Spoiler alert: This article contains major spoilers for the fourth season of Stranger Things.
With Stranger Things' fourth season conclusion, the Netflix series brought revelations about the nature of the Upside Down, the role of the Mind Flayer, and the origins of Eleven's power. Much of the new information hinges on season 4's captivating new villain, known by many of the characters as Vecna.
While Vecna takes his nickname from one of the most iconic villains in Dungeons & Dragons, viewers will notice striking similarities between Stranger Things' new Big Bad and several other villains from movies, novels, TV, and comics. Vecna draws inspiration from some of horror and fantasy's most dangerous foes, adding to the satisfying nostalgia for which Stranger Things is beloved.
Pinhead
Stranger Things Season 4 revealed that Eleven inadvertently created Vecna by banishing Henry Creel, aka "One," to the Upside Down. Physically transformed and wandering his strange new realm, Vecna discovers a new purpose for his staggering psychic powers, resolving to return and reshape the world. This origin story is reminiscent of Pinhead, the aptly named villain of Clive Barker's Hellraiser franchise.
Pinhead was once a man called Elliott Spencer. Spencer opened a gateway to Hell using a puzzle box known as the Lament Configuration. Transported to Hell, he underwent a ritual mutilation and became a Cenobite pledged to serve the Hell god Leviathan. Over the course of the Hellraiser movies, Pinhead returns to Earth to wreak havoc. Vecna actor Jamie Campbell Bower admitted, according to Polygon, that he wanted the Pinhead references to go even further.
It/Pennywise
Before Eleven piggybacks into Max's mind from a pizza-dough freezer, Max is alone in her mental flight from Vecna's curse. Retreating to her happiest memory, the 1984 Hawkins Snow Ball, her relief turns to horror as the balloon decorations explode in a shower of blood. The specificity of this image drives home Vecna's similarity to the terrifying villain of Stephen King's 1985 novel IT.
IT's favorite form, in the novel and subsequent screen adaptations, is Pennywise the clown. Often preceded by a red balloon, Pennywise targets, isolates, and terrorizes children with hallucinations related to their deepest fears. Much like Vecna, Pennywise creates horrors in the minds of his victims before attacking them. Furthermore, IT's true form is a giant spider. Vecna is inspired by black widows. Stranger Things takes a lot of inspiration from Stephen King and IT, so this parallel is a fitting homage.
Freddy Krueger
Arguably the strongest influence on Stranger Things Season 4 is Nightmare on Elm Street. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the parallels between Vecna and the 1984 slasher film's villain, Freddy Krueger. There are even physical similarities, as both Vecna and Freddy have a clawed hand or glove hand, and both are badly burned on their journey to peak villainy.
Just as Vecna attacks his victims from the Upside Down, Freddy too operates from another realm, targeting teenagers through their dreams. In full acknowledgement of the influence on Vecna, iconic Freddy actor Robert Englund makes a cameo as Victor Creel, Henry/Vecna's father in the Season 4 episode "Dear Billy."
Magneto
Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, one of the best X-Men characters, functions as both villain and antihero in the X-Men comics, animated series, and feature films. X-Men: First Class gave portrayed Erik's tragic origins in Auschwitz, where Nazi Officer Klaus Schmidt (later known as Sebastian Shaw) orders him to demonstrate his telekinetic ability. His backstory is reminiscent of the young Henry Creel, a subject of Dr. Brenner's relentless experiments, abuse, and manipulation.
While Vecna may be far from sympathetic, even Eleven feels pity for his mistreatment by Brenner. Like Magneto, Vecna feels a sense of aggressive superiority, even wishing for Eleven to join his crusade. Another Easter egg amused X-Men fans: Magneto, along with Sebastian Shaw and numerous X-Men characters, is associated with an organization known as the Hellfire Club.
The Witch-King Of Angmar
A terrifying dark force in The Lord of the Rings, the Witch-King of Angmar was, like Vecna, once a mortal man. He received one of the nine Rings of Power destined for the kings of the race of men. Deceived and corrupted by the ring's power, he became a wraith bound to serve the Dark Lord Sauron. Vecna, too, is transformed into a supernatural, grotesque creature at the height of confidence in his own power.
