Stranger Things: Did Season 4 Villain Vecna Appear in Series Premiere?

Each season of Stranger Things has brought more and more horrifying villains to life, with fans' first glimpses at Season 4 revealing the humanoid Vecna, confirming an all-new threat for Hawkins, Indiana. While Season 1 debuted the monstrous demogorgon, things escalated to our heroes battling the massive Mind Flayer in Season 3. Vecna might appear to be a new villain for the series, but with what we now know about the figure, as we look back at an iconic sequence in the series premiere of Stranger Things, it could be possible that we got a glimpse of the figure without quite realizing what we were looking at.

WARNING: Minor spoilers below for Stranger Things Season 4 – Volume 1

In the first episode of the series, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) is captured and taken to the Upside Down, igniting the major mysteries of the series. Understandably, audiences believed that it was the demogorgon that kidnapped Will, but it's also possible that this was the first tease of the Vecna. 

With the creature largely being shrouded in darkness, it's hard to determine if the creature is the demogorgon or Vecna, given their similarly monstrous appearances. Even if it could be argued that the creature looks more similar to the demogorgon, it's possible this is due to the look of Vecna not having been finalized all those years ago.

Adding support to the idea of this creature being Vecna is that Season 4 reveals that the villain is known to kidnap victims and bring them to the Upside Down, while also showcasing how the demogorgon is much more animalistic, as audiences see it kill and consume a number of victims. We surely can't rule out the demogorgon being able to capture victims to bring to the Upside Down, though capturing victims to imprison them in the Upside Down is more in line with Vecna.

Another key point is that Vecna is confirmed to have telekinetic abilities in Season 4. The audience witnesses similar telekinetic abilities when Will runs to a woodshed for safety in the series premiere. Despite locking the door, the latch was opened by a mysterious force, which Vecna could have easily done, and without other instances of the demogorgon using such abilities, it's possible that the creature doesn't possess them. Similarly, Vecna is confirmed in Season 4 to be able to open portals between the Upside Down and the real world, which would have allowed him to have been the one to capture Will.

Speaking more specifically to Will, Vecna is confirmed to target troubled individuals in Season 4, which might be why the teen became Vecna's target. Given that Barb in Season 1, and other victims in Season 4, are all shown to be dealing with some sort of trauma, this could retroactively add more significance to how the adventure unfolded in the debut season of the series.

Stranger Things Season 4 – Volume 1 is now streaming on Netflix.

Do you think Vecna already appeared in the series? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!