Fans of “Stranger Things” speculated that Season 5 would see Vecna (played by Jamie Campbell Bower) setting his sights on Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), and those suspicions were confirmed. In a surprising twist, it’s revealed that Vecna has been orchestrating events from the outset. Though these revelations might feel like a narrative tweak, subtle hints were indeed embedded throughout the series. For an in-depth exploration, you might want to check out Looper’s analysis that unveils how Vecna has been the mastermind all along.

Season 4 shed light on Vecna’s fascination with clock imagery, vividly highlighted in his monologue to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). He declares, “Where others saw order, I saw a straitjacket. A cruel, oppressive world dictated by made-up rules. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades.” This motif of timepieces recurs whenever Vecna is near, a theme that traces back to the series’ beginnings.

The opening moments of “Chapter One: The Crawl” depict Vecna linking himself to Will through a mysterious substance. This connection might not surprise avid viewers who revisited “Stranger Things” after Season 4. A forgotten detail in the first episode, “Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers,” is that a clock chime is audible around the six-minute mark when Will encounters a Demogorgon. Whether this was intentionally a clock chime or a coincidental sound, it now stands as an early clue of Vecna’s lurking presence.

Throughout “Stranger Things,” clock chimes subtly signify Vecna’s influence. For instance, in Season 2, Episode 4 — “Chapter Four: Will the Wise” — Hopper (David Harbour) ventures into the Upside Down accompanied by a chime. This auditory motif returns in Season 3 when Billy (Dacre Montgomery) falls prey to the Mind Flayer. Beyond these sonic cues, Vecna’s covert manipulation has been at play since the series commenced.

“Stranger Things” has random clock chimes at other times when Vecna’s presence could be assumed to exist. During Season 2, Episode 4 — “Chapter Four: Will the Wise” — Hopper (David Harbour) enters the Upside Down to the tune of a chime. It comes back during Season 3 when Billy (Dacre Montgomery) gets targeted by the Mind Flayer. But even overlooking all these subtle sounds, it’s not the only sign Vecna was quietly manipulating everything from the beginning. 

For example, the pilot episode opens with a scientist running away from a Demogorgon, only to find the monster already there. It’s odd the Demogorgon would know where the scientist was heading, but if it’s being controlled by Vecna (who spent a lot of time in the Hawkins lab), he could likely surmise where the Demogorgon needed to go. That first episode has a lot of hints about the existence of Vecna in retrospect, as we see the Demogorgon telekinetically open a door. Most viewers probably didn’t think much of it at the time, because the Demogorgon is already an otherworldly creature, but Vecna possesses telekinesis. It’s possible he was the one who actually opened the door, so his pet could get inside. 

Additionally, back in Season 2, Will refers to the Mind Flayer (that we discover is also being controlled by Vecna), as “He.” The Mind Flayer is an eldritch abomination that you probably wouldn’t instinctively attach a gender to, but Vecna was a man prior to his transformation. It makes far more sense for Will to use “he” when talking about any Upside Down creatures because they all lead to one entity — Vecna. These clues are only the tip of the iceberg, so make sure to watch Looper’s video above to learn more about how Vecna has always been the endgame.