Stranger Things season 4 ended on a bleak note as Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) plan was set into motion and the Upside Down began to take over Hawkins, while Max’s (Sadie Sink) encounter with Vecna left her in a coma. Stranger Things season 5 is expected to answer the biggest questions about Vecna and the Upside Down, as well as to see the final battle(s) between Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Hawkins crew against Vecna, but the team might be about to face a potential tragedy and a big family reveal, as hinted by some set photos.
Stranger Things Season 5 Holly Wheeler Set Photos Mirror Will’s Disappearance In Season 1
Holly Wheeler Is Now Riding Bikes With Her Brother & Friends
Even though she hasn’t been directly involved with the Upside Down, the Demogorgon, Vecna, or any of those threats, Holly has already seen some strange stuff.
Over the course of four seasons, the Hawkins team has had some interesting characters join their fight against the Demogorgon, the Mind Flayer, and more. Characters like Robin, Luca’s sister Erica, Murray, and Eddie have been of great help to Eleven, Hopper, Will, and the rest, and excepting Eddie, they are still part of the team. Now, following Erica’s steps, is Mike and Nancy’s youngest sister, Holly (Nell Fisher), who has been left out of any type of adventure in Stranger Things so far as she was still a small child.
Even though she hasn’t been directly involved with the Upside Down, the Demogorgon, Vecna, or any of those threats, Holly has already seen some strange stuff. In Stranger Things season 1, Holly saw the Demogorgon trying to push through the wallpaper at Will’s house, and in season 3, while riding the Ferris wheel with her parents, she saw the trees in the distance moving, as the Mind Flayer was hunting Eleven and company. The last time Holly was seen, she was excited to see it was snowing in Hawkins, but the “snow” was the spores from the Upside Down.
Photos from the set of Stranger Things season 5 show Holly riding her bike with Mike and Will, but she’s wearing the same clothes as in a different batch of set photos, in which she met the human version of Vecna. All this, along with season 5’s second episode reportedly being titled “The Vanishing of [SPOILER] Wheeler”, has led to theories about Stranger Things season 5 mirroring Will’s kidnapping with Holly. Back in season 1, Will was riding his bike from Mike’s house to his home when he was chased by the Demogorgon and taken to the Upside Down.
This time, however, it seems to be Holly on her bike and possibly being followed by Vecna projecting himself in his human form to lure her and get her to do what he wants. Vecna taking Holly would be shocking, dark, and potentially tragic, as she’s way younger than the rest (approximately 7–8 years old) and she hasn’t done anything to Vecna, the Upside Down, or anyone else.
Holly’s Disappearance Might Support A Wild Karen Wheeler Theory In Stranger Things Season 5
Karen Wheeler Might Have A Connection To Henry Creel
Vecna targeting Holly seems odd, as the ones he should be going after from the Wheeler family are Mike and Nancy, but a wild Stranger Things theory might explain why Holly is being targeted. A theory shared on social media suggests that Nancy, Mike, and Holly’s mother, Karen, is Vecna’s youngest sister, Alice. The theory is based on Karen getting a character poster for season 4 even though she’s a (minor) supporting character, and her poster showed her and Creel House.
If Karen is Alice Creel and Vecna learns about her, he could use Holly for a twisted revenge against the Wheelers.
Henry Creel’s sister, Alice, was killed along with her mother by Henry, but Stranger Things season 4 never showed her death, so it’s possible that she survived with a couple of broken bones and grew up with another family. If Karen is Alice Creel and Vecna learns that she’s not only alive but also the mother of two of his biggest obstacles, he could use Holly for a twisted revenge against all of them.
Why Would Vecna Want To Take Holly Wheeler In Stranger Things Season 5?
Holly Wheeler Is Unfamiliar With The Upside Down
Vecna might have realized that defeating them is harder than it seems, leading him to rethink his attack.
Whether Karen Wheeler is Alice Creel or not, the biggest question continues to be why Vecna would want to take Holly. After what happened between Vecna and the Hawkins and California crews in season 4, Vecna might have realized that defeating them is harder than it seems, leading him to rethink his attack. Targeting Holly would destabilize the Hawkins team and the Wheeler family, and would affect Nancy more deeply after the vision she had in season 4 of her whole family being dead. Stranger Things season 5, then, is on its way to being darker than all the previous ones.
