Rewatching Stranger Things' Worst Season, I Realized Vecna Saved The Entire Show

After rewatching Stranger Things' worst season, it's clear that Vecna saved the entire show. Stranger Things has been one of Netflix's most successful original productions since its 2016 debut, a compelling blend of sci-fi and fantasy anchored by an incredible ensemble cast. Each season experimented with different types of horror storytelling, from straightforward monster stories to body snatching, possession, and otherworldly threats.

With each season, Stranger Things' monstrous villains became bigger and more powerful. The Demogorgons were the show's scariest creatures until the shadowy Mind Flayer came along, only for Billy Hargrove and other townspeople to become part of the gooey, fleshy, Starcourt Mall-destroying version of the Mind Flayer in season 3. It wasn't until Stranger Things season 4 introduced Vecna (aka Henry, aka 001), however, that the series truly explored the psychological ramifications of living in Hawkins, Indiana, as Jamie Campbell Bower's terrifying telepath hunted down the town's most troubled kids, one by one.

Of course, the final season proved that Vecna wasn't the show's true big bad after all. The interdimensional Mind Flayer was still pulling the strings, using Vecna as his personal lackey. Had the Mind Flayer's real role been revealed right after season 3, however, if Stranger Things had never introduced Vecna, Henry, and his close connection to Eleven and Dr. Brenner, Netflix's flagship franchise likely would have fizzled out before it ever had the chance to leave behind a true lasting legacy.

Stranger Things Season 3 Was The Weakest

As with any show, one season will always be considered weaker than the rest, a necessary if less inspiring bridge between better, more exciting seasons and character arcs. In Stranger Things' case, that season is season 3. Between the ridiculous Russian Terminator plot, important characters like Will being sidelined, and the lack of a central antagonist with a genuine personal connection to Hawkins' heroes, the season felt lacking in both urgency and creativity.

It had its moments, of course, including Eleven's sauna fight against a possessed Billy, the Mind Flayer's appearance in the hospital, Dustin and Suzie's hilarious "Never Ending Story" duet, or Hopper's heartfelt letter to Eleven after his apparent death, but something was missing. Fighting against Billy and the Mind Flayer was too easy, too obvious. Sure, Billy was Max's stepbrother, but he'd been set up as a bully in season 2; there was no real reason to root for him. Did we really care when people we'd never met before were being sucked into the Mind Flayer's body?

The emotional foundation wasn't there. They weren't searching for their best friend, seeking revenge for the death of a loved one, or trying to remove the Mind Flayer's particles from a young, helpless boy. The Mind Flayer wanted to hurt El, sure, but was a massive monster really the smartest way to do it, when we'd seen it take hold of Will's body as a spy just one season earlier? Stranger Things season 3 was the epitome of "bigger isn't always better." That Godzilla-sized flesh monster just wasn't as interesting as the stories Stranger Things had told before.

Stranger Things Season 4 Bounced Back, Mainly Thanks To Vecna

It was a long, nearly three-year wait between Stranger Things seasons 3 and 4. That wait was undeniably worth it, though, thanks in large part to Vecna's introduction and Bower's impressive dual performance as the powerful psychic monster and the seemingly subservient Henry. Everything about Vecna's story, from his personal relationship with Eleven and Dr. Brenner to his hunting method — I'll never forget the first time I watched him kill someone while inside their mind — was inspired.

The way Stranger Things season 4 handled Max's story through Vecna was especially compelling. Max's relationship with Billy was understandably complicated. He was a racist brute, a bully, but in the end, he did sacrifice himself to save Eleven's and their friends' lives. Would Billy have been in that situation if Max hadn't gotten involved with the Party in season 2? Would he have had a chance to redeem himself if the Mind Flayer hadn't snatched him? Max's guilt, while unwarranted, was still understandable. The way Vecna tortured her with it was horrifying but undeniably engaging.

Everything good and even excellent about season 4 is connected to Vecna's introduction. The flashbacks in the Rainbow Room with a young Eleven were so important to establishing her character and the horrors she endured under "Papa's" care; that moment when she opens the rift to the Upside Down for the first time is one of the most stunning sequences in the entire show. Vecna allowed the characters to become more than firework-throwing, flesh-hacking victims. They all got a chance in the spotlight, and their relationships were stronger and more important than ever. Vecna gave them someone to fight emotionally, rather than just physically.

Even Stranger Things' Divisive Final Season Couldn't Dull Vecna's Shine

Stranger Things' fifth and final season wasn't as widely beloved as season 4. Criticism included the ongoing military subplot, new characters getting the spotlight when OG characters were ignored, the underwhelming final battle against the Mind Flayer, and Eleven's seemingly tragic but ambiguous fate. Even so, every scene that included Vecna was worthwhile, especially when he walked through the Upside Down's main gate, indirectly inspiring Will to use his powers and save his friends for the first time.

Bower gave an incredible final performance as Vecna, whether he was in his full Vecna costume or manipulating the children of Hawkins as Mr. Whatsit. Even the twist that he wasn't the Upside Down's true big bad, but had instead willingly submitted himself to the Mind Flayer when he was younger, didn't undermine the character's villainous appeal. If anything, it made him all the more terrifying, especially after watching a younger Henry bash that scientist's head in with a rock. What kind of person would want that future for themselves?

Vecna Will Go Down As An All-Time Great TV Villain

All in all, without Vecna's introduction in Stranger Things season 4, it's hard to believe the show would still be as widely beloved and popular as it is now. He is, without a doubt, one of the best TV villains of all time. Bower gave his all to the role, and it paid off. Vecna is the kind of Hollywood monster that haunts your nightmares, his humanity ripped away piece by piece until there was nothing left for Eleven and the others to appeal to.

The character's practical design, his power set, his manipulative, cunning mind, the psychological trauma he inflicted, his close personal history, his growth between seasons — all these aspects made him one of the most complex and well-written villains in science fiction and fantasy. His entire arc made the Mind Flayer's story better, too, giving the monster a connection to Earth and Hawkins and El, specifically. Had Stranger Things' third season been the last, had season 4 never introduced Vecna? I don't even want to think about what that would look like. At this point, Vecna is Stranger Things, just as much as Eleven is.