Is Vecna Being Controlled by the Mind Flayer?

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Since appearing in Stranger Things 4, Vecna has become the show’s main villain. The season revealed that Vecna, originally known as Henry Creel and also called 001, has been part of the story from the start. After Eleven sent Henry to what everyone thought was the Upside Down, he discovered and connected with the Mind Flayer.

For over three years, fans have argued about the connection between Vecna and the Mind Flayer. Some thought Vecna mastered the Mind Flayer, molding it to his will. Others believed the Mind Flayer was actually controlling Vecna, taking on a spider-like form to attract him. But season five of Stranger Things reveals the truth about their relationship, and it’s even more disturbing than anyone expected.

Stranger Things 5 Confirms the Mind Flayer Gave Henry His Powers

Season 5 of Stranger Things had some issues, partly because the cast felt overcrowded. A significant problem was relying heavily on the backstory presented in Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a stage play that tells the story of events leading up to the series. While the play is now considered official canon, it’s difficult for most fans to experience, as it’s only been performed in London and New York City.

If you can’t see Stranger Things: The First Shadow live, the Netflix documentary Behind the Curtain offers a look at how the play was made. While it provides valuable background and story details, it’s not quite the same as experiencing the play in person.

Despite everything, the show does offer glimpses of a play within the story, which shed light on Vecna’s past. The most crucial scene takes place in a cave – a memory Henry (Vecna) is too frightened to explore, as it’s the only one that truly scares him while he’s inside Max’s mind.

Within the cave, a vision appears: a young Henry Creel in a Boy Scout uniform. He’s exploring the cave after discovering a disoriented and hurt man stuck inside. The man wears a lab coat, suggesting he’s a scientist, and clutches a briefcase as if it’s very important.

As Henry tries to offer help to the stranger, the man unexpectedly pulls a gun and aggressively demands to know who sent Henry. Driven by intense paranoia, the stranger shoots Henry in the hand. Frightened and overwhelmed, Henry grabs a rock and strikes the man, repeatedly hitting him until he seems lifeless. This violent encounter deeply traumatizes Henry, but also establishes a significant turning point.

Henry then picked up the man’s briefcase and opened it, revealing a peculiar black stone covered in glowing red symbols. It looked remarkably like something from the movie The Abyss.

As soon as Henry touches it, he begins to hear faint whispers and sees a vision. The Mind Flayer instructs him to “find me,” and then the strange rock is absorbed into his body through the wound left by the bullet.

The scientist, remarkably still alive, warns Henry, “Fight it! It will destroy you, and everything else.” We don’t learn anything about the scientist’s background or how he obtained the stone, but it’s clear he understands its dangerous power. Shocked to see the man is still living, Henry uses his powers to kill him, inadvertently revealing that his abilities originate from The Abyss and a Mind Flayer.

Stranger Things 5 Confirms The Mind Flayer Purposefully Hid This Memory from Henry

Throughout much of Stranger Things 5, Henry consistently shows extreme fear of the cave where Max took refuge. He repeatedly stops before reaching the entrance, unable to force himself to go near, let alone enter. While he appears terrified, the reason behind his fear remains a mystery. Max believes the cave holds a painful memory for him, and she’s right, but that’s not the complete explanation.

The Mind Flayer intentionally frightened Henry to keep him away from the cave. This is because the cave holds the memory of their first encounter, and the Mind Flayer doesn’t want Henry to remember it. This proves the Mind Flayer has been controlling Henry all along, using him to grow stronger. The scientist’s warning implies Henry isn’t the first person the Mind Flayer has manipulated in this way.

I’ve studied Vecna for a long time, and it’s heartbreaking to see how deeply he’s fallen. Even after rediscovering the truth about his past – a memory he’d suppressed for years – he refuses to acknowledge it. He’s completely dedicated himself to the Mind Flayer, sacrificing everything, even his own body. I’ve read accounts of attempts to reach him, to break through and convince him to turn against his master, but it’s useless. He’s too far gone, and there’s no hope of redemption.

The conversation between Will and Henry is open to different understandings. While Henry claims he willingly joined the Mind Flayer and wasn’t controlled, the show has established him as untrustworthy. He’s a liar and manipulator, and even if he’s now choosing to remain with the Mind Flayer, it doesn’t erase the fact that it previously influenced him.

As Henry utters the words, “We are one,” a single tear streams down his face. The camera focuses on his expression, which isn’t one of strength or conviction, but rather of someone who feels trapped. He’s transformed himself into something terrible – an abuser, a killer, a destroyer – all in service of the Mind Flayer. He seems to have reached a point where he believes his fate is sealed, either fully embracing the Mind Flayer or facing certain death if he tries to rebel.

The creators of the show, the Duffer Brothers, briefly thought about giving Henry a chance at redemption – a last-minute turn where he’d betray the Mind Flayer and help Will, Eleven, and their friends. Ultimately, they decided Henry was too far gone. He’d made his own decisions and accepted the consequences, so it didn’t matter if the Mind Flayer was controlling him or not. His statement that he needs the Mind Flayer is likely true, as it’s the only way he can live with being the terrible person he’s become.

It’s likely the Mind Flayer was secretly controlling Henry, and there’s a clear reason why it hid that specific memory from him for so long. The Mind Flayer understood that seeing the memory could have caused Henry to rebel. However, Henry himself acknowledges he could have fought back, but chose not to. This means even if the Mind Flayer was pulling the strings, Vecna still had a chance to change his path and didn’t take it, ultimately choosing to remain a villain.

The Duffer Brothers Will Revisit the Mysterious Stone in a Stranger Things Spinoff

The recent scene raised many questions without providing answers. We still don’t know the identity of the scientist in the cave, where the stone came from, what the stone actually is, or why he seems to know so much about it. While the scene showed us how the stone gave Henry his powers and linked him to the Mind Flayer, it didn’t explain the stone’s history or origins.

It appears the creators, the Duffer Brothers, deliberately left this mystery unsolved so they could explore it in a future spinoff series. They’ve stated the spinoff will explain the significance of the stone and connect to unanswered questions. However, they emphasized this new series will focus on a completely different storyline and mythology, separate from the Mind Flayer, offering a fresh and original narrative while still tying up loose ends.

Even though Stranger Things has finished its initial run, the show’s universe is far from over. Future seasons or spin-offs could introduce new characters and storylines, giving fans plenty more to enjoy as the franchise potentially expands.

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2026-01-02 19:38