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During the bulk of season 5 of *Stranger Things*, Holly Wheeler and Max find themselves trapped inside a mental fortress built from the memories of the villain Henry. The search for an escape route in the pivotal sixth episode has them experience a traumatic incident from Henry's youth—an event that could contain the means to overcome him permanently.

Heads Up: The following contains major spoilers for *Stranger Things* season 5, volume 2.

A Journey Into the Tunnel

When she finds Max in the psychic realm known as Camazotz, Max reveals she is hiding out in a chamber that Henry avoids at all costs. An accidental discovery a viewing device pilfered from Henry's old home lets Holly see that the danger lies beyond the cave. By aligning her view with the shape, she and Max plummet into a deep mine shaft.

They watch a child version of Henry find an wounded, fearful individual. When Henry tries to help, the man reacts violently, hitting him in the hand. Fighting for his life, Henry ends the threat with a rock. "Did this make Henry evil?" Holly wonders aloud. It was a factor, but the trauma wasn't just a simple act of survival.

In keeping with mysteries in volume 2, the truth about the encounter originates in the stage play the prequel play.

The Philadelphia Experiment and Secret Science

*The First Shadow* opens with the infamous Philadelphia Experiment, which transported a vessel into a plane known as the Abyss. The ship was attacked, and the only one to return was the captain, who emerged in a unresponsive state with an entirely new blood.

This man's son, a young Martin Brenner, wanted to repeat this experiment in the Nevada desert. However, a treacherous employee stole research materials to give to the Communist spies, who were eager to begin their own interdimensional projects. The man in the cavern is the one who stole the materials.

Unlocking the Mystery

Considering what is understood of Brenner's work, the briefcase almost certainly contained samples of the altered blood. At that moment, Henry is wounded and bleeding. He likely becomes contaminated upon contact with the blood, leading to the awakening of his powers—powers he would genetically impart to the children under Brenner's care.

Alternatively, the box could have held dark matter that eventually found its way to Hawkins Laboratory, where it acts to anchor the Upside Down. The prequel shows that Henry somehow wound up in the Abyss, returning hours later as a different person. Throughout the play, he fights the whispers of a dark entity, reminiscent of how Will was influenced by the shadow monster in season 2.

The Power of Fear

The reason Henry avoids the cave linked to that memory demonstrates how utterly horrifying the incident was for him. Even as he commands the Hive Mind and works to collapse the Abyss into Hawkins, a fragment of his psyche still exists. Vecna uses fear, and the narrative points to a climactic battle between Vecna and Will, who has confronted his personal demons to become stronger.

This journey has effectively disarmed Vecna. Crucially, Will now knows what Vecna himself fears, which could provide a decisive edge in the ultimate battle to come.