Who does the Vecna target?

I have completed Stranger Things Season 4 so you know what it is? It’s theory time! If you have not seen season 4 of Stranger Things and don’t want any spoilers then I would not suggest this article to you. Ok, so I’m guessing everyone still here is ok with the spoilers so let us begin. The hottest topic of season 4 is none other than the new villain Vecna. But to be honest this new villain is not new if we really dive into the history of Hawkins. One we all have to agree on, Vecna may be the most interesting and vicious villain in the Stranger Things universe. Those chimes that announce his presence still send chills down my spine.

Source: Behance

I am all riled up for the 5th installment of Stranger Things and the show has repeatedly tested my patience with its cliffhanger endings. I mean what’s gonna happen next? Vecna is clearly still out there! Will’s vision from season 2 episode 1 became a reality, I mean WHAT! If I start ranting about what happened and what might happen in Stranger Things, then I might go on forever. But today my sole focus is Vecna, the original villain of Stranger Things. If you have seen season 4 you will agree with me on one thing, Vecna’s killings were one of the most gruesome in Stranger Things.

Trauma fuels him

Source: Marie Claire

Vecna draws power from sad and angry memories and that is the main reason he targets traumatized teens. Those teens are a well of power just there to be absorbed. This is not just a theory, Vecna himself told Eleven about the power that angry and sad memories hold. Also in episode 8 of Season 4 named “Papa,” Dr. Brenner stated that Vecna consumes everything about his victims. 

The above might be a plausible explanation of why Vecna is going after traumatized people but it is still conspicuous why Vecna was targeting traumatized “Hawkins” teenagers. After going through a theory on Reddit which tried to shed some light on “Why Vecna why?” The theory was that they were present in Vecna’s Mindscape which makes their deaths more fruitful for Vecna. Vecna also explained his motives in a villainous monologue in the episode “ The Massacre at Hawkins Lab”. He shared his distaste for the controlled structure of society. Vecna considers this to be a prime flaw in humanity. Although his hatred for humanity might have been his prime motive for the 1986 murders there is no denying his victims are fueling him. 

But if you don’t know 1986 was not the first time Vecna struck. He was also responsible for the Hawkins Lab Massacre of 1979. But his first victims were his mother and sister whom he killed almost two decades ago. But not all victims were the same to him. Vecna did not just kill his victims he haunted them with their traumatic past before completing the deed but his 1986 victims were the only ones who were not tortured before their death. The main reason could be that Vecna was powerless during that period and killing them was the only way he could escape. That is not all, before the ‘86 incident everyone Vecna killed he knew personally. 1986 was the first time Vecna killed strangers. 

Is there any method to Vecna’s madness? I’m pretty sure we all will be debating about that till season 5 of Stranger Things drops but one thing's for sure. Vecna gets more powerful with each kill and in season 5 he might return stronger than ever.

Does Vecna really consume his victims? 

Source: Nerdist

What did Dr. Brenner mean when he said Vecna “consumes” his victims? He consumes their essence and traps them in his Mindscape. And found out about his demonic Mondscape when Max finds herself in Vecna’s Mindscape, where she found the disfigured bodies of Fred and Chrissy tied up with thick vines. Only those were not their real bodies but their essences. And Vecna too has explained in the past how his victims are “still with him”. But Max did not find his previous victims. That might be because he may have used up their essence. 

Why only them?

Source: Showbiz Cheat Sheet

But in season 4 Vecna only targeted teenagers but we saw he could also access the memories of adults. So why only go after teenagers? One answer to this question might be that teenagers are easier targets than adults. But if that was the case he could have easily targeted children. Vecna never targeted children because he needed his victims to have a troubled past. And teenagers will succumb to Vecna’s influences much quicker than an adult. But that does not mean adults are safe from Vecna’s psychological torments, it’s just he would be in better control when it comes to a teen.

Also if we look back all of Vecna’s victims from ‘86 were teens. Was it just a coincidence or is there something deeper that’s yet to be unfolded? Also, it is rather strange that all of Vecna’s victims are Hawkin High students. One thing I have learned from watching all four seasons of Stranger Things is that “strange” is always exciting! There are just too many coincidences to look past. We can definitely look forward to Stranger Things season 5 revealing big secrets.

So what do you think will happen? Comment down below. 

A new season of Stranger Things brings a new terrifying creature that a bunch of kids must defeat to save the world… again. Vecna is unlike anything the group has ever faced before.

Let’s take a deep dive into the character, his past, present and how he is able to get into the minds of his victims.

The introduction

In the very first episode of season 4, Vecna proceeds with its first target, Chrissy. He has the ability to show his victims illusions of trauma from the past and when he deems the victim’s time to have ended, he uses his psychic powers to break their bones and destroy their eyes.

Vecna shows the same pattern when he kills Fred and Patrick, flinging them up in the air and doing exactly what he did to Chrissy.

While his real name isn’t revealed at this point, he is given the name ‘Vecna’ by Dustin and others who play Dungeons & Dragons due to his similarity in powers with a character in the game with the same name, who is a spell caster. The even believed his attacks to be ‘Vecna’s Curse‘ initially.

Vecna’s role in the war

While the Demogorgons are The Mind Flayer’s soldiers, Vecna is a ‘five-star general’, and has the ability to open up portals to the Upside Down using powerful psychic connections with his victims, similar to how Eleven made a portal through a connection with a Demogorgon.

Vecna’s victims are not just random killings. He intentionally targets those that he believes have suffered trauma and struggling to move forward. He believes he is justified in punishing them, as they have sinned according to him.

Vecna’s real identity

Vecna is actually 001, a test subject of Dr. Brenner just like Eleven. In fact, he was the inspiration for all others that came after him. 

When Victor Kreel moved with his family to Hawkins, he did not realise the evil he was bringing along. 001 is his son, who decided that his parents were bad people and decided to punish them by murdering them in the exact same way he does to his victims in the present day. Kreel survived, and 001 went into a coma as he was not powerful enough at the time.

Kreel was led to believe that his son died later, and he kept assuming that the devil killed his entire family. 001 was captured by Brenner, who tried controlling him. When that didn’t work, he started recreating him, leading to Eleven and the others getting their powers.

After Eleven freed him, he killed everybody at the facility. He has the upper hand against Eleven as well, but she manages to remember her mother and gains enough power from the memory to defeat him and inadvertently send him to the Upside Down.

Here, he is hit by mysterious lightning and slowly starts to transform into the creature he is today, explaining his psychic abilities.

This incident poises the battle between Eleven and Vecna as they are actually familiar with each other and have faced off against each other.

But it is still uncertain how much more powerful Vecna is now compared to when he was beaten by Eleven at the facility.

Also Read: Stranger Things season 4 volume 1 review: An epic saga that transcends previous seasons