Stranger Things’ Newest Villain Revealed: What to Know About Season 4’s Introduction to Vecna

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Stranger Things' Newest Villain Revealed: What to Know About Season 4's Introduction to Vecna

Warning: This story contains spoilers from season 4 of Stranger Things. Wreaking havoc. After Stranger Things teased Vecna's rich history throughout season 4, the first part concluded with a major revelation about the villain's true identity. Although Vecna appeared to be another member of the Upside Down, similar to the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer, it turned out that the new monster was actually human. Before being banished to the other version of Hawkins, Indiana, Vecna first created chaos in his hometown and had a shocking connection to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Ahead of the season 4 premiere, the Stranger Things cast teased their own introductions to the new villain on the show. “Vecna is a psychological horror that I don’t think we’ve really seen,” David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper, told Variety earlier this month. “The Upside Down has been this wild west world where there are creatures running around, there’s violence, but we’ve never seen something as calculatedly psychologically evil as this. That’s exciting because he is a true big bad that we’ve needed in the series.” [sendtonews type="float" key="UgOJfuzKKu-2841822-14453"] Meanwhile, Joe Keery praised the way that Vecna played into Stranger Things' homage to horror films from the '80s. “As a fan of practical effects and classic horror-adventure movies, it’s unparalleled,” the actor, 30, who portrays Steve Harrington, revealed. “There aren’t other people that are doing similar things to this, so as the fan in me, I was just freaking out.” During the season, Vecna brought Steve, Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Robin (Maya Hawke), Max (Sadie Sink), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and newcomer Eddie (Joseph Quinn) together as they hunted down the monster amid his killing sprees. For Matarazzo, 19, getting to be part of that story line kept him on his toes throughout filming. “The craziest thing is just how new and fresh the villain feels compared to what we’ve had before,” the Connecticut native told Variety. “It’s something that brings a whole new vibe to how we deal with our villains in Stranger Things and how we will continue to do so going forward.” Quinn, 29, however, found the behind-the-scenes aspect of bringing Vecna to life to be the most interesting part. “It was weird to see him on camera and he’s so terrifying, and then you see him off camera with an iced latte. It’s quite a funny image,” the England native joked. Scroll down for everything to know about the major Vecna reveals in season 4: [podcast_block]

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Stranger Things' Newest Villain Revealed: What to Know About Season 4's Introduction to Vecna

Warning: This story contains spoilers from season 4 of Stranger Things. Wreaking havoc. After Stranger Things teased Vecna's rich history throughout season 4, the first part concluded with a major revelation about the villain's true identity. Although Vecna appeared to be another member of the Upside Down, similar to the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer, it turned out that the new monster was actually human. Before being banished to the other version of Hawkins, Indiana, Vecna first created chaos in his hometown and had a shocking connection to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Ahead of the season 4 premiere, the Stranger Things cast teased their own introductions to the new villain on the show. “Vecna is a psychological horror that I don’t think we’ve really seen,” David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper, told Variety earlier this month. “The Upside Down has been this wild west world where there are creatures running around, there’s violence, but we’ve never seen something as calculatedly psychologically evil as this. That’s exciting because he is a true big bad that we’ve needed in the series.” [sendtonews type="float" key="UgOJfuzKKu-2841822-14453"] Meanwhile, Joe Keery praised the way that Vecna played into Stranger Things' homage to horror films from the '80s. “As a fan of practical effects and classic horror-adventure movies, it’s unparalleled,” the actor, 30, who portrays Steve Harrington, revealed. “There aren’t other people that are doing similar things to this, so as the fan in me, I was just freaking out.” During the season, Vecna brought Steve, Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Robin (Maya Hawke), Max (Sadie Sink), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and newcomer Eddie (Joseph Quinn) together as they hunted down the monster amid his killing sprees. For Matarazzo, 19, getting to be part of that story line kept him on his toes throughout filming. “The craziest thing is just how new and fresh the villain feels compared to what we’ve had before,” the Connecticut native told Variety. “It’s something that brings a whole new vibe to how we deal with our villains in Stranger Things and how we will continue to do so going forward.” Quinn, 29, however, found the behind-the-scenes aspect of bringing Vecna to life to be the most interesting part. “It was weird to see him on camera and he’s so terrifying, and then you see him off camera with an iced latte. It’s quite a funny image,” the England native joked. Scroll down for everything to know about the major Vecna reveals in season 4: [podcast_block]

Credit: Netflix

What Is His True Identity?

During episode 7, viewers learned that Vecna was originally Henry Creel. The young boy moved into a house in Hawkins, Indiana, with his parents and sister Alice. According to his father, Henry was sensitive to the supposed hauntings in the home and died days after his sister and mother.  

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

When Did He First Unlock His Powers?

While the rest of his family thought their new home was haunted, it was actually Henry channeling his supernatural powers. After Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) was brought in to help handle the suspicious situation, Henry decided to kill his mother and sister.

Henry spared his father so he would take the fall for the incident. Dr. Brenner, however, posed a problem for Henry when he took him to Hawkins Laboratories — making him the first test subject named 001. 

Before Eleven arrived at the lab, Henry's powers were taken away from him and he was forced to work for Dr. Brenner.

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

What Is His History With Eleven?

For Eleven, Henry was always the friendly orderly (Jamie Campbell Bower) who helped her figure out how to access her own powers. She later saw him tortured by Dr. Brenner as punishment for helping with her training.

Henry figured out a way to help Eleven escape the lab for good, but he couldn't come with her because of a microchip embedded in his neck that controlled him. Eleven tried to help her new friend by removing the tracking device before their planned escape. 

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

How Did He End Up in the Upside Down?

With Eleven's assistance, adult Henry got access back to his powers, which he used to massacre every test subject at Hawkins Lab. Henry asked Eleven to join him in his next mission, but the duo instead ended up in standoff. Eleven was able to take down Henry, but in doing so she opened the original gate to the Upside Down. Henry became Vecna while Eleven took the blame for the killings in the lab — events which happened before season 1 of Stranger Things.

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Was He Around the Entire Time?

Vecna reveals to Eleven that he was the reason why all the problems in Hawkins started in the first place. After being banished, the monster started to create his own world in the Upside Down. He also took every chance Eleven gave him to access Hawkins when a gate would open up. Over time, Vecna started to plot how to make gates of his own to score complete power. 

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Will He Return in Season 5?

During Volume 2, the group is able to stop Vecna but it doesn't appear to be for good. After Steve, Nancy and Robin set him on fire, Vecna disappears. Will, however, tells Mike that he senses the villain preparing for another chance to seize Hawkins and kill everyone in his path. Season 4 ends with Eleven and the others realizing that Hawkins is starting to die at its core.