Season 4 of Stranger Things is markedly distinct from its predecessors. Not only is it significantly darker than earlier episodes, but the latest season also unmasks the true face of the evil lurking behind the shadows. Twelve-year-old Henry Creel discovers his unique abilities and proceeds to use them without the slightest hint of responsibility.
He spends several years in Hawkins Lab, where his powers are nullified by Dr. Brenner. Henry is ultimately banished to the Upside Down, but this merely makes him stronger and more vicious than ever. As Vecna, he is arguably the scariest Stranger Things villain to date.
10 Vecna's Human Origin Reframes The Entire Concept Of The Show
Season 4's penultimate episode "Papa" exposes Vecna for who he is — a coldblooded nihilist blessed with a rare and dangerous gift. Despite his gruesome appearance, Vecna was once a human boy named Henry Creel. He first arrived in Hawkins in 1959, where his family had purchased a Victorian-era mansion.
Henry spends most of his time alone, worrying his parents to no end. However, Victor and Virginia Creel misinterpret their son's existential ennui as emotional weakness, a mistake they would pay dearly for. Since the main villain turns out to be a human being, Vecna's origin story reframes the entire concept of the show.
9 He Murders His Mother And Sister For No Apparent Reason
Henry leaves an array of mutilated carcasses around Creel House, to the point that his father takes security measures against the alleged "wildcat." He torments Victor with horrific visions from his military past, and Virginia gradually realizes that her son is somehow related to the supposedly demonic atmosphere engulfing the mansion.
Henry inevitably gives in to his basest instincts and brutally murders his mother and sister using his trademark style. His father escapes relatively unscathed, largely because Henry loses consciousness before he can kill Victor.
8 Vecna Slaughters Innocent Children In Hawkins Lab
Brenner is unable to keep Henry under this thumb, explaining why he installs a Soteria device to block 001's innate abilities. The older man's sloppy approach towards parenting does little to help Henry understand himself.
On the contrary, the clinical environment in Hawkins Lab exacerbates Henry's complicated identity, transforming him into a proto-version of Vecna long before Eleven sends him to the Upside Down. Eleven innocently excises the Soteria from Henry's neck, which allows him to channel his full power and slaughter every single child in the lab.
7 His Physical Appearance Is Nightmare-Inducing
Henry's human form begins crumbling as soon as he enters the Upside Down. He loses chunks of his previously lustrous hair, his skin develops keratin-esque scabs and keloids, and the iris of his right eye turns a ghostly shade of grey.
Henry metamorphoses into Vecna over seven years, eventually establishing a symbiotic relationship with the Upside Down. Several slimy tentacles slither around Vecna's current body, writhing and pulsating like a horde of parasitic worms. Vecna's face is particularly disturbing as it lacks ears, hair, and a nose.
6 Vecna Reveals His Final Plan To Nancy
Vecna hones in on Nancy's guilt over Barb's death and seizes control of her body in the Upside Down. Thankfully, he chooses to make her his personal messenger rather than his final victim. Nancy ultimately learns everything about Vecna's past, which isn't half as terrible as the future he shows her.
She tells the Party about the "dark cloud spreading over Hawkins, downtown on fire, dead soldiers, and [a] giant creature with a gaping mouth." Nancy adds that "this creature wasn't alone," and that there was an army of monsters invading their homes. Season 5 Hawkins is probably going to become an interdimensional warzone.
5 He Uses Trauma To Latch Onto Helpless People
Vecna's telepathic and telekinetic powers are extremely potent, arguably on par with Eleven. Unlike his nemesis, however, Vecna inflicts pain and suffering on innocent people. The worst part is that his victims have no way to defend themselves against his psychic invasion as they truly believe themselves to be guilty.
Vecna's attack pattern can be described as classic predation — he stalks the weakest prey he can find before destroying their already fragile minds. His nightmares are custom designed for each victim and fueled by their personal traumas.
4 Vecna Nearly Kills Hopper, Joyce, Steve, Nancy, Robin, Dustin, And Max
Eleven takes Vecna by surprise in Max's mindscape and overwhelms him with her telekinesis. The moment is epic but shortlived — he quickly regains the upper hand and incapacitates Eleven. Vecna mocks her helplessness, claiming that "there is nothing [she] can do to stop" him.
His threatening commentary plays in the background as Eleven's friends and family fail, one by one, to complete their respective missions. A mass of vines starts choking Nancy, Robin, and Steve; Dustin recklessly rushes to save Eddie; Hopper and Joyce are cornered by a violent Demogorgon mob. So many central characters would have died if Eleven hadn't stopped Vecna in time.
3 He Survives The Party's Multi-Pronged Attack
Mike encourages Eleven to finish the battle because she has the power to "move mountains." Eleven snaps out of her mental block and turns the tables on Vecna. Murray incinerates the Demogorgons with a flamethrower, further weakening Vecna.
Hopper beheads the last surviving Demogorgon at the exact same time that Robin, Steve, and Nancy burn and shoot the villain's physical body. Vecna crashes through the attic window and lands on the front porch, seemingly vanquished. However, it is revealed that he survived the Party's flawlessly synchronized, multi-pronged attack.
2 Vecna Brings The Mind Flayer Into Existence
Henry Creel discovers an entirely new ecosphere in the Upside Down, composed of strange creatures and bizarre weather. Upon encountering a mystical cloud of unknown particles, Henry molds it into an enormous arachnoid entity that would later be known as the Mind Flayer.
The fact that the formidable Mind Flayer is nothing more than a puppet comes as a huge shock, demonstrating Vecna's limitless potential. The villain tells Eleven that he cannot be defeated so easily, and her victory marks "the beginning of the end." Vecna's apocalyptic fantasy hopefully won't come true, but only if the heroes continue to fight back.
1 He Is The Driving Force Of Evil In The Story
Considering her empathetic nature, Eleven would prefer not to kill someone she used to care about. On the other hand, Vecna's malevolent nature isn't going anywhere, and it's extremely likely that he intends on carrying out his plans to completion.
He genuinely believes that he is superior to ordinary humans simply because they don't possess his gifts. Vecna is the driving force behind all the evil in Hawkins, starting with the attack on Will Byers in Season 1. By the Season 4 finale, he successfully opens a town-sized portal between the Upside Down and Hawkins, effectively placing the entire world at his mercy.