Stranger Things finally solves its massive villain problem after 4 seasons

Season 4 of Stranger Things has been on Netflix for three weeks. But the series feels very different this time. The Stranger Things cast has obviously aged in the 3 year hiatus. But that’s not all. Together with the former child stars, the entire series matured.

The creative people around the Duffer brothers used the pause for thought to put a major weakness behind them: they created theirs first compelling villain.

Watch the Stranger Things Season 4 trailer

Light spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4 follow: The powerful, ruthless, and noseless demon (read Vecna ​​background here) has given you goosebumps in the seven episodes so far – and he’s filling in a huge void. Because Stranger Things had to do without a clear opponent for a long time before its arrival.

The previous “villains” of Stranger Things were all weak

From the beginning, the series muddled through with faceless monsters or barely tangible presences as antagonists.

In season 1 was that okay? Of the Demogorgon teamed up with the scheming elfie dad dr burner (Matthew Modine) and fulfilled its purpose as a monster representative of the mysterious Upside Down, the shadow world. While the Demogorgon is no more charismatic than a rabid wolf, that was enough in the premiere, which was all about establishing its mythology.

In season 2 the problems started. Stranger Things led the Mind Flayer a. In German: the mind flayer. While that sounds cool, on the show we only get to know the villain as a disembodied mist who doesn’t seem to have any motivation beyond driving an already traumatized Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) out of the rest of his sanity . Uncool and dull. The whole thing was garnished with smaller and sometimes trivialized variants of the Demogorgon, the Demodogs. Uff.

In season 3 may he mind flayer keep flaying minds (or “minds flaying”, whatever). This time he’s doing it as some kind of body eater. He acts through the muscular body of mullet wearer Billy (Dacre Montgomery). Actually not a bad decision. If it weren’t for this (I can’t think of a better name) slime monster, which is mostly composed of dead rats and is also an instrument of the Mind Flayer. The Mind Flayer was everything and nothing at the same time. What did he want? No idea. He probably doesn’t know for sure himself. Something to do with world domination, probably.

The team of authors had obviously gotten lost. It has never been more unclear who or what Elfie (Millie Bobby Brown) and Co. are actually up against. The Russians are still there. The whole of Stranger Things was at a narrative low point in Season 3. Looking back, the 3-year break came at the best possible moment. Because now things are going up.

Which makes Vecna ​​the best Stranger Things villain by far

The many alibi constructions for “evil” are followed in season 4 by a concrete, clearly defined opponent. Vecna is a massive update to the mind flayer’s squirming presence and doesn’t need to do much for it.

What I like about him is his body. So above all that he has a body at all. (If you think Vecna ​​is hot, you can share your thoughts here .) The fact that it also looks really nice and gooey is a bonus. He was created mostly without CGI, by the way, which amplifies his presence.

This Vecna ​​is the undisputed villain reference point in the broad squadron. This takes the series to a new level of excitement and horror.

We know…

Vecna ​​is an overpowered, sadistic serial killer

Vecna ​​acts like a serial killer in a slasher. The obvious role model is the horror icon Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street. As with other legendary slasher killers (Jason, Michael Myers), the individual elements of his approach and the aesthetic design of his murders are highly recognizable.

If a young person who has already been traumatized by a horrible experience is afflicted by visions, a few minutes later he will hang in the air like a trance, the whites of his eyes turned outwards. Then the bones crack and it’s over

This teaches us early on: Once Vecna’s killing mechanism has set in, there is no escape for its victims. Rescuing Max (Sadie Sink) in the episode Dear Billy turns into an intense climax in the fight against a seemingly invincible villain through this dramatic prelude.

What Does Stranger Things Season 4 Do With The Revealed Vecna?

We haven’t seen so many such intense horror scenes in Stranger Things. That’s already a great achievement. But whether Vecna ​​goes from being a good villain to a very good one, depends on the second part of the season. The twist in the final episode gives it a complex backstory. We learn that he comes from the Brenner program, was banished to the Upside Down by Elfie and is actually called Henry Creel. As “number 1” of the program, Vecna ​​is basically a (still) gloomy Elfie variant.

With the demon mystery unraveled, a new, more psychological villain phase begins that focuses more on the actor behind the mask. Over the course of the finale episode Jamie Campbell Bower as the Vecna ​​actor revealed. He said something interesting in an interview with Vanity Fair: “I have him [Vecna] never seen as a villain because I understood him”. I don’t need to hear more because villains who don’t see themselves as villains are usually the best.

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