Good afternoon, my fellow strangers!
It’s Mrs. Strange once more.
On today’s second episode for Stranger Universe, I will go over the Mind Flayer’s connection
with Vecna in Stranger Things 4, and how that might impact the plot going forward in Stranger
Things 5!
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And now, let us begin...
Stranger Things season 4 reveals that Henry Creel, the first test subject of Hawkins Lab
that later became Vecna, created the Mind Flayer when he was banished to the Upside
Down in 1979.
It was a plot twist of epic proportions, because so much has gone unanswered for far too long
in the series.
Back in season 1, we were given glimpses of the Upside Down, Eleven's powers, and what
the Demogorgon was, but that was only the beginning.
A year later in season 2, the Mind Flayer joined the show with his Demodogs and mass
desiccation across Hawkins.
Now, answers have finally arrived in Stranger Things 4.
Leading into the release of both volumes, the Duffer Brothers noted several times that
this would be the season of answers and reveals, and they weren't kidding.
Volume 1 explained various aspects of the Upside Down, Eleven's backstory, and even
character motivations that have otherwise been enigmatic for the past few seasons.
But Volume 2 provides even more details, particularly about Vecna and the Mind Flayer.
Earlier in the season, Dustin postulated Vecna was the Mind Flayer's five-star general, his
second-in-command.
That couldn't have been further from the truth.
As it turns out, Vecna hasn't been doing the Mind Flayer's bidding; it's been the opposite
all along.
Vecna first created the Mind Flayer when he arrived in the Upside Down and identified
the Mind Flayer's particles as being the missing piece in his plan to gain ultimate power.
Whenever Vecna kills someone, he "consumes" them, according to Doctor Brenner; that means
he acquires their consciousness and power.
By using his own powers, One took control of the Mind Flayer and obtained all of his
powers, thus becoming stronger and in control of the Upside Down.
Even before Henry Creel became One, he had powers that enabled him to see into other
people's minds and kill them by using their worst memories against them.
It's what eventually drew Brenner to him, once Henry had killed his mother and sister.
But his powers could only go so far.
While his telepathy and telekinesis were useful, absorbing the Mind Flayer particles in the
Upside Down (or whatever the version of the Upside Down was before 1983) connected him
to this new world.
In his own words, he finally broke free of his metaphorical bonds and became the predator.
Connecting to the Mind Flayer's hive mind allowed Henry Creel to become the version
of Vecna that audiences see in Stranger Things season 4, controlling the Demobats, Demodogs,
and Demogorgons across the Upside Down and the real world.
Interestingly, Henry Creel never gave up on his fascination with spiders.
Right down to the end, Henry took control of the Mind Flayer particles and gave it form,
turning the shadow monster into the Mind Flayer, a spider-like creature.
It was based on his own design, which he sketched when he was still a kid living at the Creel
house.
Thematically, turning the Mind Flayer into a spider-like creature was keeping in with
the monster's abilities.
The spiders in the Creel house were primarily black widows; they have a venomous bite that
results in pain similar to what Will Byers felt when he was attacked.
Furthermore, black widow bite symptoms typically last for about seven days, which is the same
length as Vecna's curse.
While that's separate from what the Mind Flayer was doing to Will in season 2, the idea of
the monster attacking, biting, and infecting its prey tracks with what happened in season
3.
The big question is, if Vecna was responsible for everything all this time, why didn't he
attack Hawkins earlier?
At first, the Demogorgon in Stranger Things season 1 and the Mind Flayer in Stranger Things
season 2 were means to an end, to occupy Hawkins, but they were ultimately stopped by Eleven.
She killed the Demogorgon and shut the gate on the Mind Flayer, so in order to circumvent
Eleven's resistance, Vecna built the Mind Flayer in the real world and siphoned Eleven's
powers when it bit her.
That bite presumably was partially responsible for blocking Eleven's powers at the end of
season 3 and the beginning of season 4.
But once Vecna acquired Eleven's powers, at least a part of it, he was able to access
people's minds across dimensions, killing them from the Upside Down and using their
deaths as a means to open new gates.
None of that would've been possible if it wasn't for Eleven.
After the Mind Flayer failed in its original purpose, it served a new one.
However, the intriguing thing is that since the Mind Flayer was removed from Will Byers,
it left an imprint on him, thus meaning Will is still connected to Vecna, even if the monster
doesn't know it.
As for how all of this relates to Stranger Things 5, it will be the first time that two
major villains from the Upside Down are going to be working together.
I know lots of fans have mixed feelings on Vecna being the one in charge, and not the
Mind Flayer.
We shall see how this hierarchy of villains will be handled in season 5.
Overall, very exciting times.
And that is all that we have for today.
What are your predictions regarding Vecna and the Mind Flayer in Stranger Things 5?
Today’s special shout-out is for Eleven Hopper!
Comment down below to become our next special Stranger Universe shout out, and don’t forget
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This episode was brought to you by Mrs. Strange, and this is Stranger Universe.