

Dusty (Gaten Matarazzo) puts this to use before the creature can turn Max (Sadie Sink) into human origami like his other victims, but there are no further attempts by Vecna after they initially save their friend. Ok, so, thanks to Nancy and Robin’s (Maya Hawke) investigation into Victor Creel (Robert Englund), we know that music helps ward Vecna off. And will he stop by the asylum to check in on his dear old (also innocent) dad? Is Vecna Just, Like… Bored With Max Now? Why Isn’t He Still After Her? Considering how badly the residents treated the innocent Eddie (Joseph Quinn), he should expect a very rude welcome when they see a real monster. If Vecna has managed to cross over into the real Hawkins, he might find it hard to blend in. Why must this always be the motivation? Or rather, villains like to claim this is their goal, but they just want to watch the world burn. Like many other villains before him, we know he plans to cleanse the world by destroying and then rebuilding. Can you rebuild in the Upside Down? And does that even matter, considering the two worlds are merging? Fire is debilitating but not fatal - although his house hideout might not have the same luck. The latter appears in Season 4 Vol 2 via Max’s Halloween mask, and Vecna’s magical disappearing act toward the end of the finale is reminiscent of Michael’s ability to get up after what should be a mortal wound. The similarities between Vecna and Freddy Krueger are not hard to spot, but he also shares the seeming inability to die with Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. It will probably take more than listening to Kate Bush on repeat. It can’t be a coincidence that Eleven landed in that pre-Hawkins recollection, and this could be the key to bringing her back.

In fact, the memory Eleven witnessed of young Max getting back on her skateboard after falling off is a potential clue to her ability to take hard knocks and stand back up. It might not happen immediately, and there will be a lot of coy suggestions about her coma, but don’t rule out the tenacious redhead. The Duffers are not against a death fakeout such as Hopper at the end of Season 3 - and thankfully, the creators didn’t pull a Jon Snow, insisting he was dead - but it feels like a pretty safe bet that Max will eventually wake up. Not even Eleven can find a sign that Max’s consciousness is about to kick into gear, and she was the one who saved Max. Medical science probably hasn’t faced anything like this before. Milky eyes and broken limbs are physical wounds, but Max’s mind has taken a beating too. After all, Vecna did a number on the teen. Now she is in a coma, and the doctor is unsure when or even if she will ever wake up. For one whole minute, Max’s heart stopped.
