Why Is Vecna Afraid of the Cave? An Explanation of Henry’s Role in Stranger Things
Season 5 of Stranger Things hinted at Vecna’s tragic backstory, linked to a traumatic event in a cave. But what has been unveiled in the show’s offscreen narrative?
The final season reintroduced Max (Sadie Sink), who found herself trapped in a locked area of the Upside Down. As she attempted to escape, Vecna, a.k.a. Henry (Jamie Campbell Bower), pursued her until she reached a cave.
This location was part of a memory conjured by Vecna and replicated in the Upside Down. Max noted it was the only place the antagonist wouldn’t enter due to an enigmatic fear. In part 2, Max and Holly encountered a flashback where Henry discovered a man in a cave who shot him when Henry tried to offer assistance. The man possessed a suitcase, which Henry opened, though its contents remained unclear.
Creators Ross and Matt Duffer confirmed that this scene was an allusion to Stranger Things’ prequel play, The First Shadow.
“While collaborating on the play with Kate Trefry, we developed Henry’s backstory. We consistently navigated the line of how much to reveal in the play,” Matt, 41, shared with Cosmopolitan. “[Director] Stephen [Daldry] and [Producer] Sonia [Friedman] often pressed for more, while we insisted on waiting for the show to unveil it. Especially as we approach the final episode, there’s increased overlap with the play.”
Matt clarified that viewers “definitely do not need to have seen the play to follow along.” The Easter eggs will likely unwind in the forthcoming installments, but fortunately, Us provides a summary of the play’s revelations.
Stranger Things: First Shadow depicted Henry as a child living near caves in Nevada, where a military base conducted experiments to make objects invisible. Henry wandered into the cave and stumbled upon technology that accidentally teleported him to another universe, called Dimension X.
This event profoundly influenced Henry, who became possessed by an entity that pushed him toward becoming the formidable villain. Vecna first appeared in season 4, where Bower, 37, initially played a more amiable role as One before Henry morphed into the primary antagonist.
“I was initially given two sets of [script] sides, one from Primal Fear and another from Hellraiser,” the actor recounted to Variety in May 2022. “I was completely in the dark about this character and received no material from the show.”
Watching the series helped Bower put the mysterious character into context.
“I obsessed over it for a couple of days. I put a picture of Will Byers [Noah Schnapp] in the center, surrounded by images of the other characters, creating a kind of Claire Danes-like mind map of who I believed this character was,” he shared. “After a couple of days, I stepped back and thought, ‘This actually feels good.’ I took a picture, printed out the images, and stored them in a folder — only to receive a call that Matt and Ross [Duffer] wanted to meet.”
During the meeting, Bower presented the vision he held for the role. “They were like, ‘This is absolutely perfect. All your references and inspirations are spot-on. Would you mind if we share some additional visual cues and details about the character?’” he recalled, noting that by then, they recognized he wasn’t entirely out of touch.
Bower recently mentioned that he developed empathy for the character after embodying him throughout season 4.
“Can I view him as a villain? I can see him as a point of conflict. But regarding whether he is evil or villainous? I understand him, and I care for him. I relate to him,” he explained to Variety in July 2022. “As I voiced that, I felt a pang in my eyes — perhaps I should stop! I empathize with him, so I’ll always be on his side.”
Stranger Things is set to return with Volume 2 on December 25, with the finale premiering on December 31 on Netflix.
