In the final season of Netflix's Stranger Things, the villain Vecna appears transformed, resembling a tree riddled with holes rather than his previous fleshy form. Makeup effects head Barrie Gower explained that this new design relies heavily on CGI, a shift from the practical effects used in season 4. The change reflects Vecna's recovery from injuries sustained at the end of the prior season.
Stranger Things season 5 introduces a markedly different Vecna, played by Jamie Campbell Bower. Unlike the human-like monster in season 4, Vecna now looks like a structure of mutated vines with cavernous holes throughout his body, allowing visibility through his form.
Barrie Gower, head of the show's makeup effects department, shared insights in an interview with People. "[Vecna] evolved to the point where his body was just made up of these mutated vines and things, rather than being 100% human form," Gower said. "He wanted the ability to be able to see through his body as well, through these cavernous masses and holes in his body, in his arms and what have you, which ... would be impossible to achieve practically."
This evolution stems from the season 4 finale, which aired in 2022 and left Vecna burned and blasted by shotgun fire. Series co-creator Matt Duffer told Variety that Vecna regrouped afterward, rebuilding himself into a stronger version that still shows signs of injury. "He more or less rebuilt his body into something stronger and hopefully cooler," Duffer explained. "But it was a challenge because we also wanted his new design to reflect the fact that he had been injured. That's why we ultimately had to go full CG ... because you see holes throughout his body."
The production shift also eased the workload on Bower. In season 4, he spent up to seven hours daily in makeup for prosthetics, but season 5 required only about three hours per day, thanks to the CGI emphasis.
This redesign underscores the show's blend of practical and digital effects as it heads into its conclusion.