Stranger Things actor Randy Havens has debunked a theory that there is an unreleased cut of the show’s fifth season.
Volume two of the final season of the hit Netflix show was released on Boxing Day (December 26), with episodes five to seven continuing the ultimate showdown between the people of Hawkins and the evil Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
Since the release of volume two, some fans have claimed that the episodes have been clipped, with an unsourced Google document that outlines allegedly “cut” scenes involving Will and Mike, Will and Eleven and others, going viral on social media.
More than 280,000 people had also signed a Change.org petition demanding that scenes from the final season be released.
Now, Havens – who plays Mr. Clarke (aka Snookums) in the show – has addressed the theory. Taking to his Instagram story yesterday (December 28), the actor wrote: “There is no Snyder Cut of the show, please don’t believe everything some random ass tells you on the internet.”
Randy Havens, who plays Mr. Clarke in #StrangerThings5, has now publicly addressed the ‘cut scenes’ situation this and made it clear:
“There is no Snyder Cut of the show, please don’t believe everything some random ass tells you on the internet.”
At this point, continuing to… pic.twitter.com/kQ2BBuiXQh
— Stranger Things Spoilers (@SThingsSpoilers) December 28, 2025
It comes after reports that volume two achieved one of the lowest fan ratings in the show’s history.
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The previous volume’s final episode, Chapter Four: Sorcerer, was among the highest rated episodes according to fan ratings on IMDb. However, volume two’s conclusion, Chapter Seven: The Bridge, is among the show’s worst received.
The episode, which saw the heroic group of friends prepare for one last battle on the anniversary of Will Byers’ (Noah Schnapp) disappearance, has scored 6.7 out of 10 from 22,000 votes. At the time of writing, it is the second worst rated episode, above only 2017’s The Lost Sister (six out of 10). The highest rated episode is currently season four’s Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab.
The series as a whole has also struggled for fan appreciation. It currently has a 67 per cent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a sharp drop from the 89 per cent rating for season four. Critics have been kinder, with an 84 per cent “fresh” rating from journalists.
NME’s review of volume one described it as “the big, bold beginning of the end.” “Perhaps inevitably, volume one feels a lot like an appetiser for the rest of the season” writes Nick Levine. “But even in piecemeal form, Stranger Things has a flair for epic and emotionally resonant storytelling. After all those years, this smart, big-hearted sci-fi show still has the power to turn your head upside down.”
The two-hour final episode of Stranger Things arrives on New Year’s Day (January 1) on Netflix.
