The Stranger Things finale shows the defeat of Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) at the hands of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friends. But before Joyce ultimately beheaded the villain, there seemed to be a chance for him to redeem himself, reminiscent of Darth Vader.
While many viewers expected such a turn, especially after Will (Noah Schnapp) attempted to reach Henry and resist the Mind Flayer’s influence, showrunners Duffer Brothers explained why a Darth Vader–style redemption arc would not fit Vecna’s character.
Could Vecna Have Had a Darth Vader–Style Redemption in the Stranger Things Finale?
The final episode of Stranger Things Season 5 revealed that Henry gained his powers through the Mind Flayer after absorbing a mysterious rock in the cave where he killed a scientist.
His mind became corrupted, and he even helped amplify the Mind Flayer’s powers after becoming Dr. Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) first test subject at Hawkins Lab.
While Henry technically had a chance to redeem himself, he insisted that he and the Mind Flayer were one – a choice that ultimately cost him his life.
This moment could have served as a Darth Vader–style redemption, but Ross and Matt Duffer felt it would have been wrong.
”Yeah, we initially talked about giving him a moment where he could turn against the Mind Flayer and help them defeat it,” Ross said on Happy, Sad, Confused podcast. “And I think ultimately again as you sort of play that out, it feels wrong and we didn’t believe it.”
Given everything Vecna had done, Ross added, “He is so far gone at this point.”
“He’s done so much evil that for him to turn around, even if there is part of him deep inside that is innocent, that innocent child,” he explained. “I just think it’s been buried beneath so much violence and anger over the years and in terms of ambiguity, we did want to leave it up a little bit to the audience too, in terms of Henry, of course, is saying he is in control as well the Mind Flayer.”
What is the Rock in the Stranger Things Finale?
Stranger Things Season 5 concluded the beloved sci-fi series after nine years, closing out each character’s storyline but leaving fans with lingering questions – particularly about the red, glowing rock that made Henry Creel unusually powerful and connected him to the Mind Flayer.
While the show didn’t reveal much about this mysterious artifact, the Duffer Brothers teased that more will be explained in the upcoming Stranger Things spinoff.
"The spinoff is going to delve into that and explain that, and you’re going to understand it," Matt told Variety. "It’s a completely different mythology. So it’s not a deep exploration of the Mind Flayer or anything like that. It’s very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining."
Officially announced in 2022 after the Season 4 premiere, the spinoff will not be connected to Hawkins, the Upside Down, or the original characters. Instead, it will feature new characters, a new town, a new world, and a new mythology.
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