Who is main villain in Stranger Things 4?

As Stranger Things returns with Season 4 on Netflix, audiences are looking forward to the return of fan-favorite characters as well as brand new threats. The titular characters from Hawkins have faced the Demogorgon, Demi-dogs and Mind Flayer. But they may face their most formidable foe yet in the upcoming season, and a brief dive into the monster’s backstory may hint at just how much of a threat it may be.

Stranger Things 4: What is the villain?

In an interview courtesy of IGN, the Duffer Brothers confirmed that the villain of Season 4 is named Vecna. On the surface, the name might not ring a bell but fans with extensive knowledge may recognize the significance. In Dungeons & Dragons mythos, Vecna was once a powerful wizard that became a lich after becoming undead.

A “lich” refers to an undead creature and derives from the archaic term for a “corpse.”

In Dungeons & Dragons lore, Vecna is the enemy that players hope to avoid, possibly hinting at how much of a threat it will be for the titular characters of Stranger Things. The Duffer Brothers have iterated that they created Vecna in the same vein as iconic horror villains. The likes of Freddy Kreuger, Pinhead, and Pennywise were sources of inspiration for Vecna.

Given that Vecna is “undead” it could speak to the difficulty it will be to vanquish this monster in comparison to the villains from past seasons. Coupled with the belief that Eleven’s powers are temporarily lost and with Hopper (seemingly) trapped far away in Russia, it will take a greater combined effort than audiences have seen before.