someone accurately predicted the Mind Flayer was One. I can’t believe how right they were.

7
paperdOP•

See, that doesn't follow the prompt because it's not a disproven fan theory, but it's impressive so I upvoted it

2
[deleted]•

This technically hasn’t been proven yet. We don’t know the exact connection between the Mind Flayer and Henry, we just know they’re connected.

1
paperdOP•

Oh that's true!

1
OtherwiseCode8134•

I still like the theory that Eddie was 010, the boy being tested by Brenner in the first scene of s4.

Eddie tells Chrissy his hair was buzzed and he didn’t have his sick ol’ tatties in middle school. All the lab kids had buzzed hair cuts and Eddie’s tattoos could be hiding his number.

ETA:

Even between part 1 and part 2 of s4, I didn’t think the the theory was very likely but I was kind of hopeful since 010 looked like he MAAAAAY have survived that first scene.

5
VarianRydell•

Will is a manifestation of the Demogorgon. it was my fav theory to see be disproven after it was made after season 1's release.

3
Kryptoknightmare•

Definitely the post-S1 theory that the demogorgon was some kind of unconscious psychic projection or manifestation of Eleven’s dark side. She WAS the monster after all. She knew this, which is why she recognized Will, knew where he was, felt guilt for the whole situation, and eventually had to erase herself along with the demogorgon at the end to save her new friends.

2
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