Stranger Things welcomed several fresh faces in the penultimate season of the show. But with them came along an uninvited force of evil that shook this world of teens. Season 4 brought the main antagonist of the series to call his shots from the forefront. Before this, nobody knew, not even the characters, that Vecna existed in the same world. And that he is planning to submerge two dimensions to overpower the human world. His evil plans and action revealed that he is undoubtedly the most vicious villain that viewers ever came across on screen.

Even thinking about the horrific ways he used to kill his victims chills down the spine of audiences. In fact, the world is waiting to know if Max survived the brutality he unleashed upon her at the end of season 4 or not. Currently, nobody knows the answer to that, but how this sorcerer chose his victims has been disclosed. But before diving into that crucial part of his gameplay, fans should know about the history of this powerful character from Dungeons & Dragons lore. 

Introduction to Vecna and his powers 

Vecna is a supernatural entity aligned with the Upside Down, an alternative dimension of Hawkins City. In reality, he was a human before named Henry Creel. But from a young age, Henry knew he differed from other people. So when his family moved to Hawkins in 1959, he discovered his remarkable psychokinetic abilities.

Eventually, this young sorcerer fueled his powers, killing small creatures, and then his family fell to his prey. It was the time when Henry realized he could manipulate people’s minds with his powers, which was referred to as Vecna’s curse in the show.

How does Vecna choose his victims in Stranger Things?

In the season 4 finale, 001 opened up to Eleven about his motives and aspirations to attain immense power. Creel told the girl that he is meant to become a powerful predator like Spiders. He resonated with the black widow spiders that were nothing like fragile humans who constantly run in an endless loop. So he used them as a key to gain more power and formed psychic connections with people who had faced trauma in their life.

Especially teens who were vulnerable and easy target succumbing to those hallucinations fastly. This way, 001 got the access to the real world where he could only grow much stronger peeping inside memories of every human and use it against them.

The search for arcane knowledge 

Henry’s obsession with power reflected perfectly in the massacre that took place in Hawkins Lab. He wanted to gain sovereignty over humans so badly he killed all other supernatural kids. But he did not just stop there and his thrust for power only grew after being banished to the Upside Down. Vecna explored that realm and saw the creatures residing there as his army took over the human world. In fact, powerful creatures like Mind Flayer and Demogorgon became his puppet who butchered people on his single order. However, his main motive behind this was not only power but to take revenge as well.

Betrayal and Revenge

Season 4 revealed that the prime target of Vecna was all around Eleven. Since she was the only person who could fight her, he wanted to eliminate her from his path. The show dived back into season 1, where she first touched a demodog which opened a portal to this world. Vecna told Eleven that she betrayed him because she did not join him in his pursuit to become the ultimate power.

So every time he sent some monster to the human world, it was for her. Also, when the characters found out the cure of his curse, he crushed Max into pieces, leaving her blind and bedridden. This thing told fans that standing between his path could only bring death.

The role of sacrifice

Fans saw in the penultimate season that Vecna choose four victims to break through Hawkins. Every time he killed someone, a portal opened there, connecting the alternative dimension to the real world. It took the leading characters some time to realize that these people were sacrificed to invade Hawkins through four gates on every corner of the city. These sacrifices have played a significant role in the horror drama showcasing the heinous motives of this monster that he wants human life to vanish from the planet. In place of this, he will establish a new realm where predators can thrive.

Manipulation and Deception 

In creating this entire plan of destroying the human world, Vecna’s powers helped him to lure his victims. Starting from the vision of the grandmother clock, every victim went through immense pain, reliving all their traumatic memories. For instance, Max was already guilt-ridden with the death of her brother, Billy.

He created hallucinations in her mind posing as Billy, which blamed her for his gruesome death. Vecna first picked on the vulnerable points of his victims, then he used psychological deception to manipulate their minds, bending them to the ends of death.

The impact on the campaign world

Seeing these powerful traits of the main antagonist in Stranger Things, fans instantly made a connection with the character’s trauma. Since the show has a majority of young viewers, they resonated with people going through tough times. This depiction of a psychological monster had a profound impact on fans who filled social media with hilarious memes. Many picked their favorite songs to save themselves from his curse just like Max tried to do.

Though the sci-fi series has nothing to do with real life, people could not stop but wonder what would they do if they encountered them in their dreams. Well, one could only wish Vecna does not come to haunt people in real life while Hawkins still has to face him for the last time in season 5.

What do you think about Vecna’s ways of choosing his victims? Drop your comments below.