Warning: This story contains spoilers from season 4 of Stranger Things.
Wreaking havoc. After Stranger Things teased Vecna’s rich history throughout season 4, the first part concluded with a major revelation about the villain’s true identity.
Although Vecna appeared to be another member of the Upside Down, similar to the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer, it turned out that the new monster was actually human. Before being banished to the other version of Hawkins, Indiana, Vecna first created chaos in his hometown and had a shocking connection to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).
Ahead of the season 4 premiere, the Stranger Things cast teased their own introductions to the new villain on the show.
“Vecna is a psychological horror that I don’t think we’ve really seen,” David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper, told Variety earlier this month. “The Upside Down has been this wild west world where there are creatures running around, there’s violence, but we’ve never seen something as calculatedly psychologically evil as this. That’s exciting because he is a true big bad that we’ve needed in the series.”
Meanwhile, Joe Keery praised the way that Vecna played into Stranger Things‘ homage to horror films from the ’80s. “As a fan of practical effects and classic horror-adventure movies, it’s unparalleled,” the actor, 30, who portrays Steve Harrington, revealed. “There aren’t other people that are doing similar things to this, so as the fan in me, I was just freaking out.”
During the season, Vecna brought Steve, Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Robin (Maya Hawke), Max (Sadie Sink), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and newcomer Eddie (Joseph Quinn) together as they hunted down the monster amid his killing sprees.
For Matarazzo, 19, getting to be part of that story line kept him on his toes throughout filming. “The craziest thing is just how new and fresh the villain feels compared to what we’ve had before,” the Connecticut native told Variety. “It’s something that brings a whole new vibe to how we deal with our villains in Stranger Things and how we will continue to do so going forward.”
Quinn, 29, however, found the behind-the-scenes aspect of bringing Vecna to life to be the most interesting part. “It was weird to see him on camera and he’s so terrifying, and then you see him off camera with an iced latte. It’s quite a funny image,” the England native joked.
Scroll down for everything to know about the major Vecna reveals in season 4: