NetflixA bizarre detail in Stranger Things Season 5 has fans theorizing that the show will reveal a sinister truth about Vecna, his powers, and his history.
Netflix subscribers binged the first volume of the final season very quickly, and the anticipation was so high that fans crashed Netflix at 8pm EST when the show went live. Since then, social media has been filled with reactions and theories about all the big twists in the season so far, from Will (Noah Schnapp) getting new powers, to Mrs. Wheeler (Cara Buono) fighting a demogorgon with a wine bottle.
A lot of the conversation has been about Vecna appearing to Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) as Henry Creel, calling himself Mr. Whatsit, and the strange mindscape he has created which includes a perfect version of his childhood home.
It’s clear that all is not what it seems with this seemingly idyllic landscape that Vecna’s created, and eagle eyed fans picked up one detail that links back to the broadway stage show, Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
The same shape repeats itself in Vecna’s mindscape
NetflixStranger Things fans on TikTok noticed that a shape repeats itself in Vecna’s mindscape when Holly Wheeler goes adventuring into the woods, with some theorizing that the shape is the cave that Henry Creel went into during the stage show.
First, when Holly looks through a spy glass in Episode 3 ‘The Turnbow Trap’, the inside lens is a peculiar shape rather than a spherical telescope. Then, when she accompanies Max (Sadie Sink) into her hiding place (which also happens to be a cave), the huge opening on the opposite side has the same shape as inside the looking glass.
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Now, it’s important to know that The First Shadow is about Creel’s origin as a young boy and how he first encountered another dimension when he was exploring a cave in Nevada, at the same time as a scientist was experimenting with dangerous technology.
They were both teleported to a place called Dimension X (AKA the Upside Down) and Henry was corrupted by the Mind Flayer before returning home with telekinetic powers, a different blood type, and a much angrier personality. During the incident, he also dropped his spyglass.
Fans pointed out that the repeated shape and Max’s mountainous home are a reference to that incident, and it’s possible that the show will explore what happened to Vecna/Henry when he met the Mind Flayer.
One fan on Reddit wrote “really eager to see why this memory is so horrible for him.” While another added, “I think his memory self is afraid of that spot because of the trauma associated with the original flaying of his own mind.”
Until we learn more about Vecna’s plans for the Upside Down and beyond, dive into the ending of Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1, read about the viral parents’ warning against Stranger Things’ latest chapter, and check out the best Stranger Things characters.