It’s not really a summer to remember without a trip back to Hawkins. After nearly three long years, Stranger Things has returned for its fourth season. The hit sci-fi horror drama that started back in 2016 by the Duffer Brothers has now become a global phenomenon. After its fair share of horrors and mysteries, the fourth season of Stranger Things is back with its most terrifying villain to date: Vecna. Though the humanoid monster is certainly a new addition, it was actually teased back in the very first season of the series.
Since the show’s inception, the town of Hawkins has been ‘cursed’ with the Upside Down, a mirror dimension that is controlled by the Mind Flayer. Despite being exactly the same as Earth’s dimension, the Upside Down is distinguished by its decaying matter and extreme toxicity. As the portal to the mirror dimension was accidentally established by Eleven during a secret scientific experiment, the portal was seemingly severed at the end of the third season. However, the latest trailer of Stranger Things revealed that the dimension is existing, with a much more terrifying monster eager to decimate our teenage heroes.
Who Is Stranger Things Season 4’s Main Villain?
In the latest trailer of the fourth season of Stranger Things, fans were introduced to a brand new humanoid monster. Despite being from Upside Down, the newest monster is revealed to be a sentient being with the ability to speak. As a result, the latest monster awaiting the band of teenagers seems to be much more sinister than any of the previous horrors from the mirror dimension. While the Mind Flayer surely was threatening, it still needed a host to function. However, the newest monster doesn’t seem to have the need for a host.
As the fourth season of the show has been compared with Game of Thrones by the creators, the latest monster’s look did feel a bit similar to the Night King, considering that both the monsters are designed by Barrie Gower. However, it has been revealed that the monster is actually Vecna, a classic Dungeons & Dragons villain.
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Powers and Abilities of Vecna in Stranger Things
Since the show’s inception, Dungeons & Dragons has played an important role. As the series is based in the ’80s, the game’s massive popularity was incorporated into the show effortlessly. However, the tabletop role-playing game shaped some of the popular monsters from Stranger Things, namely Demogorgon and Mind Flayer. Continuing the same tradition, the latest monster of the show is named Vecna, based on Dungeons & Dragons.
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In the game’s lore, Vecna is one of the most powerful villains who attained immortality through dark magic. As Vecna soon became a deity with the help of his devotees, the powerful dark wizard was ultimately betrayed by his loyal servant. However, even after his apparent demise, Vecna left behind his left eye and hand, two artifacts imbued with powerful dark magic. Though it’s unsure if the character from Stranger Things will have any similar powers as his D&D counterpart, the inspiration is quite obvious.
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Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, David Harbour, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Winona Ryder, Robert Englund, and Joseph Quinn.
The first part of Stranger Things Season 4 will premiere on Netflix on May 27, 2022, with the second part slated to premiere on July 1, 2022.
