Stranger Things Series Finale: Why Vecna’s Darth Vader Redemption Felt “Wrong” To The Duffer Bros

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Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna who is angry in Stranger Things series finale

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In the Stranger Things series finale, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) died as the villain, but at one point, there was a consideration for a Darth Vader-like redemption. Just moments before his demise, the final episode revealed new details about Henry Creel’s backstory, in that he gained his powers via the Mind Flayer after absorbing a mysterious rock in the cave where he also killed a scientist.

Henry’s mind was corrupted by the Mind Flayer, and he continued to amplify his powers, especially after becoming Dr. Brenner's first subject at the Hawkins Lab. Despite a chance to redeem himself, the now-Vecna asserted that he and the Mind Flayer are one. Eventually, he and the Mind Flayer are defeated by Eleven and her friends, with Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) getting the final blow to end him once and for all in the Stranger Things series finale.

When the creators were asked if they ever considered a Darth Vader-type redemption for Vecna in the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Ross Duffer admitted, ”Yeah, we initially talked about giving him a moment where he could turn against the Mind Flayer and help them defeat it.” However, he and his brother eventually felt that the ending would have felt “wrong” because “he is so far gone at this point. He’s done so much evil...” Read the full response below:

“Yeah we initially talked about giving him a moment where he could turn against the Mind Flayer and help them defeat it. And I think ultimately again as you sort of play that out, it feels wrong and we didn’t believe it. He is so far gone at this point. He’s done so much evil that for him to turn around, even if there is part of him deep inside that is innocent, that innocent child... I just think it’s been buried beneath so much violence and anger over the years and in terms of ambiguity, we did want to leave it up a little bit to the audience too, in terms of Henry, of course, is saying he is in control as well the Mind Flayer. How much of that we leave up to the audience, but I think you see a lot of it play out in Jamie’s face in that final scene in the mind shaft. He’s just incredible in conveying all these different emotions and layers.”

Until the finale, many viewers had theorized that Vecna would have a last-minute redemption due to the parallels to Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in Star Wars. In particular, the major reveal about Henry Creel affirmed that he was also consumed by the “dark side” and turned him into a monster.

Even before the finale, actor Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers, stated that Vecna was the most misunderstood character in the series, which implied something deeper behind his origins. Due to Will and Vecna’s relationship resembling Harry and Voldemort’s, the two remained connected, with the former able to see Henry’s own memories. Will realized that Vecna was also a victim of the Upside Down and the Mind Flayer and attempted to turn him into their side, but the villain remained loyal to his master.

While Vecna’s backstory was finally revealed, there are still some questions about the rock that got him infected by the Mind Flayer. In their interview with Variety, the Duffer Bros. have been hesitant, revealing that it has been kept a mystery since it will be essential for a spinoff. While they are “heavily creatively involved,” the creators will not be the spinoff’s showrunners.

"It’s a completely different mythology. So it’s not a deep exploration of the Mind Flayer or anything like that. It’s very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining."

While Netflix and the creators have yet to reveal what this secret spinoff is, an upcoming animated series, Stranger Things: Tales from '85, is expected to be released sometime this year. The show takes place in the main show’s timeline between seasons 2 and 3.

All five seasons of Stranger Things are streaming on Netflix.