Stranger Things is about to bring Henry Creel's (aka Vecna) backstory to life in a 2027 spin-off, and fans were finally given a first look at what the character design for the young Vecna will look like in the project. The flagship Stranger Things series may be over on Netflix, but the sci-fi franchise is continuing to live on in multiple ways. Netflix recently released an animated series titled Stranger Things: Tales from '85, which takes place between Seasons 2 and 3 of the main show, and in March 2025, a Broadway play set before the events of the main series debuted.
In January 2027, Dark Horse Comics will be releasing an 88-page graphic novel titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which will adapt the events of the five-time Tony Award-winning Broadway play of the same name, and fans were recently given a first look at three of the characters from the book, including Vecna.
Dark Horse recently unveiled the official cover for the graphic novel, which showcased a young version of Henry Creel (Vecna), Dr. Brenner, a character named Patty Newby, the Creel family house, and the Mind Flayer.
On the cover, the character who is given the most space is the young Henry Creel. He is at the center of the cover, with a blindfold covering his eyes. Notably, his hand is outstretched, and his nose is bleeding.
In this particular image, Henry Creel does not look menacing at all. His hair is fixed, he is entirely human, and he is wearing a simple button-up shirt that one would associate with attire in 1959 (the year this story is set).
While Henry's character design on the Stranger Things: The First Shadow graphic novel looks similar to the young version of Henry Creel that was in the Stranger Things series, the design is most likely supposed to more closely resemble the Broadway actor who plays Henry, Victor de Paula Rocha.
The team behind The First Shadow deserves its flowers, because de Paula Rocha looks strikingly similar to Raphael Luce (the actor who played young Henry in the Netflix show). Based on the cover, Henry's design in the book could be modeled after either actor, but since they look so similar, it shouldn't really matter, as both would be accurate.
It is worth noting that the version of Henry Creel who will be in the graphic novel will look much different from Jamie Campbell Bower's Vecna or Henry Creel. Campbell Bower portrayed both the human version of Vecna and the monster in Seasons 4 and 5 of Stranger Things, but that version of the character was quite a bit older. This particular version of Henry is from 1959, which was when he and some other Stranger Things characters were still in high school.
Notably, though, the graphic novel's cover also included Dr. Brenner, who is pretty clearly modeled after Matthew Modine, the actor who portrayed Brenner in the Netflix show. John Zdrojeski's performance in the Broadway play as Dr. Brenner has been praised by many, but he is noticeably younger than Modine, making him appear much different. In this case, it looks as though Dark Horse used Modine's version of the character for reference.
The third and final character on the cover of Dark Horse's Stranger Things: The First Shadow is one who did not appear in the main series. However, she played a massive role in the Broadway play, and her name is Patty Newby.
For fans who watched Stranger Things, she is the sister of Sean Astin's Bob Newby from Season 2. Bob also makes an appearance in the play, but Patty is most likely the second-biggest character in the show, behind Henry.
Without giving away too many spoilers from the play, Henry tries to use his powers to help Patty find her birth mother. Patty ends up becoming a love interest of Henry, and her fate in the play directly affects the events of Stranger Things.
For reference, Stranger Things: The First Shadow's last day on Broadway will be January 3, 2027. Just a couple of weeks later, on January 19, 2027, Dark Horse's graphic novel adaptation of the play will be released.
Will Stranger Things Create More Spin-Offs Featuring Vecna?
Vecna/Henry Creel is undoubtedly the most interesting and fleshed-out character in the Stranger Things universe, thanks largely to the First Shadow Broadway play. As a side note, considering how much context the play gave in the grand scheme of things, it would have likely been extremely beneficial for Netflix or the Duffers to have made a film adaptation of the play prior to Stranger Things Season 5, especially since that final installment was received so poorly.
However, the past is in the past, and nothing can be changed now, unless Conformity Gate is still a real thing (it's not).
Between The First Shadow and the main Stranger Things series, Henry Creel's entire character arc has essentially been explored. Of course, fans would love to see him return in a future project and have his story expanded on even more, but it seems as though there's really not much left to tell.
The Stranger Things franchise is going to continue. It is too popular and too lucrative for it to come to a complete end. However, to keep everything fresh, the creative team will most likely need to think about going down different avenues, introducing new characters, and potentially new locations or time periods.
