Stranger Things big bad, Vecna, has joined the ranks of TV and film's great iconic horror
villains, but as scary as he already is, there were a ton of even more terrifying designs and
looks that didn't make the final cut! Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers,
I'm Jan and in this video I'm revealing and explaining all the horrifying Vecna
designs you never got to see in the show! This early version of Vecna had an "armoured
shell" over his body and face and was inspired by the prehistoric fish, the Dunkleosteus.
This giant fish, which was up to 29 feet long and could weigh over 4 tons,
had large bony plates that formed its face and jaws, and like Vecna, was a fearsome predator.
The idea behind this original design was that, over time, living in the Upside Down had hardened
and separated pieces of Henry's skin from each other, forming these tough plates over his body.
Another iteration of this design used a spiky version of the armour,
which almost gives him the appearance of being covered in shards of rock or stone..
The designs ended up being rejected as they were too rigid and didn't allow
for enough of Vecna's expressions and emotions to come through.
This next early design had some grotesque insect-like arms and legs.
The look was inspired by the real-life mantis and its two large forelegs which have adapted
so that the creature can catch and grab its prey. The arms of this particular Vecna could also split
open to form claws that he would then use to stab his victims, something Vecna actually did in his
final form but with his more human-like claws. It's a very creepy design that would have fit
well with Henry Creel's love of spiders and it also reminds me of
Pennywise's spider form in IT Chapter Two. The issue with it though was that it would
have been very hard to achieve practically, given the extended appendages needed for the villain.
The Duffer Brothers were keen that Vecna have a practical feel about him, and the final version
of the villain was all practical makeup and prosthetics, with just VFX used for his vines.
This alternate version of Vecna is much more alien-like, with some kind of skin
or webbing growing over and covering his eyes, making him appear almost blind.
The thinking behind this look was to give Vecna more of an extra-terrestrial vibe
with the idea being that Henry's time in the Upside Down had "transformed him into
something closer to a Demogorgon than a human", according to the artist Michael Maher Jr.
This Vecna's look also reminds me of the Pale Man villain from Pan's Labyrinth who eats children,
akin to Vecna who targets teenagers in Season 4.
Another early idea for Vecna's look was to have a "patchwork of skin
stretched over his gaunt body". The idea was inspired by Hellraiser
and I think what they were going for was the antagonist Frank who comes back from the dead in
a degenerated state until his body begins to grow back flesh and skin as he consumes his victims.
An even more gruesome version of this idea gave Vecna extra pale skin like
a vampire, which seems fitting given the introduction of the Demobats in Season 4.
And his teeth and mouth in this design gives me some real Cenobite
Chatterer vibes from the Hellraiser franchise. And there's a touch of the "Demon of the Mind",
Eligos, from Ash vs Evil Dead in this look too. These designs were inspired by the idea that
because Henry had been living in the Upside Down for so long, his skin had begun to rot away,
falling apart in patches, with him clamping "the skin together to save it".
In an extra-gross version, the skin hung over Vecna's jaw, and
in another the skin had melted over his eyes. And in this design, whenever Vecna used his
powers, his eyes would cry blood, similar to what we see happens to Vecna's victims.
The multiple eyes in this design also remind me of Henry and his love of spiders,
creatures which typically have many eyes. All these designs were rejected because,
similar to the problem with Vecna's armoured skin, they didn't allow for enough expression.
Another idea that was initially explored was for Henry to become infected with "a
type of gangrene" that would corrupt his body. The thinking was that after years of living in
the Upside Down, a mouldy type of rot, together with vines, had taken hold of Henry's body.
And the artist describes it as a type of "tumourous gangrene that
would eat away" at Vecna's flesh. These designs followed a similar idea,
the difference being that the rot on Vecna's body was a bit brighter coloured,
and was a type of radioactive rot Henry had caught from his exposure to the Upside Down.
Although these looks were suitably scary for the villain, the designs were discarded because they
didn't disguise Vecna's true identity. This was crucial so that it would be
more difficult to immediately realise that the seemingly friendly orderly
that Eleven first meets at Hawkins Lab is actually the series' big bad.
This alternate design for Vecna emphasises his asymmetrical look with his over-sized left arm,
but with also a giant tentacle attached.
A particularly weird unused design is this one where Vecna still had some thin,
long strands of hair on his head, an idea that was quickly rejected in all the subsequent designs.
This Vecna also had some little spikes growing out of his shoulders and hands,
and the look of his face reminds me a little of the serial killer from the movie Smiley.
I think it's safe to say that most of these alternate designs for Vecna are even more
terrifying and unsettling than the already scary version of the villain we did get.
In the end, the more humanoid version they went for reflects his human origins better
together with the elements of the Upside Down that became part of his body such as roots,
vines, and new muscle tissue. Vecna's red, purple and black colours which are
associated with the Upside Down are meant to show how the alternate dimension took over his body,
and any human flesh left over is pale because he's been away from daylight for such a long time.
I do want to thank Emmy-nominated artist Michael Maher Jr for sharing all of these incredible and
original designs for Vecna, which Barrie Gower and his makeup effects company translated into
an amazing on-screen look for the villain. The prosthetic makeup took between six and seven
hours every day to apply, meaning that the makeup team and actor Jamie Campbell Bower's
working day began at 2 or 3am so he'd be ready for shooting later that morning.
And it then took another hour once filming was finished each day to take it all off.
All-in-all, Henry, One and Vecna make an incredibly compelling central villain in
Stranger Things, and if you'd like to learn how I expect the series to end, tap here to watch
my Season 5 theory video and also why Eleven will end up using time travel to defeat Vecna.
There's also links in the video description. So, Movie Lovers, what do you think of
these alternate Vecna designs? Let me know in the comments below.
If you liked this video, do leave a thumbs-up, I really appreciate it.
And you can tap left to discover every incredible easter egg you
missed in the final part of Season 4. Thanks for enjoying Stranger Things with me and
hope you have a marvellous movie-loving week! Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers!