We’ve seen the evidence for conformitygate but id just like to expand on that a little bit. What if we’re right? Mike is trapped in his vecna vision. But that’s still the epilogue.

Netflix calls us the heart of the party, similar to mike. i think were trapped in his vision with him. he just doesn't know its not real. Everything we see after shock jock is mike's vecna vision, the people around him arnt real, they’re simulations of they’re real world character similar to max's vision in season 4, it felt completely real to her, she had no way of knowing that wasn't the real Lucas. they've done this once and they're doing it again.The real world continues to fight vecna on the outside, unknowingly to mike. The vision is getting more and more choppy because vecna is pulling from memories of the party to create it. thats why there is no mention of vickie at all or suzie, its why the girl from the snowball talks to dustin- the dance we know vecna saw. this is the reality vecna has conjured but mike has no reason for thinking that this is fake, because even in the vision mike thinks he deserves this. He expects this life to be where he ends up, alone and the party no longer needing him, he spends the 'years' in this world reminiscing what he once had and has lost.

mikes own self perception- I believe mike is a closeted gay man in love with will even if he won’t let himself actualise it. In his vision will moving on, leaving, leaving him behind. Will has a bustling life of his own without mike in It at all. Because mikes fear of will realising he’s never needed mike, mikes just needed him all along, has finally come true. Not just will- mike watches as his entire party moves on, they all have their own lives, futures, ambition. Mike is left where he has always been afraid he would be the heart of the party that’s rhythm has gone softer and softer until there’s was no one around who could hear it beat at all. I believe eleven/Jane is not in the epilogue because she’s unable to break into this trance. She is also not present because mike is terrified of loosing his last thread holding onto this heterosexual narrative he’s been building to try to convince himself and thats one of the things vecna's using against him. As well as because she’s been the person who has relied most on mike, to strip mike of this person of his saviourdom is vecna questioning how strong mikes sense of self is outside of being her 'saviour'. whats mikes worth if he is not the heart? if he isnt mike the brave?

'but what about truman show inspiration?' I dont think the inspo was for him to break out. i think theres a alternate reason - will. will is paralleling sylvia - sylvia is a actor who acts as a college mate of truman but as she developed feelings for him she felt incredibly horrid for keeping the truth from Truman She was the only person in Truman's artificial world who developed genuine feelings for him and tried to reveal the truth to him. She told him her real name and "everybody's pretending" before being forcibly removed from the set by the crew. while el cant break into the vision i think will has been able to channel vecnas powers to see from his vision will's eyes. hes stuck not reaching out to mike and breaking the facade to him because he cant similar to sylvia and truman. sylvias motive for not breaking is being removed From the set will's is being removed from the vision mike is stuck in. i think will is trying to reach mike from the outside world, will is trying to control this body but struggling and unable. And this isn’t a cry of reminiscence but of hope and fear, because he’s being able to control this wills face - its more then he was able to before. But he is terrified for mike. Clip linked on twt

Proof for this- the WSQK radio sound clip posted yesterday where through the static you can almost make out will saying ‘You need to run’ is him trying to break through and speak in this world. But it’s not going through. We know mike has trouble listening to broken transmission like in this scene where we can hear dustin just fine but mike can’t. [the clip can be found on the twitter version of this thread-linked below] WSQK has ended. He doesn’t know he’s supposed to run. Clip linked on twt Wills stuck watching mike torment himself forever missing him while hes right across the table unable to reach him. he can only watch what is happening, watch mike try to push his nonconformity [homosexuality] down in this world. There is nothing will can do he's stuck seeing mike want will and never allowing himself to want him. he's seeing mikes nightmare. him leaving mike. knowing he never would, knowing in the real world he would have come running back into that basement. Mike sits in the future will had desperately wanted to share with him, alone. why i think hes stuck -A mix of vecna getting stronger and mikes suicidal tendencies making it harder for him to escape.We've seen this from mike since season 1 with his suicide attempt. He seems dissociative all of this season. he's picked max's option 3, i think he dies a couple years after the epilogue.

I think later on if the duffers reveal this is true then it actually is a masterfully done epilogue, to show us the villan winning without making us realize it all- just leaving us in dread without a explanation as to why.

So here is my final theory - conformity gate is real, will knows Its real. Mike does not and we arnt supposed to either. In the end- at least to mike, vecna has won. But mike doesnt know And he never will.

Goodbye Michael wheeler, we hardly knew you.

- I decided to name it heartgate because of him being the heart of the party and the strangerthings twt calling us the heart as well, so im saying were in his pov of vecna's vision in the epilogue. I hope this isn’t true. I hope there’s a secret episode 9 that comes out and clears it all up I really do. I love mike wheeler as a character and relate to him a lot. I hope the duffers prove me wrong. Im sorry if there’s any errors in grammer or in continuity, this is my first time ever making a theory so please bear with me. This has a lot of plot holes but it still has less plot holes then the canon epilogue so, ill count it as a win.

Please let me know what you think, any ideas or comments, and have a nice day! p.s this is also posted on twitter [plus it comes with more pictures!]