🔗 Share this article

Throughout a large portion of the concluding season of the popular Netflix show, Holly Wheeler and Max Mayfield find themselves trapped inside a mental fortress constructed from the recollections of the villain Henry. Their mission for freedom in episode 6 forces them to relive a traumatic incident from Henry's childhood—an event that may just hold the means to overcome him once and for all.

Editor's Note: This discussion contains major spoilers for the concluding episodes.

Unearthing the Secrets of the Mine Shaft

When she finds Max in the psychic realm known as Camazotz, Max reveals she is sheltering in a cave that Henry strangely fears. An accidental discovery a telescope taken from Henry's old home helps Holly understand that the true terror lies beyond the cave. When she lines up her view with the shape, she and Max tumble into a subterranean passage.

They watch a Henry as a boy come across an wounded, fearful individual. Attempting assistance, the man reacts violently, striking Henry in the hand. Fighting for his life, Henry ends the threat with a rock. "Did this make Henry evil?" Holly questions through tears. The answer is affirmative, but the trauma wasn't just a simple act of survival.

Similar to other plot points this season, the truth about the mine shaft incident originates in the live show Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

An Interdimensional Incident and Secret Science

The play reveals the legendary naval test, which reportedly teleported a warship into a dimension later called the Abyss. The ship was attacked, and the lone returnee was the captain, who returned in a vegetative state with an altered blood type.

The captain's son, Martin Brenner, wanted to repeat this dimensional breach in remote Nevada. One of his scientists took experimental components to sell to the Communist spies, who were keen to start their own interdimensional projects. That traitor in the cavern was that very thief.

The Briefcase's Contents

Considering what is understood of the doctor's experiments, the briefcase most likely held some of Captain Brenner's infected blood. As shown, Henry is bleeding from his hand. He likely becomes contaminated upon opening the case, which triggered the development of his psychic abilities—traits he would inadvertently transfer to the test subjects under Brenner's care.

Alternatively, the container could have held exotic matter that was destined to travel to the Hawkins lab, where it maintains the stability of the mirror dimension. The prequel shows that Henry was transported in the Abyss, coming back after half a day with a new blood type and personality. As a youth, he fights the influence of a dark entity, much like how the character Will was possessed by the shadow monster in the past.

A Weaponized Emotion

The reason Henry avoids the cave linked to that memory highlights how deeply scarring the incident was for him. Even as he commands the Hive Mind and attempts to pull the Abyss into Hawkins, a fragment of his psyche still exists. Vecna uses fear, and the narrative points to a showdown between him and Will, who has confronted his personal demons to fortify himself.

Will's growth has effectively disarmed Vecna. More importantly, Will now is aware of what Vecna himself fears, which could provide a critical advantage in the ultimate battle ahead.