Stranger Things Play Reveals How Henry Creel Got His Powers

January 24, 2025

The long-awaited play, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” had its highly anticipated premiere. The initial public preview took place yesterday at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End. While the play delves into intriguing aspects of the Stranger Things universe, it also introduces new questions that remain unanswered.

Following season 4, a burning question on everyone’s mind was how Henry Creel aka Vecna acquired his powers. Stranger Things has now revealed the origins of his powers and has made it clear that he was not born with them.

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The last season unveiled that he was a sensitive child who stood apart from his peers. He began displaying unusual powers and engaging in the troubling act of tormenting animals. Faced with disdain from his parents, the situation reached a breaking point when he tragically took the lives of his mother Virginia Creel and sister Alice Creel.

Subsequently, Dr. Brenner took custody of Henry Creel and subjected him to additional experiments at Hawkins Lab. After some years, he tricked Eleven into removing the chip that controlled his powers. Eventually, Eleven banished him to the Upside Down, where he transformed Vecna.

Little was known about Henry Creel’s childhood until now, as the Stranger Things Play delves into his previously undisclosed backstory, shedding light on the early years of this mysterious character.

Warnings: Spoilers Ahead for Stranger Things: The First Shadow

How Henry Creel Got His Powers

Before coming to Hawkins, the Creel family lived in Nevada. The play unveils a pivotal moment in Henry Creel’s life when he disappeared for 12 hours at a very young age presumably 7. Upon his return, he underwent a profound transformation as noted by Alice Creel. Something within him had changed, manifesting in a noticeable shift in his behavior.

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Evidently, Henry Creel was taken to the Upside Down when he disappeared. He gained his powers after disappearing and ending up in the Upside Down. While he wasn’t born with these abilities, his time in the alternate dimension became the source of his newfound powers. Upon returning from the Upside Down, he began to explore and experiment with his powers. His dangerous abilities surfaced when he nearly took the life of a classmate in Nevada, prompting his family to relocate to Hawkins.

Also Read: Stranger Things Play Ending Featured Eleven and Henry Creel

This intriguing revelation suggests that when Eleven banished Henry Creel to the Upside Down in 1979, it wasn’t his first encounter with that dimension. His earlier experience as a child, likely in the 1950s, means he was familiar with the Upside Down before. Upon returning as Vecna, he assumed a position of power and authority within that eerie realm.

Eleven Got Her Powers Through Henry Creel’s Blood

The play also explored how Eleven and the other kids got their powers. When Henry Creel was taken to the lab by Dr. Brenner, it was revealed that his blood was unlike any other human. Dr. Brenner proceeded with experiments involving blood transfusions from Henry to pregnant women. This unorthodox procedure became the origin of the test subjects, including Eleven. The shared factor among all these subjects and the source of their extraordinary powers was traced back to Henry Creel’s distinctive blood.

The revelation that Henry Creel acquired his powers during a childhood visit to the Upside Down is a fascinating twist. Stranger Things season 5 may provide more insight into this through flashback scenes, promising an exciting glimpse into the character’s backstory.

The Stranger Things Play ended with the introduction of a young Eleven alongside Henry Creel. For more details, be sure to read the article.