Introduced in season 4, Vecna quickly becomes the most prominent villain in the history of ‘Stranger Things.’ This is because he is the first creature from the Upside Down that looks jarringly humanoid. Although the demogorgons are also bipedal, the similarity between them and humans ends there. That is not the case with Vecna. He seems to harbor deep-seated malice toward Hawkins and all its residents. As the fourth season progresses, his reasons become clear. He was once a resident of Hawkins and was part of Dr. Martin Brenner’s program at Hawkins Lab. If you are wondering whether he dies in season 4, volume 2 of ‘Stranger Things,’ we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Is Vecna Dead?

No, Vecna isn’t dead at the end of the fourth season 4 volume 2. We learn in the course of volume1 that the reason that Vecna looks so human is that he used to be one. His name was Henry Creel, the son of Victor and Virginia Creel. The Creel family moved to Hawkins in 1959. Henry displayed psychopathic tendencies since he was young. After discovering his powers, he gave his family horrible visions before killing his mother and sister and ensuring that his father would be institutionalized for the rest of his life.

After this, Brenner took Henry in and began a program at Hawkins Lab to study similarly gifted children. Henry became 001, the very first test subject. However, Brenner seemed to have realized something deeply wrong with Henry. So, he implanted a device called Soteria in Henry’s neck to suppress his powers. In 1979, after Henry revealed the truth about himself to Eleven, they fought, and she sent him to the Upside Down.

During his stay in that parallel world, Henry or 001 (Jamie Campbell Bower) transformed into Vecna. It is revealed that he is behind the attacks by the creatures from the Upside Down. Dustin earlier speculated that if the Demogorgon that appeared in season 1 was a foot soldier, Vecna is a four-star general in the Mind Flayer’s army. In reality, Vecna created the Mind Flayer and used it to possess Will Byers and Billy Hargrove. In the season 4 finale, titled ‘The Piggyback,’ Eleven and her friends face Vecna on multiple fronts. Nancy, Max, and the others realize that Vecna needs to open four gates to bring the horrors of Upside Down to their world. He has already opened three gates. The group decides to kill Vecna with Max, who still can feel the entity in her mind, volunteering to be the bait.

Using a makeshift sensory deprivation tank from 2,000 miles away, Eleven enters Max’s mind as the latter goes to confront Vecna. Meanwhile, Dustin and Eddie draw the demobats away from the Creel house so that Steve, Nancy, and Robin can go in to kill Vecna’s physical form in an attic in the Upside Down. During her fight with Vecna, Eleven realizes why Brenner thought she wasn’t ready. Ultimately, encouraged by Mike, Eleven defeats Vecna, while Steve and Robin set fire to his physical body, and Nancy shoots him multiple times with a shotgun.

However, Vecna doesn’t die. Because he was once possessed by the Mind Flayer, Will can still feel Vecna. He reveals that although Vecna is hurt, he is still very much alive. Although Eleven tries to bring Max back, the latter seems stuck in a coma, and Eleven can’t reach her through her mind. Moreover, as Max was technically dead for over a minute, Vecna’s spell succeeded, turning the entire town of Hawkins into a massive gate to the Upside Down.

Read More: Is Martin Brenner Dead or Alive in Stranger Things? Theories