Stranger Things: The First Shadow Reveals Vecna’s Tragic Origin Story

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The play Stranger Things: The First Shadow first opened in London’s West End in December 2023, and recently came to Broadway in New York City in April 2025. With the first part of Season 5 now available, many viewers are searching for background information about the play.

This play is inspired by a story from the creators of the show, the Duffer Brothers, and it provides background on the character Henry Creel, adding important context to the larger storyline and setting up the final season. Importantly, it changes our understanding of Vecna and his origins.

Vecna Is a Horrible Villain with a Tragic Backstory

Vecna is a terrifying villain responsible for the deaths of many innocent people, including children. However, the show tries to distinguish between Vecna and his earlier identity, Henry Creel, portraying Henry as a once-innocent boy. He was corrupted by the Mind Flayer, suffering terrible torment and being forced to commit horrific acts. This ultimately led to the tragic deaths of his mother and sister, as revealed in flashbacks during Season 4.

The play establishes that Henry was a high school teenager during those events, which differs from how he appears in the Season 4 flashback. However, since it’s confirmed he did attend school with the others, this could simply be a case of Victor misremembering the story when he told it to Nancy and Robin.

Henry and his family moved to Hawkins, hoping a change of scenery would help with his strange behavior, but they didn’t know what had already happened to him. He tried hard to seem normal and even grew close to a student named Patty, who later turned out to be Bob’s sister. Sadly, Bob was later killed by the Demogorgon.

The play portrays Dr. Brenner as the real antagonist – a man who exploited Henry, treating him like a test subject while pretending to offer help and understanding. He used Henry’s unique blood, gained during his time in the Upside Down, to create a group of children with special abilities. Eleven and Kali (Number Eight) are both examples of these children.

Henry Creel didn’t want any of the events that unfolded, but his overwhelming guilt and shame led him to accept a life under Dr. Brenner’s control. As revealed in Season 4, Eleven unintentionally transformed him into Vecna. This happened after he forced her to remove the device suppressing his powers, and he subsequently destroyed Hawkins Lab. She acted out of necessity, unaware that she was actually creating a terrifying monster.

However, the story hints that the real Henry is still hidden within, separate from the Mind Flayer’s influence, and isn’t the purely evil character we believe him to be. A key moment in the first part of Season 5 suggests this is likely true.

She realized he wouldn’t follow her into the depths of his own mind, so she made that inner space her safe haven. She decided to stay there indefinitely, planning her escape. The pain on his face as he remained outside the ‘cave’ perfectly illustrates the story’s beginnings.

As a child, Henry stumbled upon secret government tech in a cave, which unexpectedly sent him to Dimension X, where he was possessed by the Mind Flayer. Because of this traumatic experience, he avoids returning to that cave. Henry, now a man, still feels guilt and responsibility for what happened. This backstory is crucial to the show, suggesting the Upside Down acts as a connection between our world, Hawkins, and the distant Dimension X.

The Stranger Things Play Speaks to Henry’s Motivations

The play’s story also reveals why Henry does what he does. He targets children who are struggling with self-doubt, guilt, or shame. For example, he focused on Barbara, who constantly compared herself to her friend Nancy and felt inadequate. He also pursued Billy, who was being abused and deeply disliked himself, and Max, who was haunted by guilt over her brother’s death. It seems Henry seeks out those who remind him of his younger self and his own insecurities.

He seems to be searching for children who remind him of himself, perhaps hoping to change his past by helping them. Or, at the very least, he wants to make sure no one else experiences what he went through.

A major reveal in Season 5, Part 1, shown through a flashback, is that Henry knew all the parents of the kids, including Joyce and Hopper. Interestingly, the kids never actually told their parents Vecna’s full name – they only ever shared a first name or left out his last name. We see a visit to Henry’s father, Victor, who is in an institution, but it appears none of the parents ever learned Henry’s full name.

If people learned the truth, would it jog anyone’s memory? Henry was the strange new student, and everyone believed his father had murdered his mother and sister, along with several animals around town. Even though he only attended Hawkins High for a short while, the story of his past was unforgettable.

This hints that Joyce and Hopper will eventually discover Vecna’s true identity, potentially stopping him for good. Earlier in the story, they—along with Bob—investigated a series of animal deaths that happened before the Creel family was murdered. A device Bob created led them to suspect electrical signals were involved, directing their attention to the Creel house. It was their investigation that led to Victor Creel being blamed, separating Henry from his last remaining family member.

It’s understandable why Henry would hold a grudge against them. He might have been able to cope with his father if things had turned out differently. Perhaps he was trying to escape a difficult situation, but instead, he ended up under Dr. Brenner’s control, and we know what happened after that.

Several people might be able to help bring the real Henry back from Vecna, like his father and former high school friends. Patty is also still likely alive, even though Henry badly injured her while surprisingly attempting to shield her from Dr. Brenner.

As a total movie buff, I’ve been really digging into the connections between these characters. It’s wild to think Vecna might have targeted Will not just because he’s Joyce’s son, but because he saw a bit of himself in him. And Holly? She’s a dead ringer for Henry’s little sister, Alice – it’s honestly creepy. Then there’s Eleven and Kali, the only other kids Brenner experimented on. They’re basically siblings, sharing the same… origins, you could say. It’s like they’re connected by blood, both to each other and to Brenner himself, which is a really unsettling thought.

Henry Creel’s Redemption Is Possible

Considering everything we know and how the play portrays Henry as someone we can feel sorry for, the show might give him a chance at redemption, rather than simply defeating him. Noah Schnapp, who plays Will, recently told TV Guide that Vecna is the show’s most misunderstood character, but an interviewer cut him off before he could explain further. Many believe he was hinting at the events of the play.

The most compelling proof comes from a writer for the show who also penned the play. She told the publication that the play is officially part of the series’ storyline – which makes sense, as the Duffer Brothers created it to explain the backstory and motivations of Henry/Vecna.

She explains that the play connects not only to the earlier seasons of the show, but also foreshadows events in season five, acting as a crucial link between everything. She’s been hinting at this connection in interviews since 2023, and now we’re finally seeing it come to fruition.

Rumors suggest that an upcoming flashback episode, part of the next three releases on December 25th, will explain some unresolved plot points for viewers who missed or are unfamiliar with the play’s backstory.

This play is a wonderful show, but what really stands out is the powerful story it tells. It offers a fresh perspective on Henry, allowing audiences to see him as an individual, separate from the monstrous form he’s been reduced to.

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2025-12-19 07:14