Stranger Things Creators Nearly Redeemed Vecna in Finale
The Duffer Brothers almost gave Vecna a redemptive twist in the Stranger Things finale, but ultimately decided his fate was sealed. Discover what led to their final decision.
Anyone who sensed a glimmer of hope for Vecna during his last exchange with Will Byers in the Stranger Things finale wasn’t entirely off the mark. The show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, have admitted they toyed with the notion of giving the villain a last-minute change of heart, only to abandon the idea after much deliberation.
Behind the Scenes: A Villain’s Fate
As the final chapter of the much-loved series drew to a close, the Duffers found themselves at a crossroads. They’d drawn inspiration from epic conclusions like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, but also flirted with the idea of a twist reminiscent of Return of the Jedi. The possibility of Vecna, or Henry Creel as he was once known, turning against the Mind Flayer was seriously considered in the writers’ room.
“We did discuss with the writers’ room if he could have a Billy [Dacre Montgomery] moment where he turns against the Mind Flayer [in a] Darth Vader-type situation,”
co-creator Ross Duffer revealed. The team, along with actor Jamie Campbell Bower, weighed up whether Henry could justify his actions by switching sides at the eleventh hour. Yet, the more they explored this path, the less plausible it seemed.
Too Far Gone to Turn Back
By the time the finale rolled around, Henry had travelled too far down a dark road. The writers concluded that for him to suddenly renounce his choices would ring hollow.
“He’s gone so far at this point to get here, he has to justify everything he’s done. And the only way to justify that is to go, ‘I chose this, and I believe in this still.’”
Ross Duffer explained. The scene with Will lingers just long enough to make viewers wonder if redemption is on the cards, but ultimately, the door remains firmly shut.
There’s a deliberate ambiguity woven into the narrative. The Duffers wanted audiences to question whether Henry was ever truly in control, or if the Mind Flayer had been pulling the strings all along.
“Even though he is shaken by seeing this memory, he’s too far gone at this point to turn against the Mind Flayer. But we wanted to leave it up to the audience whether young Henry chose this or whether the Mind Flayer controlled him from beginning to end,”
Ross Duffer added. In the end, though, Henry’s allegiance is clear.
Final Choices and Unused Axes
Whatever one’s opinion on the creative decisions made in the last episode, the writers felt there was no alternative but to bring Henry’s story to a close. Had he survived, Joyce’s axe would have been rather redundant. The finale leaves plenty open to interpretation, but on this point, the creators were resolute: Vecna’s journey had only one possible destination.