‘Stranger Things’ Season 5’s Darkest Twist Finally Showed Us Who the Real Villain Is

by

WARNING: Includes MASSIVE SPOILERS for ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5, Part 2!

Fans have spent a lot of time speculating about how Stranger Things will end, particularly how the group will defeat Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and prevent his plan from succeeding. Season 5, Part 2 reveals that the Upside Down isn’t a separate world, but rather a connection—a kind of wormhole—between Hawkins and the true home of Vecna and the Mind Flayer. While stopping Vecna from merging the two worlds means defeating a terrifying enemy, it also suggests that Vecna isn’t the biggest threat, at least not in the eyes of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).

The Government and Military Are the Real Villains


Image via Netflix

When Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) appeared in the show’s latest season, many assumed she’d assist Eleven and the group, which made sense considering her abilities. However, the episode “The Bridge” hints at a different purpose: Kali might be there to help Eleven realize that even after Vecna is defeated and Hawkins returns to normal, Eleven’s own struggles will continue.

The true antagonists aren’t just Vecna; the military and the government continue to pose a threat. Currently, Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) is leading their efforts, essentially taking on the role of Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine). She used Kali to obtain Henry’s blood and is injecting it into pregnant women, hoping to replicate Brenner’s experiments and revive the program.

Kali explains the program wasn’t successful and was actually making the women involved ill. It seems Eleven is unique – her blood is the most similar to Henry’s, and she’s the only one with the power to get the program working again. This is why Dr. Kay is so determined to find her, and Kali believes she’ll never give up. Even if they stop Dr. Kay, someone else will inevitably take her place and continue the pursuit.

Kali reminds Eleven that the military harmed her friends before capturing her, which is a painful blow. She believes the only way to end the cycle of trauma and protect others like them – and to keep her deceased friends and family safe in memory – is for both of them to sacrifice themselves. Kali argues that as long as Eleven lives, the military will continue to pursue her, meaning she’ll never be safe and those she cares about will always be at risk.

It’s a difficult truth, but someone will always try to continue this program. Unless the memories of everyone involved – soldiers and government agents alike – can be erased, the idea of having super-powered individuals like Eleven as soldiers will be too tempting to resist. They would be a more formidable force than any traditional weapon. Unless Eleven can convincingly fake her own death, she has no real escape.

This Weakens the Story About Vecna


Image via Netflix

The idea that Eleven might sacrifice herself is disheartening, and if Vecna’s defeat doesn’t truly end the danger, it would lessen the impact of winning. While Vecna is a serious threat to the kids he’s captured and wants to reshape the world in his own twisted way, it appears the group has a good chance of stopping him.

The real question is, what sacrifices have been made, and who has been hurt in the process? Now that we know about Dr. Kay’s experiments, Eleven and Kali might not survive, which would be devastating. The girl who once brought so much change could meet a tragic end, and things might return to how they were before she arrived.

Everyone’s wondering what will happen in the finale, but the real question isn’t about Vecna. The focus on Vecna may have been a misdirection, with the true danger being the people of Hawkins who want to exploit Eleven, just like they did with Henry. It’s possible these two storylines will connect, as history seems to be repeating itself – Dr. Kay is trying to manipulate Eleven in the same way Dr. Brenner treated Henry. Could Eleven, Kali, and Henry team up to defeat the true villain, Dr. Kay, and her allies? That would be an exciting twist!

‘Stranger Things’ Season 5’s Hidden Social Commentary


Image via Netflix

Looking back on the final season, it really hit me – the whole story wasn’t about monsters, it was about how the government and military were manipulating everyone to gain control. I learned from watching Stranger Things: The First Shadow that they originally wanted to create invisibility technology for ships, and that’s what accidentally opened the gateway to the Upside Down – or what they call Dimension X. It’s crazy to think everything stemmed from that initial, secret project.

Subscribe for deeper newsletter coverage of Stranger Things’ themes

Dig deeper — subscribe to our newsletter for focused coverage and analysis of how shows like Stranger Things explore government and military misuse of power, and to track how those themes echo across pop culture and fiction.

Subscribe for deeper newsletter coverage of Stranger Things’ themes

Dig deeper — subscribe to our newsletter for focused coverage and analysis of how shows like Stranger Things explore government and military misuse of power, and to track how those themes echo across pop culture and fiction.

When you sign up, you’ll receive emails about our newsletter and special offers. By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, but you can opt out of these emails at any time.

When Dr. Brenner learned what happened to Henry – who was trapped in a mysterious place called Destination X and controlled by the Mind Flayer – he became fixated on understanding it and exploiting Henry’s powers. Knowing Henry had a rare blood type, Dr. Brenner used it to create other children with similar abilities, like Kali and Eleven. He saw these children as tools to build a new world, much like Vecna is now using the children he’s capturing for his own purposes.

Henry’s transformation into Vecna stems from the abuse he suffered as a teenager. Being vulnerable, he was easily controlled by Dr. Brenner and, ironically, learned manipulation from him. This pattern repeats with Dr. Kay, and Kali is correct – eliminating Kay wouldn’t solve the problem, as someone else would inevitably take their place. The allure of creating a generation of super-powered soldiers is simply too strong to resist. Those driven by greed and a thirst for power will always prioritize that over ethics or compassion.

The true enemy isn’t Vecna or even Henry; it’s Dr. Brenner, Dr. Kay, and everyone in the military and government who knowingly participated in the project, despite the harm being done to the pregnant women and children. It’s uncertain if Eleven can defeat Vecna and end this cycle without sacrificing herself, but discovering the truth reveals that Eleven and Vecna are actually fighting against the same source of evil, simply using very different methods.

Read More

2025-12-27 23:04