A new theory has brought the entire premise of Stranger Things to the center stage, as it claims that Vecna is not the final villain in the forthcoming Season 5. Apparently, the real big bad the children have to defeat in the final season might be the Mind Flayer, which is an abstract entity from the Upside Down that can control people and creatures.
As @jenkz.p on Instagram shared in his theory,
This might sound crazy but Vecna is not the main villain of Stranger Things, and I feel like we’ve all forgotten this. Let me explain. Ever since Season 4 and going into Season 5, everybody has just been under the assumption that Vecna has been behind everything that’s happened so far. And that’s just not true. And there’s plenty of proof behind this.
What’s worth noting is that it was previously revealed that the Mind Flayer was actually created by none other than Vecna. Originally, Henry Creel harnessed the darkness and particles of the Upside Down by himself to create the Mind Flayer, which he also controls. But this new theory has some pretty shocking evidence to back up the claims.
Arguments to Back Up This Stranger Things Theory
As the Instagrammer, Jenkins Peeler, continued to explain, this Stranger Things theory seems to have plenty of evidence, mostly based on the discoveries made by Dustin in the series. The first evidence is the fact that the Mind Flayer is such an ancient and unknown monster that it doesn’t even know its true home, which means it has likely been around even longer than Vecna. The theorist said,
The first piece of evidence comes from Season 2, when Dustin says that the Mind Flayer is an unknown monster and is so ancient that it doesn’t even know its true home, meaning that the Mind Flayer has been around a lot longer than Hawkins, but most importantly, Vecna.
Next, it’s also worth remembering how, in Season 4, Dustin himself called Vecna the Mind Flayer’s five-star general, which adds another layer of evidence to this theory. Per the Instagram handle,
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The second piece of evidence comes from Dustin once again, this time in Season 4, when he explicitly says that Vecna is the Mind Flayer’s five-star general. At what point are we going to start believing everything Dustin says?
Lastly, but barely the least, the First Shadow. Fans must remember that it followed the origin of Vecna and showed the Mind Flayer not only controlling Henry Creel, but also leading Creel himself straight to the Mind Flayer when he went into the Upside Down. As the theory explained,
But the biggest piece of evidence comes from the First Shadow, which is the Broadway prequel play that follows the origin of Vecna. In this play, we see the Mind Flayer controlling Henry Creel and telling him what to do. And in Season 5 of the show, as soon as Henry goes into the Upside Down, where does he go? Straight to the Mind Flayer.
This led Peeler to conclude that while Vecna might be a focal point even in this coming season, fans need to remember that the final villain might as well be the Mind Flayer that the characters have to defeat. The source said,
So even though Vecna has been the focal point of Season 4 and likely Season 5, we have to remember that he’s just doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer, who, in the end, will be the final boss that the characters have to defeat.
Of course, looking at it this way, this theory sounds pretty compelling and convincing. However, some fans are counterarguing this theory with their own arguments, also based on Stranger Things itself.
Fans Argue About the Accuracy of This Theory
A still from Stranger Things. | Credit: Netflix.
Even though Peeler made his theory sound pretty convincing, some fans just aren’t buying it. To say the least, the fans have pretty mixed opinions about the theory’s accuracy, with some counterarguing it.
All in all, in the comments section of the theory clip shared on Instagram, here’s what these fans have to say,
Vecna controls the mind flayer, when el sent him to the other dimension at first, he stumbles across the cluster of clouds and shapes them into what he envisioned since a child. Which is what we now know as the mind flayer
~ @joshua.schmidt17
Vecna was already confirmed to have made the Mind Flayer
~ @jmpproductionssss
But we also saw the Demogorgan literally bow in front of Vecna and him planning Will’s rescue. I’m so excited
~ @shivanivashi_
vecna did not create the mind flayer, simply gave it a form. first shadow implies the mind flayer has been controlling vecna
~ @johnrhill25
Yeah i was rewatching all seasons and in all first 3 seasons the main villian is mind flyer and if vecna is main villian they may have shown vecna controlling mind flyer but it is impossible cuz vecna was human and mind flyer is an ancient monster
~ @saadabdullah_16
I disagreed with you until I saw you talking about first shadow. I had no idea what that was about. But I think a reason vecna could still be the main villain instead of the thing that may be centuries older is because Vecna may be even stronger and he scares the flayed into following him instead of
~ @dylanstockwell27
But vecna created the mind flayer inn the upside down. You even see the scene amd him explaining why. Cuz hes weird and thinks spiders are cool af.
~ @rob_will_btc
In the Broadway Play which is the Prequel it eludes to the Mind Flayer actually controls Vecna . He just formed it into an image. Also think Will has been dead or controlled since season 1 and we will see Vecna playing everyone..thats my take
~ @tonyg913
Well, with all these fan arguments out there as well, what needs to be remembered is that this is just a fan theory, and the chances of it turning out to be true are pretty much as slim as its failure. So, before believing all of it, fans might as well take it with a pinch of salt.
Don’t you agree? What’s your take on this theory? Make sure to share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments below!
Stranger Things Season 5 drops on Netflix in three parts: Volume 1 on November 26, 2025, Volume 2 on December 25, 2025, and the grand finale (Episode 8) on December 31, 2025.
