Vecna in Stranger Things season 5Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
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Matthew Rudoy
Published 41 minutes ago
Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025.
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A character missing from Stranger Things season 5 was secretly part of Vecna's story. Stranger Things' ending concludes the journeys for its main characters, but the fates of several supporting characters are left unanswered, including for Dr. Sam Owens, Suzie Bingham, and Dmitri "Enzo" Antonov.
While all these individuals were introduced in previous Stranger Things seasons, some characters were also missing in season 5 from the prequel play, Stranger Things: First Shadow. The stage production revolves around young Henry Creel and his time in Hawkins before he is transformed into Vecna. Even though one particularly important character from the play isn't physically in the final season of the Netflix series, she still plays a role in Vecna's story.
First Shadow’s Patty Newby Was Missing From Stranger Things Season 5
Gabrielle Nevaeh as Patty Newby in Stranger Things: The First ShadowCredit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
One of the most essential characters introduced in The First Shadow prequel is Patty Newby, the sister of Bob Newby. She is the only person who genuinely connects with young Henry and is kind to him, with both feeling like outsiders during their time at Hawkins High School.
She learns about Henry's powers and encourages him to use them for good, which he does by helping her locate her biological mother. Patty also tries to help Henry after he is taken by Dr. Martin Brenner. Henry accidentally hurts her, but Patty survives and ultimately reunites with her mother in Las Vegas.
Between Patty's survival and her strong connection to Henry, there were many theories about her appearing and playing an important part in Stranger Things' final season. From the cave Vecna won't enter to the school play in his memories, there are connections to The First Shadow in season 5. Patty never appears, nor is she mentioned, but her character influences the story in another way.
Patty Was Secretly Part Of Vecna’s Mr. Whatsit Story
Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel Mr Whatsit in Stranger Things
In the Netflix documentary One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, Jamie Campbell Bower discusses why he believes Vecna chooses the memory of his childhood home as part of his Mr. Whatsit deception. It is because it is the perfect vision of what he wanted his life to be and a reminder of when he had Patty in his life. Check out Bower's comments below:
I think what’s really interesting is that in his mind, he’s gone back home. He could go anywhere. This is a choice. You could be anywhere, right? He’s decided to go back home. And he’s living in this same house. It’s almost like it becomes this perfect vision of what he wanted it to be and what it never was, which makes it so human. And these are my… I had no friends. No one but Patty [Newby] was nice to me.
Bower's understanding of Vecna and how he portrays the character was not only rooted in the show, but in The First Shadow as well. Despite his villainous transformation and it being decades later, Patty still weighs heavily on Henry's mind, even as he embraces his darkness and deceives Holly Wheeler and her peers.
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Want clearer links between prequels and finales? Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper coverage of Stranger Things connections, character backstories, and the hidden storylines that help make sense of the series' big moments. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Bringing Patty into season 5 likely would have been too jarring and required too much explanation for those unfamiliar with the play. As someone who saw good in Henry, her presence may also not have fit with the creative decision to have him remain a villain and not have any kind of redemption.
For those disappointed by Patty's absence and the lack of any mention, it is at least good to know that she remained an important, albeit subtle part of Vecna's story in Stranger Things season 5.
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Stranger Things
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-14 Drama Mystery Horror Science Fiction Release Date 2016 - 2025-00-00 Network Netflix Showrunner Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer Directors Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz Writers Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
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Millie Bobby Brown
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Stranger Things is a Netflix series set in the 1980s, where the mysterious disappearance of a young boy leads a small town to uncover secret experiments and supernatural forces.
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