Stranger Things 5 Confirms Why Vecna Is Taking Kids In Episode 4 (And It’s a Grim Reason)

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In Season 5, Episode 4 of Stranger Things, viewers learned the dark reason behind Vecna’s kidnappings in Hawkins. After seemingly being defeated at the end of Season 4, Vecna returned with a new approach. Unlike before, where he targeted teenagers struggling with guilt or shame related to past trauma – like Max and Christy – this time, his motives appear different.

Though the Hawkins group defeated Vecna in Season 4, he’s back and even more dangerous in the final season. He still wants revenge on Eleven and her friends, but this time, he’s targeting children. Because kids are more vulnerable, they’re easy targets for his powers.

Why Is Vecna Taking Kids and Holly In Stranger Things Season 5?

The fifth season of Stranger Things focuses on Vecna’s attempts to kidnap children and bring them to the Upside Down. As part of this plan, he disguises himself as a creepy imaginary friend named Mr. Henry Whatsit – a man with a top hat who attracts kids at his family home within a dreamlike dimension that appears perfect.

Following the abduction of Holly Wheeler in Episode 2, Vecna captured three more children the next night. Although the Hawkins group managed to rescue Derek Turnbow, Will Byers—who shares a unique connection with Vecna as his first victim from Season 1—figured out what Vecna is doing to the kids: he’s attaching them to a tower-like structure in the Upside Down. Will also discovered Vecna needs eight more victims, but things are complicated because the military has also taken some children from town, supposedly to keep them safe.

I was part of the group with Joyce Byers, and we had a plan to rescue the kids. Sadly, it didn’t work – a bunch of Demogorgons showed up and ruined everything. Then, to make things even worse, Vecna – who looks really different in the upcoming fifth season of Stranger Things – came back and quickly took out all the soldiers. He even managed to grab Will, which was terrifying to watch.

Vecna revealed his ultimate goal: he needs twelve children to act as hosts, allowing him to remake the world to his liking. He specifically targeted these kids because he believes they are vulnerable and easily manipulated. His abduction of Will Byers in Season 1 showed him the potential of using children as vessels for his plans.

Do you see the children? I chose them because they’re vulnerable – physically and mentally. They’re easy to break down and rebuild, to control. They’re the ideal subjects for my plans. And you… you were the first. You were so easily defeated, and you proved to me what I could accomplish.

Vecna believes certain people, including the children he kidnapped, aren’t originally from Earth – they belong to him. In Episode 3, while disguised as Mr. Whatsit, he specifically told Holly Wheeler that he “saved” her first because he considered her the most intelligent of them all.

“I’m very glad I saved you first. You’re the brightest of them all.”

Vecna’s comment about Holly being particularly gifted hints that he’s not just randomly selecting victims in Season 5. He seems to be choosing people with specific abilities or qualities that could be useful in his larger plan to control the world. For instance, he may have targeted Derek because of his strength, and it’s likely the other kids he’s chosen also possess unique traits he intends to exploit.

What Does Vecna Want To Actually Do With Vessels?

It’s likely Vecna will try to manipulate the children in the final season of Stranger Things, much like the Mind Flayer controlled Will in Season 2, Episode 4, “Will the Wise.” This episode is important to revisit before Season 5, as it shows how the Mind Flayer used a trap filled with Demogorgons to deceive others.

By acting kind and helpful, like Mr. Whatsit, and offering to protect the children from danger, he earns their trust.

Vecna keeps the people trapped in the spire by appealing to their desires within their minds. This is his strategy for gaining control: he’ll eventually release them, just like he did with Will, and then subtly influence them to carry out his plans for changing the world.

Vecna is unaware that the group from Hawkins is already working on a plan to stop him. Eleven, Will, Max, and surprisingly, Holly, could be the key to his defeat.

In the final moments of Episode 4, Will discovered he has powerful abilities, mirroring how Vecna previously attacked others. It’s unclear if Vecna knows about this development, but it could be key to stopping him. Meanwhile, Eleven learned her sister, Kali, is being held at a military base, hinting at a future alliance that could pose a serious threat to Vecna.

Max, still trapped inside Henry’s mind after their confrontation in Season 4, is already working with Holly to defeat Vecna. If they succeed, targeting Holly first could be Vecna’s biggest error – he might accidentally let the very person who will destroy him into his own mind.

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2025-11-27 19:05