Vecna’s Plan In Stranger Things Season 5 Explained: Everything We Know (& What’s Next?)

by

Season four of Stranger Things dramatically changed the show’s story by finally revealing the true villain behind all the previous threats. The series revealed that Vecna, originally named Henry Creel (played by Jamie Campbell Bower) and known as test subject 001, was the one controlling everything from the Demogorgon to the Mind Flayer. When Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) banished him to another dimension, that’s what created the Upside Down. In season four, Vecna tried to open gateways between worlds by killing four people, hoping to invade Hawkins. Though Eleven and her friends hurt him in the final battle, he still managed to create the rifts and cause widespread chaos. Season five will show that Vecna spent 20 months preparing a new plan to fulfill his goal of total destruction.

Warning: Spoilers below for Stranger Things 5, Volume 1

Almost two years have passed since the dramatic events of the Season 4 finale, and things have been strangely quiet. Hawkins is under military lockdown, with a huge gateway to the Upside Down right in the middle of town. Our heroes have fallen into a difficult routine, but Vecna has remained completely inactive – no monsters have appeared, and Eleven can’t detect any sign of his power. Hoping to find him before he attacks again, Hopper has been leading risky expeditions into the Upside Down, searching for any clues. So far, these missions haven’t turned up anything, leading everyone to believe Vecna might be permanently defeated. However, that peace is shattered when Vecna suddenly makes his move.

What Does Vecna Want in Stranger Things Season 5?

Vecna is now trying to collect twelve children from Hawkins for a secret plan. He starts by reaching out to them mentally, appearing as his former human self, Henry Creel. He also acts friendly, calling himself “Mr. Whatsit,” and uses children’s fears – like those of Mike Wheeler’s little sister, Holly – to gain their trust, offering protection from the monsters. Once he has their confidence, he sends a Demogorgon to kidnap them and bring them to him.

Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) unexpectedly reconnects with the hive mind during a Demogorgon attack, triggering a disturbing vision. He sees captured children, including Holly, chained up in the Upside Down, with tendrils being forced into their mouths. This reveals Vecna isn’t just killing his victims – he’s turning them into psychic tools, just as he did to Will years ago. This horrifying transformation is key to Vecna’s plan, but his ultimate goal remains unknown until a final, dramatic showdown where he finally explains it.

Okay, so halfway through the season, Vecna actually tells Will why he targets kids. It’s seriously messed up – he basically says young minds and bodies are easier to break down and mold into whatever he wants. And get this – he admits Will was the whole reason he started doing this! Vecna saw how Will survived being in the Upside Down back in ’83 and realized that a human host could actually work. It totally changes how you see Will’s whole experience – it wasn’t just trauma, it was, unknowingly, the first step in Vecna’s plan to destroy everything.

Though the first part of Stranger Things Season 5 doesn’t yet show what Vecna is ultimately trying to achieve, it’s becoming clear his plan is a reaction to a major weakness within the Upside Down. Throughout these episodes, the characters learn about a huge, constantly-healing wall that completely surrounds the Upside Down’s Hawkins, preventing Eleven from locating Vecna. Meanwhile, Max, stuck inside Vecna’s mind, discovers a similar stone wall in his memories that he clearly fears and can’t get past. These two barriers – one real and one inside the mind – seem to block psychic abilities in some way.

These twelve missing children are probably central to Vecna’s plan to break through the barriers between worlds. He seems to be using them to gather energy, which could allow him to destroy the walls separating our world from the Upside Down, and finally unleash his full power, merging the two realities.

The first part of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things is now available on Netflix. The second part will be released on December 25th, and the series finale will air on December 31st.

What do you believe Vecna plans to do with the children he’s taken? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/best-stranger-things-characters-ranked-jim-hopper-steve-harrington-eleven/embed/#

Read More

2025-11-27 22:10