Stranger Things 4: Who Is Vecna? The Great Villain Of The Series and How It Was Created Here Is Explanation
After a long countdown that lasted 24h, Netflix has released the latest trailer for Stranger Things 4 of 3 minutes and 30 seconds. There are so many new images to look at, study and analyze, but the one that catches the eye the most is the last one, namely that of the big new villain: who is he? Where is he from? What do you want from the boys? In an interview with IGN , the Duffer Brothers, creators of the show, revealed that the new big villain of Stranger Things 4 is called Vecna, but who is Vecna?
Stranger Things 4: The Birth Of Vecna From The Mind Of The Duffers
Matt Duffer stated that the figure of Vecna is inspired by all those horror icons that frightened and fascinated him and his brother Ross as children such as, for example, Freddie Kruger (from the Nightmare saga), Pinhead (Hellraiser) and Pennywise (IT). On top of that, Ross Duffer added that their idea was not to visually detach from the first season and therefore to design a monster that was practically achievable on set. So Vecna will likely appear played by an actor or actress, dressing up in a costume and wearing plastic prosthetics.
The Duffers, in their interview, confirmed that Vecna is 90% practical effects. This means that a small part has been added by special effects magicians: it should be the color of the eyes or some movements, otherwise impossible to practice with a stunt.
Vecna in Dungeons & Dragons
Stranger Things fans know that the series takes a lot of inspiration from the popular RPG Dungeons & Dragons. In one of the many expansions there is a character named Vecna, who is identified as a power-hungry undead wizard. In the story of Vecna, told some time after his first appearance, it is revealed that this wizard has given his lieutenant, this Kas, a powerful sentient sword so that he can fight for him. But the cunning and intelligence of the sword itself convinced Kas to betray Vecna. The latter was destroyed and only two artifacts remained of him, namely his left hand and one of his eyes. In Stranger Things you can imagine that from Dungeons & Dragons the Duffer brothers only took the name of this wizard for their character.
The Artist Who Made Vecna
The scary costume of Vecna was made by Barrie Gower, or the one who also made that of Night King of Game of Thrones. Gower also worked on the make-up of the radiation victims of the HBO TV series Chernobyl and the prosthetics of the characters in the film Prime Video Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Gower is an internationally renowned artist, just think that he worked on the new Marvel Studios Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and is currently working on two new TV series such as House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. From what we see in the trailer, it must be admitted that the monster from Vecna turned out quite well!
Vecna’s Character and Her Role in The TV Series
The very first thing to point out is that the second of the nine episodes of the fourth season of Stranger Things is entitled “The curse of Vecna”. So it’s pretty certain that the Stranger Things gang will tackle the topic right away, as we did as viewers watching the new trailer. This in fact opens with the voice of Vecna:
You’ve ruined everything. Your suffering is coming to an end.
Who are you referring to? It is not easy to understand this from the editing of the Netflix promotional video but reconstructing the facts it is plausible to think that Vecna has something to do with Creel House. Even though the characters were divided between California, Russia and Hawkins, it is in the latter place that it all began and that everything must probably end. So Vecna will most likely come out from inside Creel House. To know what could have happened to Creel House and how this place can be important for the story of Stranger Things 4.
Visually, this creature matches a monster from the Dungeons & Dragons lore called Vecna, a creature mentioned in the episode titles for Stranger Things season 4. In the lore of the game, Vecna was a wizard who sought dark magic and gradually transformed into an immortal creature known as a lich; his worshipers further encouraged his ascension to become a true deity. Vecna granted Lieutenant Kas a sentient blade to act as his agent, but convinced Kas to turn against his master, leading to the apparent destruction of Vecna. He has left only two magical artifacts: his hand and his left eye, imbued with powerful dark magic.
Curiously, most of the lore surrounding Vecna was established after 1986, when Stranger Things Season 4 is set, so it’s hard to say how much Vecna’s portrayal on the show will parallel Dungeons & Dragons presumably he will be named by the Hawkins boys based on what they know in 1986. The decision to present a humanoid threat is inspired. Up until now, the Hawkins kids have really been dealing with creatures from the Upside Down like the Demogorgon; the Mind-Flayer had an intelligence of its own but could only really act through a host. Conversely, a sentient being like Vecna can pose a real and tangible threat. He can weave his own plans and patterns that will force the kids to adapt and improvise. He won’t just act on instinct, which means he’s not that easy to manipulate.
How Dangerous Will Vecna Be?
The interesting question is whether or not Stranger Things will really stick to the broader Dungeons & Dragons lore surrounding Vecna, revealing that this creature is actually a human being somehow transformed by exposure to the Upside Down. Stranger Things appears to be rewriting the history of the Upside Down, with an earlier teaser trailer focusing on a haunted house associated with murders in the 1950s. The killer, a father named Victor Creel, claimed he was under the influence of some sort of demonic possession when he killed his children; Vecna definitely has a demonic aspect, so it’s possible that she possesses mind control powers similar to the Mind-Flayer.
If this is indeed an account of Vecna’s past, then the creature has been trying to achieve this plane of existence for decades and the Hawkins children may very well face the biggest Upside Down threat in Stranger Things season 4.
