D&D General An Iconic D&D Villain Features In Stranger Things’ New Seasom

Following on from Season 1's Demogorgon, the producers of Stranger Things have confirmed in an IGN interview that the villain in the upcoming 4th season of the show is named after the iconic D&D archlich Vecna!

Perhaps the juiciest part of this very juicy trailer was not one, but two shots of our new big bad, who, as the brothers revealed, is named Vecna. One comes in at the very beginning, with a shot of him opening his eyes as his creepy voiceover reads, “your suffering is almost at an end,” which Matt calls “our Hellraiser line.” Ever since Season 2, the Duffers say, they wanted to do a character that was similar to the horror figures that terrified them growing up, from Freddie Kruger to Pinhead to Pennywise.

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[Bedrockgames]

It is not literally Vecna, just like it was not literally Demogorgon of a Mind Flayer in the previous seasons. It is some kids playing D&D relating something from the game they play to issue they are facing in their lives. It is not Vecna. Have you watched the series?

I understand they aren't literally those things. Yes I have seen every season. I just don't have as positive a reaction to Vecna being the basis for things as I do to the Demogorgon or a Mindflayer. Just my opinion. It just feels too specific. Like I said, it is more like bringing in something like Soth, or if you prefer Takhisis. Vecna is a very branded character in the setting. It just feels different than the prior season concepts. Hopefully they pull it off.

 

[Alzrius]

So, the big villain of Stranger Thing is ... a man in a rubber suit?

I am underwhelmed. This show was soundly in the "cosmic/weird horror" genre. The last thing it needs is a humanoid undead as the BBEG.

I think there's an overarching theme of the villain becoming more human over the seasons. At first, it was just a lone hench-monster. Then the BBEG itself, which was some sort of inhuman psychic entity. Then it began possessing people and gained an understanding of humans as it formed a physical avatar. Now it's able to take on its own humanoid shape, having learned enough about us to function in a similar form.

 

[Umbran]

Oh, I have no doubt they're a fine place to work, the connotations of the name just mean I can't help but giggle a little whenever I see it.

Yeah. And, you can imagine that in a tech company, there's a lot of geeks who know the joke.

But, when I worked there, it was a good place, with smart people. And the Best. Darned. Healthcare. Plan. Ever.

 

[Dire Bare]

Yeah. And, you can imagine that in a tech company, there's a lot of geeks who know the joke.

But, when I worked there, it was a good place, with smart people. And the Best. Darned. Healthcare. Plan. Ever.

Did the health plan cover apotheosis into lichdom?

 

[Sonny]

And the Best. Darned. Healthcare. Plan. Ever.

So the phylacteries free, or was there some kind of co-pay?

 

[Sonny]

Did the health plan cover apotheosis into lichdom?

I would have been fine with getting beat to the punch, but your joke was also better. If this was a Superhero movie I would be swearing vengeance right now.

 

[cbwjm]

Imagine being Vecna, one of the biggest bad guys in the entire multiverse. You became a lich, got banished to ravenloft, broke the planes escaping, and became a god. You could have conquered much of reality, except for those damn kids...

 

[Ancalagon]

So, a tangent - there has been many a discussion where people wonder how big an impact Critical Role had on the resurgence of D&D... but a loooot more people have seen Stranger Things than Critical Role...

 

[darjr]

So, a tangent - there has been many a discussion where people wonder how big an impact Critical Role had on the resurgence of D&D... but a loooot more people have seen Stranger Things than Critical Role...

But it turns out that Matt banished Vecna to thst little town so it’s CR ALL THE WAY DOWN!

 

[Storyteller Hero]

I'm still waiting for Vecna to become a baddie in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Hey, stranger things have happened.