Stranger Things Creators Reveal the Real Reason Vecna Spared [Spoiler]

Stranger Things 5: Volume 1 ends on a gnarly standoff and a simple, maddening question: when Vecna finally has Will cornered, why doesn’t he just finish him? The Duffers finally spelled it out, and it changes how the whole Hawkins fight looks heading into Volume 2.

Why Vecna freezes when it comes to Will

Short version: Vecna gets cocky. Matt Duffer says the big bad makes the classic villain mistake and sizes Will up the same way a lot of people have for most of his life.

"You will see as it goes on, but he completely underestimates Will," Matt Duffer told Variety. "He perceives him in the way that so many others have in his life, which is as weak, as nothing, as incapable of achieving anything great. So he completely underestimates him in that moment. Whether that is going to happen again, you will have to watch Volume 2."

That arrogance is the blind spot. By treating Will as fragile and inconsequential, Vecna misses what is actually there: a ton of strength and power that has been simmering since season 1. The Duffers are basically telling us this is not a one-off glitch. It is a habit, and habits get punished.

Vecna’s big return is staged like a horror flex

Season 5, Episode 4 brings Vecna storming back through the military’s MAC-Z gate, and Ross Duffer says the vibe was meant to echo Darth Vader’s hallway massacre in Rogue One. Translation: the minute he steps out, you are supposed to feel the power level spike and the danger snap into focus. Mission accomplished. Ross told Netflix that the goal was to make his entrance feel instantly terrifying, and it does.

What Vecna actually wants, and where Will fits

• Vecna’s endgame is to reshape the world, and he needs 12 children to do it. He calls them "perfect vessels" because they are malleable and easy to control.
• During his face-off with Will, he lays out why Will matters: back in 1983, Will was the first vessel. Vecna says Will broke quickly and showed him just how much he could accomplish.

So what does this set up for Volume 2?

If Vecna’s Achilles heel is underestimating Will, then Will is the one person who can consistently surprise him. That reframes the board for the final stretch: the monster who thinks he knows the kid better than anyone might be the least prepared for who Will actually is now.

Stranger Things 5: Volume 1 is streaming on Netflix right now. Volume 2 holds the answer to whether Vecna makes the same mistake twice.