Skip to main content

Netflix viewers are getting pumped for the final installment of Stranger Things Season 4. The end of volume 1 gave fans answers as to how Vecna came into existence — and now, new Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 theories suggest Vecna and Eleven might be related. Here’s what some fans believe about the two powerful characters.

[Spoiler alert: Stranger Things Season 4 spoilers ahead.]

Are Vecna and 001 the same? What happened at the end of volume 1?

Peter Ballard covered in blood speaking to a scared Eleven in Hawkins Lab in 'Stranger Things' Season 4 Volume 1
Jamie Campbell Bower as Peter Ballard/Henry and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven | Netflix

Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 theories abound after all of the events that occurred in volume 1. The volume 1 finale showed the creation of Vecna. So, are Vecna and 001 the same?

The finale shows Eleven’s memories of her time in the Hawkins lab. She becomes close with a character originally known as Peter Ballard who shows her how to better access her powers. Over time, Peter tricks Eleven into thinking the lab leaders are ready to sabotage and kill her. This ultimately leads Eleven to remove the tracking microchip from Peter, and he unleashes his powers upon everyone in the lab.

From there, Peter explains how he’s actually Henry, the son of Victor Creel. Victor shared the story of his wife and kids dying from an unknown spirit in his home. Ultimately, it was Henry who was haunting the home. He fell into a coma and into the hands of Dr. Martin Brenner, who deemed him “001.”

With Eleven’s new knowledge of Peter/Henry’s intentions, she goes head to head with Henry in the Hawkins lab — and she wins. She opens the portal between Hawkins and the Upside Down, and Henry gets sent into the Upside Down to turn into Vecna.

Peter Ballard speaking to a blindfolded Eleven in 'Stranger Things' Season 4 Volume 1
Jamie Campbell Bower as Peter Ballard and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven | Netflix

So, are Vecna and Eleven related? Fans on Reddit have multiple Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 theories that suggest they have a blood connection. One common theory is that Vecna is Eleven’s father.

“In the final episode, 001 said that Brenner tried to recreate him, I wonder if he meant that more literally,” a Reddit fan explained. “We don’t know who El’s dad is, and in season 2. I believe they said that the mom didn’t either. What if the reason Brenner was able to get so many of the super-powered kids in one place is that he was breeding them. The age of the kids makes sense since 001 was a little kid in the ’50s and 002 is in his teens.”

“I think Eleven is the only person in the world Vecna cares about, even if it is a weird relationship, so I honestly see him trying to win her over, especially because she is the only true threat to him,” another fan explained.

Could Vecna return in ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5?

Related

Vecna Has It Out for Max Again in ‘Stranger Things 4’ Vol. 2 and We Are Not OK

Will fans see Vecna again in Stranger Things Season 5? Actor Jamie Campbell Bower might’ve teased that fans will see the monster again after Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2.

“Let me put it this way: I know about season 5,” Bower told The Hollywood Reporter, according to Newsweek. “Take from that what you will.”

Some fans on Reddit think the Vecna/Eleven father/daughter theory is even more likely if Vecna is slated to return.

“It’s likelier to be true if the Duffers want to keep Vecna around for season 5,” another fan explained about the father/daughter theory. “It’d give them a way to keep the character relevant without relying solely on additional murders, and they could also use it to keep us in suspense about whether El could drift towards the ‘dark side’ ….”

Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 releases on July 1, 2022, on Netflix.

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.

Best in Entertainment