Last week’s Stranger Things 4 trailer was loaded with tons of new footage from the upcoming episodes. However, the preview saved its biggest surprise for last. In its closing moments, a new otherworldly creature showed up to give the Mind Flayer and Demogorgon a run for their money as the series’ most terrifying adversary yet. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer have since confirmed that this character’s name is Vecna, continuing Stranger Things’ long-running tradition of naming villains after Dungeons & Dragons fixtures. Now, we have a better idea of what to expect when he makes his small-screen debut next month.
Several cast and crew members teased Vecna’s backstory in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. The Duffers previously claimed that the character was brought to life with “90% practical” effects. But according to prosthetics designer Barrie Gower, his humanoid appearance is no coincidence.
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It also sounds like Vecna has a connection to Creel House, a key new location in Stranger Things 4. In fact, his main base of operations is the Upside Down’s version of the mansion’s attic. Which means he might have had something to do with the house’s former occupant, Victor Creel (Robert Englund) committing a “gruesome murder” in the 1950s. Creel has been locked up in a psychiatric hospital ever since. But as the show’s young cast discover more about his violent legacy, they find themselves as a disadvantage. Namely, Eleven isn’t there to lend a hand.
“Part of the drive and tension of this season is that we have this big new evil emerge in Hawkins and for the first time ever, Eleven is not there,” explained Ross Duffer. “And not only is she separated by distance, but at the end of season 3, she’s lost her powers. So even when she learns about what has happened in Hawkins, she is unable to help them in the same way she has before.”
Stranger Things 4 will premiere on Netflix on May 27.
Are you excited to see more of Vecna on the show this year? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Stranger Things: The Other Side (Graphic Novel Volume 1)
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