Who is Vecna in 'Stranger Things' and why is the internet talking about them?

2025-04-28 01:54:44admin

The first seven episodes of Stranger Things Season 4 were released on Netflix on Friday (May 27), and the internet is abuzz with hot takes, memes, and predictions about the final two episodes that are scheduled to drop in July. That means that for the next few weeks, prepare to see the name "Vecna" all over your social media feeds.

With tens of thousands of tweets, Vecna is already the breakout star of the season. So, who is Vecna? And why is the internet so obsessed with it? Let's talk about it.

Mild Spoilers ahead.

SEE ALSO: The escapism of 'Stranger Things' Season 4 just hits different in 2022

Who is Vecna?

Dark image of Vecna, the 'Stranger Things' monster.

The Vecna the internet speaks of. Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Vecna is to Stranger Things 4 what the Demogorgon was to Season 1. In other words, he's the big, scary monster wreaking havoc on Hawkins.

Vecna lives in the Upside Down and preys on people's past traumas and guilt. The monster curses its victims, making them relive their trauma in progressively more gruesome ways until it violently kills them. (And we mean, like, reallyviolently.) Vecna slaughters its targets by levitating them in the air, breaking all their bones, and making their eyes and skull implode. And like its predecessors (the Demogorgon, the Mind Flayer), Vecna is named by the Party after a Dungeons & Dragons character.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

In the final episode of Stranger Things 4Volume 1, it's revealed that Vecna isn't native to the Upside Down, but was banished there by Eleven after he gruesomely massacred the Hawkins National Lab. Vecna was the original child studied by Dr. Brenner and the son of Victor Creel. He's the infamous Number One, but had his powers blocked and worked as an aide in the Hawkins National Lab. He befriended Eleven at the lab and not knowing Vecna was evil, Eleven restored his powers resulting in the massacre and his expulsion to the Upside Down.

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Before coming to the Hawkins National Lab, Venca had a classic villain origin story — he became obsessed with black widows, tortured his family, and brutally killed his mother and sister pinning it on his father.

One/Vecna had his powers blocked and was working as an aide at Hawkins National Lab where he befriended Eleven. Not knowing that One was evil, Eleven restored his powers which he used to gruesomely massacre the entire lab. Eleven banished One/Vecna to the Upside Down where he's been attacking the Hawkins teens from.

Vecna notably targets Max (Sadie Sink), and the Hawkins gang discovers that the only way for her to avoid being killed by his curse is to play Max her favorite song, which happens to be "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" by Kate Bush. As a result of its inclusion in the show, the 1985 track has skyrocketed in popularity and currently sits at No. 2 on Spotify's top 50 U.S. chart and No. 4 on its top 200 global chart.