Commentary: ‘Stranger Things: First Shadow’ Provides New Context For Villain

Spinoffs are immensely important for expanding upon a story and characters. They allow fans of a series to view characters from a different angle with new details. Stranger Things: The First Shadow accomplishes this with Vecna by serving as a prequel before the character takes his monstrous turn. However, it also greatly expands upon this period of his life, allowing the audience to have new and conflicting emotions about him. The spinoff reveals a new dimension that alters him from a pure menace to a bit more sympathetic.

This stage play spin-off of the Netflix series focuses on Henry Creel (Louis McCartney) as he and his family move to a new town. Once there, he befriends a girl named Patty (Gabrielle Nevaeh), who tries to get Henry out of his social shell. He has psychic powers that torture him, causing him to kill small animals around the town. As panic starts to set in, Henry can feel the pressure mounting down on him. Nevertheless, he still has feelings for Patty as she tries to help him through this tumultuous time in his life. It unfortunately ends disastrously as Patty is hurt during a stage play accident.

During Henry’s appearance on the Netflix show, he was shown moving into town with his family, which ultimately resulted in him killing his mother and sister. This scene was recreated for the play, but it also created an entire storyline focusing on Henry in high school. For those who only experience the show, Henry comes across as a cruel psychopath only interested in death. The play offers a completely different look at Henry’s life. Because of Patty, Henry has real conflicted emotions about his powers and the effect they have on him. He’s become a sympathetic villain, and fans who have never experienced the play would never know.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is now on Broadway.