🔗 Share this article

For much of the concluding season of *Stranger Things*, Holly Wheeler and Max Mayfield find themselves trapped in a realm of memories forged from the recollections of the villain Henry. The search for freedom in the pivotal sixth episode forces them to relive a defining event from Henry's youth—a discovery that could contain the secret to his downfall permanently.

Spoiler Warning: This discussion reveals crucial plot points for the concluding episodes.

The Discovery in the Tunnel

Upon meeting Max in the psychic realm called Camazotz, Holly discovers she is hiding out in a chamber that Henry avoids at all costs. By leaving the lens cap on a telescope pilfered from Henry's old home helps Holly understand that the true terror lies not within the cave. When she lines up her view through the cap, she and Max plummet into a deep mine shaft.

They watch a Henry as a boy come across an wounded, fearful individual. When Henry tries to help, the man reacts violently, striking Henry in the hand. Fighting for his life, Henry kills the man with a rock. "Was this the turning point?" Holly wonders aloud. Essentially, yes, but the event involved more than a defensive killing.

Like many elements this season, the significance of the events in the tunnel originates in the live show the prequel play.

The Philadelphia Experiment and Stolen Research

The play reveals the legendary naval test, which allegedly sent a vessel into a plane later called the Abyss. Demogorgons assaulted it, and the lone returnee was the ship's commander, who returned in a catatonic condition with an altered blood type.

That survivor's offspring, the future Dr. Brenner, sought to replicate this dimensional breach in remote Nevada. One of his scientists pilfered lab samples to sell to the Communist spies, who were desperate to launch their own interdimensional projects. That traitor in the tunnel was that very thief.

So, What's in the Case?

Given what is revealed about Brenner's work, the container would assuredly have samples of the unique blood type. In the scene, Henry is already bleeding. It's probable he was infected upon contact with the blood, causing the awakening of his powers—powers he would genetically impart to the test subjects in Hawkins Lab.

Alternatively, the container could have held dark matter that eventually found its way to Hawkins Laboratory, where it maintains the stability of the parallel world. The prequel shows that the boy was transported in the Abyss, coming back 12 hours later with a new blood type and personality. From then on, he struggles with the whispers of a malevolent force, reminiscent of how Will Byers was controlled by the Mind Flayer in an earlier season.

The Power of Fear

His lasting fear linked to that memory highlights how profoundly traumatic the encounter was for him. While he controls the collective consciousness and attempts to pull the Abyss into Hawkins, a fragment of his psyche lingers. The villain weaponizes terror, and the series is building toward a final confrontation between Vecna and Will, who has deliberately faced his own deepest fears to fortify himself.

His confrontation has effectively disarmed Vecna. More importantly, Will now understands what Vecna himself fears, which could provide a decisive edge in the ultimate battle that awaits.