Dustin Got it Wrong – ‘Stranger Things 4’ Villain Vecna Isn’t the ‘5 Star General’
Stranger Things Season 4 shocked fans by seemingly sidelining the previous villain, the Mind Flayer, in favor of new baddie Vecna. Audiences wondered if they had seen the last of the creature that tormented the kids in Hawkins, Indiana, but it turns out the creators of the show, Ross and Matt Duffer, were building up to how the creature ever came to be in the first place.
[WARNING: This article contains detailed plot spoilers regarding Stranger Things 4.]
A quick refresher on ‘Stranger Things’ monster, the Mind Flayer
The Mind Flayer managed to possess Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) in Stranger Things Season 2. This allowed the creature to use Will like a spy. At the end of season 2, Joyce (Winona Ryder) saves Will and exorcises the Mind Flayer from his body. When Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) closed the gate to the Upside Down, everyone assumed that all of the occupants of the Upside Down died if they didn’t return to the alternate dimension. All seemed well in the world until the final show of Stranger Things Season 2 shows the camera pan out, and the Mind Flayer hovers menacingly over Hawkins Middle School from the Upside Down.
Even though it seemed as though Joyce succeeded in ridding Will of the Mind Flayer, the monster returns in Stranger Things Season 3 to torment the kids once more. This time Will felt a connection with the creature and knew when it hovered nearby. In Stranger Things Season 4, the Mind Flayer barely gets a mention, making some fans wonder how vital the beast is in the grand scheme of things.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 shows us how Vecna and the Mind Flayer are connected
In the final episode of Stranger Things Season 4, Vecna tells Eleven the story of the beginning of his time in the Upside Down. When she banished him to the alternate dimension after the massacre at Hawkins lab, he first believed she sent him to purgatory. Soon after, he realized this was a “world untouched by man kind.” In the scenes, viewers watch as Demogorgons roam around the hellish landscape before Henry discovers a mass of particles swirling in the air.
VFX supervisor Michael Maher Jr. created the concept called Dimension X for Stranger Things and wrote on his website, “Dimension X concept. A strange new environment that One would explore. I thought it would be cool to have an altered state of gravity which would create an asteroid field in the sky.” He continues, “In the story One happens upon a living organism in the sky. A cloud of swirling particles that he later uses his mind to shape and control, thus creating the Mind Flayer.”
So, while the Mind Flayer potentially existed before 001 made his way into Dimension X, it only took the shape we saw in Stranger Things Season 2 after 001 shaped it with his mind.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 confirms that Vecna controls the Mind Flayer
Midway through Stranger Things Season 4, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) explains that he believes that the Mind Flayer is the boss of the Upside Down while Vecna is more of a “five-star general.” However, Dustin actually got it wrong. Even though the Mind Flayer towers over Vecna in size, it’s really Vecna running the show. This doesn’t bode well for our friends in Hawkins.
We won’t know until the series returns for the fifth and final season, which is likely years away. In the meantime, fans can enjoy rewatching Stranger Things Season 4 until their hearts are content. All episodes are currently streaming on Netflix.
