Official promotional art for Stranger Things Season 5 revealed the first full look at Vecna's face. Season 4 of the trending Netflix series finally unveiled Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) as Hawkins' greatest threat, as he appears to be the leader of the Upside Down. Part of his grand plan is to merge the Upside Down with Hawkins, and he seems to be on the verge of succeeding in the Season 4 finale. Yet, he was temporarily taken down by Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington, and Robin Buckley during the season's climactic battle. Still, part of the Upside Down merged with Hawkins, meaning that Eleven and the Hawkins crew will have a formidable challenge ahead.
In the finale, Steve, Nancy, and Robin set Vecna on fire, using the combined might of a Molotov and several shotgun shells to bring him down. Vecna's damage could explain his new design for the final batch of Stranger Things episodes, as shown in this new promotional art. Valda and Stranger Things' official collaboration featuring special flavor-themed candies shared the first full look at Vecna's redesigned face for Season 5.
A closer look at Vecna showed his usual skeletal and emaciated appearance, which gives off a decayed, corpse-like look. The main difference here is his badly injured left eye, which could have been caused by what Nancy, Steve, and Robin did in the Season 4 finale.
There is a good chance that he lost his eye during the tense confrontation in the previous finale, but given his supernatural powers, it's possible that he may end up retrieving a new one before his eventual rematch with the Hawkins crew.
Another key detail in Vecna's redesigned look is his burnt face. One of the questions Stranger Things Season 5 needs to answer is how the Upside Down's invasion will impact Hawkins, and it seems that Vecna will play a major role by using the small town to return to his old form.
The Season 5 trailer showed another look at Vecna's body, which appears to demonstrate that it is evolving. This further proves that he seemingly can manipulate his body to an extent that he might be able to cure himself (but it would take some time).
Stranger Things Season 4 perhaps provided the most detailed look at Vecna's corpse-like appearance, showing how his humanity has decayed on the outside.
Vecna's hollow eyes are also highlighted in Season 4, and seeing that Season 5's redesign hints that one of them is missing could have severe repercussions for the Hawkins crew; he could be out for blood and not hold back against them.
Stranger Things Season 4 also showed Vecna's almost human-like form before his eventual transformation. Some theorized that this look could return to further mess with Eleven and the Hawkins crew, especially Nancy, who is seemingly obsessed with Vecna.
Stranger Things Season 5 is the series' final and most highly anticipated one on Netflix, which is highlighted by a tense showdown between Vecna and the heroes of Hawkins. Stranger Things returns with its star-studded cast in Season 5, led by David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Sadie Sink.
In a historic release strategy for Netflix, the first four episodes will be released on November 26, 2025. The next three episodes will premiere on Christmas Day 2025, and the finale will be unveiled on New Year's Eve (December 31, 2025).
Why Stranger Things Season 5 Shows Vecna at His Most Dangerous
After temporarily losing in the Season 4 finale (which inadvertently caused his redesign for the final season), Vecna is out for blood in Stranger Things Season 5. Now, he will likely not hold back, which spells bad news for the heroes of Hawkins.
As one of the dangerous villains of Stranger Things, Vecna's power includes telekinetic and telepathic abilities, near vulnerability, psychological manipulation, genius intellect, and a deep connection with the Upside Down. Given that Hawkins is now seemingly part of the Upside Down, Vecna's possibilities are endless.
It might be that Vecna has contingencies in place, especially after being defeated by three teenagers in the Season 4 finale. Vecna knows how to ensure that it will not happen again, and he could likely kill one of the Hawkins' heroes to prove a point.
While Vecna had a strategic and slow process of selecting his victims in Season 4 (which included Sadie Sink's Max), losing an eye and a burnt-down body could cause the villain to wreak havoc and kill anyone in his path, giving more reason for Eleven and her crew to be wary of how they will finish him once and for all.
