Vecna Almost Became an Ally in Stranger Things Before the Duffer Brothers Changed Direction

If you sensed that Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) might have a last-minute redemption during his final exchange with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) in the Stranger Things finale, you’re not alone. The Duffer Brothers recently shared that they toyed with this idea but ultimately decided that Vecna had crossed a line that made redemption impossible.

The Duffer Brothers drew heavily from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for their conclusion, but they also considered elements from Return of the Jedi. In a discussion, Ross Duffer explained why Henry Creel couldn’t turn back.

“We talked in the writers’ room about whether he could have a Billy [Dacre Montgomery] moment, turning against the Mind Flayer in a Darth Vader-like twist,” the co-creator revealed. “However, as we delved deeper with the writers and Jamie, it became clear that he had gone too far. He needed to justify his actions, and the only way to do that was to affirm, ‘I chose this, and I still believe in it.’”

You can definitely sense hints of a potential change of heart in that pivotal scene, which lingers just long enough to make us wonder if it might actually happen. Like many plot threads in the series’ conclusion, the Duffers leave it open to interpretation whether Henry was genuinely contemplating a different path.

“Even though he’s affected by that memory, he’s too far gone to turn against the Mind Flayer. We wanted to let the audience decide if young Henry made this choice or if the Mind Flayer had him under control the whole time,” Ross Duffer explained. “But ultimately, it doesn’t matter where Henry stands because he aligns with the Mind Flayer in the end.”

In the grand scheme of things, regardless of how you feel about other creative decisions in the finale, eliminating Henry was the right call. Plus, if he had survived, Joyce (Winona Ryder) would have brought that ax for nothing.