Are you a die-hard fan of Stranger Things as well? It is probably one of the best shows for children aired on Netflix. Not only for children, it does involve some contribution for adults as well, especially, after season 3, when it comes to storyline, of course.
Well, throughout the season, we all thought it was related to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) who was portrayed as the main character from the beginning of season 1, and dimensions or portals she opened by mistake. But, we were wrong maybe.
The first person who may come to mind when you think of the series is probably Eleven, the fearless girl with psychic abilities who fights all the monsters and creatures from the Upside Down. She has been portrayed in the series for years as the main character who battles villains like the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer.
Eleven in season 1 after she escaped Hawkins Lab
However, if you look attentively, you’ll see something unusual. It wasn’t Eleven who was the real power behind everything. It was Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), the cunning, and deadly character that debuted in Season 4. And if we dig deeper, we can see that Stranger Things was always about Vecna, not Eleven.
From the very first season, you may have wondered that, even if Eleven opened the portal, how she opened it, and what made her do so?
Well, you find all the answers in Season 4 Episode 7.
Want to know how? let’s explore the details.
The Rise of Vecna | Unveiling the True Villain
When Vecna first appeared in Season 4, the Stranger Things universe was completely shattered. Until then, viewers believed the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer to be the greatest threats. However, Vecna? He wasn’t your typical monster. He was a cunning, intelligent villain with a scheme.
Finding out more about his past reveals that this monster also referred to as Henry Creel and One, was among the first people to develop psychic abilities similar to Eleven. But his abilities were much more sinister and twisted. Moreover, he was also trained by Dr. Martin Brenner (Mathew Modine).
Vecna in season 4
Vecna seeks control, whereas El, uses her abilities to defend her friends and fight for justice. Season 4’s manipulations make it clear that he was responsible for all the horrifying incidents from the beginning. One proved he was more than just another villain with his capacity to take control of people’s thoughts, feed off of trauma, and manipulate reality.
Vecna was the mastermind behind Hawkins’ chaos.
Mind Flayer and Vecna | A Deeper Connection
Remember, How Will (Noah Schnapp) was possessed by Mind Flayer in the second season? At that point, fans thought, it was Mind Flayer who was the mastermind and controller of Upside Down and he put his instincts in Will to use him as a source to overcome our actual world.
Mind Flayer wasn’t a human. It was an entity that was made of dust particles that could possess anything and control it in its own way.
It was the show’s greatest mystery. It was assumed by fans that it was the ultimate bad guy, the one controlling everything in the Upside Down. However, the shocking twist in Season 4 is that the Mind Flayer wasn’t operating alone. The true brains behind its attacks was Vecna. He carried out his sinister plans by using this dusty particles entity as a tool.
It was a shocking thing at first but that’s highly relatable as Henry mentioned it to Eleven while attacking Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink). He clearly stated that he discovered the most impressive specimen while wandering alone in the Upside Down.
The influence of Vecna is older than we previously thought. He was felt in Season 1 from the moment Will Byers disappeared because of Demogorgon. It is evident from his manipulations of the Upside Down, that he was constantly hiding in the shadows. He used the Mind Flayer as a puppet in his dominance and control game.
Vecna’s Role in Character Development
The show begins with a 1970s timeline where we can see all the major characters and the story begins with the vanishing of William Byers, however, we see that El just escaped the Hawkins Lab and trying to save herself from brilliant scientists including her Papa (Dr. Martin Brenner) who were responsible for all this chaos.
But, the funny part is there’s no mention of One (Henry Creel). Now, the whole story is revived in season 4, where we can see One existed before all the major cast. He was in the Hawkins Lab from the 1950s.
Henry in his childhood
Henry was the son of Victor Creel (Robert Englund) a war hero and true patriot who just moved to Hawkins after World War II. He had a different type of perspective on this world. He was against the natural laws, time, food, and even humans. He even considered his own parents as a part of natural destruction.
He developed psychic powers on his own and became a master in telekinesis, and when he was able to control humans and even time around him, he killed his family, and all the blame fell on Victor. After his family’s death and father’s imprisonment, Henry was found by Dr. Martin who exactly knew his ability, he started a program to train more boys and girls and ultimately he became Papa of all those children.
Martin knew how to control Henry and he was a no threat to him. He named him One as he was the primary source of his program. Henry later on grew up in the same lab and became a trainer as well, but deep inside he wanted to escape which was impossible because of Papa.
Henry wasn’t able to escape the lab due to a tracker (Soteria) in his neck which was supposed to control his telekinesis powers.
Well, One despised every scientist and student in Hawkins Lab including Papa as well. But, all this major twist breaks up in season 4, where we can see how he used El to escape the lab, killed everyone at the lab, and in the end when he tried to kill Eleven as well, he failed because she was much more powerful than him at that time and while killing Henry she opened a new dimension by mistake which was named Upside Down later on.
El never knew the consequences of this mistake, she even forgot everything right after the flight. She remembered nothing and even forgot Henry as well. But he always remembered her and to only seek revenge from El, he used his tools, Demogorgon and Mind Flayer to possess this world and finish everything related to nature.
Vecna VS Eleven
After Will came back from Upside Down, he never truly recovered from his past trauma and incidents he faced in that demonic world. Though, the only person he could rely on after his friends was Eleven who helped to find him in the first place. Otherwise, Will would never be able to find his way back to the original world.
So, the first thing is clear that El was not a bad character despite having so much power and abilities. The most interesting thing is even being responsible for what happened to Henry she also came to know him in season 4, when she was getting trained to get her powers back.
Despite having no family, no background, and no physical records she was loved by all and raised by her new father Jim Hopper (David Harbour). She got a family and friends, and of course she got a good future without knowing what is her actual fate.
Eleven in season 2 after she was adopted by Jim Hopper
Whereas Vecna is more than just a villain because of his capacity to access the most painful memories of his prey and use them to possess their minds, he is a symbol of psychological challenges. He takes advantage of people’s weaknesses, such as Max’s grief over her brother Billy’s (Dacre Montgomery) passing, or Nancy’s (Natalia Dyer) sorrow over Barb’s (Shannon Purser) abduction, to obtain control. Because of this, he plays a key role in the show’s investigation of control and terror.
He tries to destroy everything that Eleven holds dear, not just physically but emotionally. Their battle isn’t just about who has stronger powers, it’s about who can shape the future of the Upside Down and Hawkins. This makes him more than just a villain. He’s the shadow to Eleven’s light, the yin to her yang, and their conflict elevates the entire series.
While Eleven was the main character of Stranger Things at first, but in season 4 we realize that, Vecna was the real power behind the story. He exceeds the role of a major villain thanks to his influence, abilities, and close ties to the show’s themes. He holds the key to interpreting the story as a whole.
What are your thoughts on this comparison of both superheroes? Do let us know in the comment box. Till then stick your eyes on Netflix’s notification box while we wait for the final installment of the series to complete in December 2025.