The Witch-King leads the Nazgûl, a group of Ringwraiths, who all have a psychic connection to the One Ring forged by Sauron. Relentless in their pursuit of the Ring, they can detect its use, much like Stranger Things' hive mind can detect intruders in the Upside Down. Also like Vecna, the Witch-King is ultimately defeated by a young woman whose power he once underestimated.
The Lich
Vecna's namesake from Dungeons & Dragons takes many forms, but he is known in the most recent edition as Vecna the Archlich. A lich, in fantasy literature and gaming, is a powerful undead entity, usually the reanimated form of a necromancer who achieved immortality through dark magic. In the highly-rated animated series Adventure Time, the heroes face off against the evil Lich, who schemes to open portals to other universes, bent on mass destruction.
Like the rendering of the Lich in Adventure Time, the ultimate objective of Vecna's killings is the opening of a gate between worlds to destroy humanity. The Lich, like Vecna, is methodical and single-minded in his determination to extinguish life. He also demonstrates similar psychic abilities to Vecna, which he uses to create hallucinations, disguise himself as others, and outright possess living creatures.
Darth Vader
Before he became the most fearsome Sith Lord in the galaxy, Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker. Enslaved and mistreated on Tatooine, he found freedom in the Jedi Order, where he harnessed and honed his Force abilities. Skilled in telekinesis, telepathy, and single combat, Darth Vader's power set is very similar to Vecna's.
Both are also monstrous distortions of their former selves, and both were recognized as children for their unique abilities. Just as Darth Vader once tried to persuade Luke to join him on the Dark Side and rule the galaxy, Vecna at first envisions Eleven at his right hand. One Stranger Things fan theory even suggests that Vecna/Henry Creel is Eleven's biological father, which would really drive home the Darth Vader connection.
Wanda Maximoff
Wanda has been on quite a journey throughout her time in the MCU, from secondary villain in Avengers: Age of Ultron to redeemed hero in Phases Three and Four to primary villain in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In her first appearance, she is released from HYDRA's research base by Ultron, then puts her powers to good use creating horrifying hallucinations and psychic puzzles for the Avengers.
Vecna's ability to twist his victim's deepest fears and guilt into waking nightmares recalls this gift of Wanda's. Both Vecna and Wanda escape research facilities and unleash their full powers to devastating results. Fans debate whether Wanda's villain arc was foreshadowed or earned, but her raw magic power could stand up to a mind fight with Vecna (or Eleven for that matter!)
Frankenstein's Monster
One of the most instantly recognizable horror monsters is the one revived on Dr. Frankenstein's operating table. Frankenstein's Monster, called "The Creature" in Mary Shelley's landmark text, is less of a straightforward villain and more of a tragic, pitiable outsider driven to commit wrongdoings by his circumstances. The Creature, assembled as an experiment by a gifted, yet reckless scientist, resents his creator and humanity for rejecting him.
Vecna, likewise, carries deep resentment for humanity. He too was experimented on by a zealous scientist who ultimately subdued and rejected him. Taking on a monstrous form, he channels his lust for revenge and loathing for humanity into unspeakable atrocities. Like Vecna, the Creature also commits violent murders, for which others take the blame.
Lord Voldemort
The most powerful dark wizard in the Harry Potter franchise, Lord Voldemort's supernatural powers and brutal nature manifested early in childhood, much like the young Henry Creel. Both Voldemort and Vecna seek to transcend the limits of human ability and remake the world under their dominion.
Perhaps most significantly, Voldemort and Vecna both undergo a seismic shift when they are defeated by children. The infant Harry Potter survives Voldemort's killing curse. The rebounded magic rips Voldemort from his body, and he must endeavor to retake physical form. The child Eleven banishes One/Vecna to the Upside Down, and the journey through the gate disfigures his body. In their new incarnations, both appear to be missing a nose, but carry vengeance enough to make up for it.