Vecna might be the epitome of fear in ‘Stranger Things’, but Jamie Campbell Bower cannot stop thinking about the world in which the story of Henry Creel had a different ending.
In a recent retrospective on Season 4, the actor has given a surprisingly sweet what-if scenario, one in which the most dreaded villain of the Upside Down could have opted for attachment instead of slaughter.
Jamie Campbell Bower Imagines A Peaceful Future For Vecna And Eleven
It is a consideration that gives the rage and destruction an unexpected emotional depth. Season 4 disclosed that Vecna had earlier given Eleven an opportunity to accompany him. She declines in the show, a move that solidifies their destinies as arch-rivals. However, Bower has frequently been intrigued by the road not taken. He proposed that, had Eleven said yes, their tale would not have gotten out of control.
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Henry might have had something he never had: companionship, instead of being Hawkins’ worst nightmare. “While he may have some rage inside of him, he would have had a friend. So maybe they would have lived on an island, just the two of them.” Under the monster is a boy who was very lonely, misunderstood, and alienated by the surrounding world.
Bower envisions a nearly poetic alternative ending. Instead of being furious about the Upside Down, maybe Henry and Eleven could have made something new together, even beautiful. He creates a surprisingly idyllic image: the two of them are alone in the world, perhaps living in peace. It is a sharp contrast to the horror of the apocalypse that we watch on the screen. And yet, it is strangely plausible.
Vecna Could’ve Had A Happier Ending On ‘Stranger Things’
The compassion of this viewpoint is what makes Bower so convincing. He does not justify Vecna’s action, but he understands the loneliness behind it. Henry did not come out of the blue; it was the result of isolation, rejection, and a feeling of being essentially different.
Had Eleven contacted him rather than opposed him, would that relationship have made him softer? Could friendship have been enough to quiet the storm inside him?
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One cannot know, but the concept redefines Vecna as something more than just a villain. It implies that even in the most shadowed parts of ‘Stranger Things’, there’s a lingering question about choice, belonging, and the power of companionship.
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