Stranger Issues: Who Is Vecna?

Each season of “Stranger Issues” ups the ante with newer, extra {powerful}, and scarier villains, however by some means the fourth season introduced out the scariest but. Within the new season, which launched its ultimate two episodes on July 1, our heroes face a super-powerful being they dubbed “Vecna” after the character in Dungeons & Dragons. Because the episodes progressed, the Hawkins gang realized extra about this mysterious villain, performed by Jamie Campbell Bower, who used thoughts management to torment his victims earlier than killing them.

Within the season’s ultimate three episodes, viewers realized rather a lot concerning the mysterious Vecna, together with his origins as Henry Creel, his connection to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), and his life within the Upside Down. Learn on for the most important takeaways about this final villain, together with his connection to Dungeons & Dragons.

Who Is Vecna in “Stranger Issues“?

The earliest supplies about “Stranger Issues” season 4 did not give a lot away concerning the present’s model of Vecna, although we assumed the Get together gave their newest foe a D&D-themed nickname, identical to they did in earlier seasons with the Demogorgon. The most recent supernatural creature to assault Hawkins truly has an analogous bodily type to the D&D villain, with a humanoid form, a cranium face, and tentacles.

Ultimately, the Hawkins gang be taught Vecna’s actual origins. As a baby, he was Henry Creel, a seemingly regular boy who unlocked psychic talents in himself. He used them to homicide his mom and sister and to torment his father. Quickly after, he was taken in by Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) and given the identify One. Within the Hawkins lab, he watched over the opposite youngsters who the lab was making an attempt to instigate psychic powers in, together with a younger Eleven. His id as One was stored from the youngsters, and he used Eleven’s lack of know-how to control her into taking out the chip in his head that was protecting him from utilizing his powers. As soon as she did that, he went on to bloodbath everybody on the Hawkins lab.

Did Eleven Create Vecna?

Sure, Eleven is important to the transformation of One into Vecna. As One attacked the folks of the lab, Eleven unleashed her personal powers and fought again. Not realizing the depth of her power, she knocked One again so exhausting that she began to tear his physique to items after which opened a gateway to the Upside Down and trapped him inside. As he tells Eleven in episode 9, “The Piggyback,” at first he thought he was lifeless, however then he realized he was in a brand new place, which he calls “unspoiled by humankind.” He explored the Upside Down, rising his powers, and persevering with to bodily rework.

Did Vecna Create the Thoughts Flayer?

For many of season 4, it was unclear what the precise relationship between Vecna and the Thoughts Flayer was. The Thoughts Flayer was the primary antagonist in seasons two and three and tormented Will (Noah Schnapp) particularly after he was rescued from the Upside Down in season one.

Vecna tells Eleven he was roaming the Upside Down when he discovered “one thing that will change every thing.” The present illustrates this by way of flashback; Vecna finds some early model of the Thoughts Flayer. Evidently he used his personal talents to control and rework the Thoughts Flayer to serve his functions. “I noticed a method to understand my potential,” he tells Eleven, explaining that he was all the time meant to be a predator. Se Vecna did not fairly create the Thoughts Flayer, however he reworked it into one thing sinister for his functions.

“It was you. At all times you,” Eleven says, realizing that Vecna was the final word dangerous man, utilizing the Thoughts Flayer as his pawn for the reason that very starting. May even confirms this when he returns to Hawkins on the finish of the episode. What he thought was the Thoughts Flayer was actually Vecna.

What Is Vecna’s Plan?

Vecna tells Eleven that he was going to make use of the Thoughts Flayer to develop his powers and attain. “All I wanted was somebody to open the door. And you probably did that for me with out even realizing it,” he explains. As soon as Eleven stopped opening doorways, he used his curses as a strategy to create new gateways. Ultimately, sufficient opened to interrupt the barrier between Hawkins and the Upside Down, inflicting a large earthquake and destruction. What his plan is now that he can roam freely is anybody’s guess, however it’ll most likely contain much more homicide and chaos.

Is Vecna Useless?

The workforce did their finest the attempt to kill Vecna. Eleven attacked his thoughts, and Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Steve (Joe Keery), and Robin (Maya Hawke) set him on fireplace, shot him repeatedly, and despatched him out a window. However after they go search for his physique, it is not there. On the finish of the episode, Will says he can nonetheless really feel him. Vecna is badly injured however not lifeless but, and Will says they should kill him ASAP.

Who Is Vecna in Dungeons & Dragons?

Within the universe of Dungeons & Dragons, Vecna is first alluded to by way of the remaining “artifacts” of the being. All through variations of the sport within the late Seventies, Vecna was largely a mysterious creature within the recreation’s lore, recognized solely as a long-destroyed, evil “lich,” or undead spellcaster who’s extraordinarily tough to kill. The “Hand” and “Eye” of Vecna have been mysterious artifacts that, if used, put the participant prone to being threatened by the eerie undead creature.

It wasn’t till round 1990 that Vecna lastly obtained extra of an official “character” profile. He is seen as a depraved demigod and a fierce enemy and, finally, is a part of the sport’s pantheon of deities. Later additions to D&D lore reveal extra about Vecna’s bodily look, depicting him in monstrous humanoid type. Vecna has human-like legs and arms, referencing the human he was hundreds of years in the past (though his left hand is lacking and is a strong magical artifact within the recreation), however his head is a daunting cranium, and he is lacking his left eye. He additionally has a number of tentacle-like extensions swirling off of his physique — one thing “Stranger Issues” followers have seen earlier than.

Vecna’s character biography traces his evolution from historic, magic-wielding human to vengeful necromancer to undead grasp of darkish arts. He performs an antagonistic function in a number of “tales” within the lore. In accordance with these tales, Vecna dominated an awesome and horrible empire till he was betrayed by his right-hand man, Kas, who destroyed him with a sword Vecna made for him. In later tales, Vecna rose from the lifeless as a demigod of darkish magic, pursuing methods to accumulate the powers of a better god.

None of that lore precisely matches the Vecna on the unfastened in Hawkins, however there are undoubtedly similarities. D&D Vecna additionally had a human soul saved in a strong, magical field. Eleven’s makes an attempt to stir his humanity in episode 9 do not work, however might that be the important thing to defeating him? We’ll have to attend for season 5 to seek out out.

— Further reporting by Victoria Edel