It goes without saying that “Stranger Things” season 4 dramatically veered into the horror genre. We noticed references to “Carrie,” “Poltergeist,” and even a Wes Craven classic, “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” channelling the greatest horror films of all time. However, it appears that Vecna still has dreams while awake.
The newest big bad on the show has been tormenting Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), and the rest of the crew for most of the season. It turns out that Eleven has more than a passing relationship to this bad guy. Vecna’s history was briefly revealed in Season 4 Part 1 while Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Robin (Maya Hawke) looked into the tragedy that befell elderly Victor Creel (Robert Englund).
It turns out that Creel was one of Vecna’s earliest casualties. Without giving too much away, he has a very close relationship with the humanoid creature from his dreams. But despite the fact that we all believed Vecna would be defeated by the end of season 4, it appears that this is not the case.
It appears that Vecna is still at large after eluding Nancy, Steve, and Robin. While Max (Sadie Sink) stays in the hospital, the fact that she briefly lost consciousness has allowed Vecna to carry out his nefarious plan and generate the four fatalities required to create rifts across Hawkins.
Right now, Hawkins is at the core of the Upside Down’s leaking into the Rightside Up. But could he be enticed to go back to Victor Creel now that Vecna is still present?
A loose end to tie up … and it’s about time
It’s time for Netflix Vecna’s relationship with Victor Creel to be resolved, as there is a loose end. This is discussed in “Chapter 7: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab.” It turns revealed that Henry Creel, the terrible villain, is the father of Vecna. What about the atrocity at the Creel murder house? Vecna alone was responsible.
Naturally, he wasn’t Vecna then. Henry was an extraordinary kid who was born with abilities like to those of Eleven. However, he got weary of humanity’s routine existence and, in the end, killed his entire family while falsely accusing his father.
It could be time to terminate his story once and for all now that Creel has triumphed, raining fire and brimstone onto Hawkins as the Upside Down bleeds into our world. It would be a fitting victory lap for Victor to kill his father, or maybe Victor holds the answer to permanently saving Hawkins.
It’s an interesting idea, and it sounds like Robert Englund might be interested in returning to “Stranger Things” for a decent, horror-literature-inspired purpose. He stated to Cinema Blend:
“But, Victor, you know. Victor, who is he? What does Victor’s name mean? What does the name’s fundamental terror collective consciousness dropdown mean? Frankenstein’s Victor. Who is Victor Frankenstein, exactly? How did he act? He produced a monster. Frankenstein is the scientist, not the monster, for this reason. Victor Creel here, and I created a monster. What does that mean for my bad spawn, then? It’s written well. There is a tonne of activity going on.”
Will Victor come back to aid in defeating his son? We’ll have to wait and see for now. However, it’s a very appealing idea.
One, two, Vecna’s coming for you …
In the fourth season episode “Chapter Four: Dear Billy,” Victor Creel made his first appearance in “Stranger Things.” This was another another obvious wink and reference to the audience regarding the season’s horror roots, and it was played by none other than Robert Englund. Englund did, after all, become the face of Freddy Krueger in “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” giving him instant notoriety in the 1980s.
Will he return in Season 5 though? Vecna, in Englund’s opinion, has some unfinished business. He stated to Collider:
“… Vecna can be heard speaking. He mentions me and I believe it is to Nancy. He says, “Oh, Victor,” for example. Old Victor, a grump. Never responded to him. Maybe I ought to. I’ve been quite busy. Therefore, I’m not sure what that means. Will he murder me? Does he intend to punish me further than what has already been done to me? I’m not sure what that meant or why they feel the need to make amends. In Season 5, there are so many issues that still need to be resolved.”
There is obviously a lot of unfinished business to address in the upcoming season. What’s happening with Hawkins is of utmost importance. However, it’s intriguing to consider that Vecna might not be through with Victor Creel. He did, after all, allow the man to survive.
I can’t help but wonder if Creel will eventually factor into his ambitions. What is the true objective, and how will he achieve it? It would be a cool return for Englund if there was a good enough reason to see Creel in the former mental facility.
