Stranger Things 4 has introduced a very different version of the classic Dungeons & Dragons villain Vecna. Some changes made to Vecna are obvious ones because of the difference between the worlds of D&D and a live-action series. The other differences, however, are more like twists to the Vecna familiar to D&D players.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things 4.]
The first volume of Stranger Things season 4 was released May 27, 2022, on Netflix, and over the seven episodes, audiences are treated to a terrifying version of Vecna wreaking havoc on Hawkins. The D&D version of Vecna has been mentioned in many publications over the decades but was most heavily featured in the adventure module Vecna Lives! for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. Vecna has also appeared in Critical Role’s first campaign facing off against Vox Machina as they fought to halt his ascension to godhood.
When adapting such an evil and well-known D&D villain, the Duffer Brothers have been clever in keeping certain aspects of D&D’s Vecna while changing others to suit their setting. Vecna’s background and identity have all had to take a shift in order to fit into the world of Stranger Things; however, there are still enough elements for D&D fans to recognize. When watching Stranger Things 4, D&D fans will notice all the ways this Vecna is both similar and different to the classic arch-lich.
In the world of D&D, Vecna started life as a mortal king who feared death so much he eventually became an arch-lich, an extremely powerful undead spellcaster in D&D. Most D&D players are likely to be familiar with this version of Vecna. There are various theories throughout the D&D multiverse on how Vecna achieved this level of power. One theory is that he used a ritual to absorb power from mortals on multiple planes of existence.
The arch-lich version of Vecna is not too different from how Vecna in Stranger Things 4 is operating. Toward the end of volume one, both Dustin and Nancy have reached the conclusion that Vecna is using the deaths of the people he is killing to feed his own power and grow in strength to open more gateways. Although this version of Vecna is not undead, he was also a mortal man who has been mutated by the parallel world of The Upside Down.
During his rise to power D&D’s arch-lich Vecna was betrayed twice, each time by loyal followers. The first was a half-demon called Acererak, who arranged for Vecna to be ambushed in order to gain his favor and get access to Vecna’s most closely guarded secrets. The second was Vecna’s most trusted lieutenant Kas, who Vecna had ordered to oversee the forging of a power sword which was to serve as a symbol of his authority. Vecna’s evil, however, manifested in the blade, which seduced Kas into usurping his master and killing him.
This theme of betrayal is again echoed in Stranger Things 4 when Vecna is revealed to be Henry Creel, aka One. As One, Vecna manipulated Eleven into freeing him of Dr. Brenner’s control resulting in the massacre of staff and children at the Hawkins Lab. However, One is betrayed by Eleven when she rejects his offer to go with him and fights back.
D&D’s powerful Vecna and the version in Stranger Things 4 have differences that are more obvious and numerous. Within the D&D multiverse Vecna, after being betrayed by Acererak, became obsessed with gaining and keeping secrets. Vecna’s thirst for secrecy aided in his quest for power and led to him being worshipped by cultists, creating the Cult of Vecna.
In Stranger Things 4, Vecna does not horde secrets, instead claiming that he wishes to reveal a person’s truth to them. When speaking with Eleven One/Vecna insists that he is holding up a mirror to people’s true nature. Each of One/Vecna’s victims in Hawkins had something they were hiding from others or at least something he perceived they were hiding, and through manipulating their secrets, One/Vecna was able to gain increasing access to their minds.
After D&D’s Vecna was ended by Kas, he eventually ascended to godhood after his cult amassed enough followers. As a deity, Vecna did not claim a specific domain but wandered the entire D&D multiverse. There are similarities with Vecna from Stranger Things 4, who, although powerful and influential in the Upside Down, does not completely control it like the Mind Flayer.
When speaking to Eleven in Hawkins Lab, One claims that she, like him, is superior to regular humans. He likens humanity to a pest problem and, in an attempt to convince her to join him, tells her that they could reshape the world together. One/Vecna insists that humans enforce an unnatural structure on the world and refers to life as a silly, terrible play. One/Vecna claims he is a predator but for good, unlike the evil D&D character, and that he wishes to restore balance and order to nature.
This is the most significant departure from the D&D version of Vecna, who never showed any interest beyond accumulating power and achieving immortality. In D&D, Vecna believed that every living thing contained a secret that he could manipulate to bring about its demise. Once all secrets had been discovered and exploited, Vecna believed he could achieve dominance over others. This version of Vecna aimed to gain more power by destroying other gods. His sworn enemy was the Raven Queen, a goddess with dominion over life and death. In D&D Vecna envied the Raven Queen, who possessed the unique ability to gather knowledge from the souls of the dead. Among Vecna’s many goals was to overthrow the Queen and rule the entire Shadowfell.
Until the final volume of Stranger Things 4 arrives on July 1, 2022, all the differences between the two versions of Vecna will not be completely clear. Will One continue his goal to rid the world of humanity, or has his focus changed to align more with the objectives of D&D’s Vecna? Although godhood is unlikely for Stranger Things 4’s Vecna, it would make for a powerful villain for Eleven and the team to face. Perhaps as more of his powers are revealed and grow, he will morph into a creature more similar to his Dungeons & Dragons counterpart.
Go to Source
Author: Sarah-Jane Simpson
