How old is Vecna as a kid?

As an obsessed Stranger Things fan and lore aficionado, I‘ve deeply analyzed the twisted timeline behind Vecna‘s shadowy emergence. Most viewers first met this abominable villain when he began his murderous spree in Hawkins. But dedicated fans know his sinister origins trace back over 30 years.

In this deep dive, I‘ll illuminate Vecna‘s complete backstory, integrating clues about his age as a child alongside pivotal moments that forged this boogeyman. If you‘re dying to know the key milestones in Henry Creel‘s disturbed path to becoming Vecna, this is the ultimate dossier. Let‘s crack open the secrets of this monster‘s past.

Critical Context: What We Know About Vecna‘s Age So Far

Before surveying Vecna‘s entire timeline, let‘s establish some critical context:

Vecna‘s Human Identity: Henry Creel

The demonic entity known as Vecna was once a ordinary human boy named Henry Creel. As referenced in iconic Dungeons & Dragons lore, Vecna arose when Henry‘s original body was twisted into a grotesque undead form.

Vecna‘s Age as a Child: 12 Years Old in 1959

In a pivotal flashback scene from Season 4 Volume 1, we witnessed a 12-year-old Henry manifest telekinetic powers in 1959 after the traumatic loss of his family. This remains the only direct indicator of Vecna‘s age as a child thus far.

Vecna‘s Current Age: Estimated 39 Years Old

Though his body became mutilated after interdimensional exile, Vecna has still aged chronologically. If Henry was 12 in 1959, he would be around 39 in the current 1986 Stranger Things timeline.

Connected to Eleven Since Birth

Crucially, Henry‘s existence has been bonded to fellow test subject Eleven since her birth in 1971 to Terry Ives. Their conflict shapes the show‘s central tension as hero and villain.

Now that we‘ve established some fundamental context, let‘s venture deeper into the past to trace Vecna‘s complete origin story from innocent child to present-day demonic destroyer.

The Tragic Origins of Henry Creel (1959)

Our story starts in quaint Hawkins itself during the 1950s era of American prosperity. A young 12-year-old boy named Henry Creel lived an average life with his family, including domineering father Victor, loving mother Virginia, and sweet sister Alice.

But simmering under the placid façade, Henry harbored a troubled inner world. From a young age, he grappled with sinister visions and psychic manifestations hinting at a deeper darkness.

In 1959, the façade shattered completely when Henry witnessed his mother‘s gruesome suicide, catalyzed by his father‘s abuse. The trauma unlocked Henry‘s latent telekinetic and telepathic gifts in an explosive eruption. He proceeded to psychically murder his father and sister as part of his first kills.

With his family gone, the emotionally scarred Henry needed help controlling his spectacular but volatile powers. This fateful choice brought him to Hawkins Laboratory and Dr. Martin Brenner – setting Henry down the path to eventually becoming Vecna.

The Making of a Monster: Henry Creel Becomes Test Subject 001 (1959-1979)

Recognizing Henry‘s potential, Dr. Brenner took custody of him as an orphaned ward of the state in 1959. Henry became the inaugural test subject denoted as "001" in Brenner‘s experimental program harnessing psychic children.

Given Henry‘s existing homicidal tendencies, Dr. Brenner sought to rigorously condition and normalize him. As referenced by Orderly Peter Ballard, this process involved:

• Shock therapy to associate manifestations with pain
• Manipulative bonding to see Brenner as a father figure
• Socialization to behave appropriately around peers

Additionally, Brenner developed a prototype suppression device known as the Soteria Implant. Initially allowing Henry to stabilize his powers, the implant‘s remote activation could paralyze him fully.

Under Dr. Brenner‘s machinations, the eager-to-please Henry believed he could become a hero using his powers for good. But despite superficial progress, Henry remained violent and unstable at his core.

After a televised rocket launch triggered a psychic meltdown where Henry slaughtered guards and staff, Dr. Brenner imprisoned him long-term in the Hawkins Lab Vault. Though it seemed Henry‘s days as 001 were over, his connection to Brenner‘s experimentation had just begun.

The Birth of Eleven Sparks a New Phase (1970-1979)

Despite 001 washing out from the program, Dr. Brenner continued seeking paranormal test subjects. This effort resulted in the birth of a special girl named Jane "Eleven" Ives in 1971, whose mother Terry participated in MKUltra experiments while pregnant.

Possessing even greater raw power than 001, baby Eleven became Brenner‘s new prized specimen. However, she lacked Henry‘s foundational training to channel that strength for telekinetic feats.

Observing this, Dr. Brenner realized the catatonic 001 could still be useful for mentoring Eleven. In 1970, Brenner reactivated Henry, hoping he could instruct Eleven to reach her capabilities.

But when Henry unleashed his instability again, a wary Dr. Brenner permanently suppressed him with the Soteria implant. Brenner then appointed Henry as "Orderly Peter," an unassuming Hawkins Lab aide tending to children like Eleven as part of his rehabilitation.

For nearly a decade, Henry lurked as Peter while secretly coveting the talents of test subjects like Eleven from the sidelines. His true buried persona – complete with a twisted agenda – waited dormantly for the chance to reemerge.

Vecna Rises: Henry Creel Manifests His True Powers (1979)

That opportunity finally came in 1979, when a curious Eleven discovered Peter‘s underlying identity as 001. Empathizing with his past trauma at Dr. Brenner‘s hands, she removed Henry‘s Soteria implant to free him.

But this act inadvertently unleashed the darkness that had festered in Henry all those years. Now an adult man in his 30s, Henry sadistically slaughtered his way through Hawkins Lab, killing scientists, guards, and even sympathetic test subjects.

With his powers restored after years of suppression, Henry demonstrated even greater psychic mastery than his childhood. He levitated people, manipulated objects telekinetically, and created visual/auditory hallucinations via telepathy.

Ultimately, it took the raw strength of a frightened young Eleven to stop Henry‘s rampage, severing parts of his body before casting him into the primordial darkness of the Upside Down.

This climactic ritual left Henry Creel presumed dead, with Eleven regaining her memories of him as she matured. But in actuality, Henry‘s story was still unfinished…

The Legend of Vecna Forms (1979-1986)

But the dark events of 1979 were not Henry Creel‘s end – rather, they marked his profane rebirth as Vecna. His mangled human body mutated as it fused with the Upside Down‘s biomass over years in exile.

Assuming a ghoulish undead form with tentacles and a deteriorated face, Henry‘s persona likewise transformed. The traumatic events from his youth metastasized into fully megalomaniacal god complex under the ominous moniker of "Vecna."

In this monstrous shape, Vecna patiently built strength over years estranged in the Upside Down while tapped into humanity‘s darkness. His telepathic powers expanded, allowing him to spy on ordinary people and exploit their suffering.

Vecna specifically targeted those with painful secrets or emotional scars from past trauma. By stoking their innermost fears and guilts, Vecna brought these poor souls completely under his control before invading their minds.

Wielding this insidious ability in 1986, Vecna finally breached into Hawkins itself, possessing vulnerable teenagers like Chrissy, Fred, and Patrick. After brutally killing them from the inside out, the gates Vecna created allowed him to cross over physically from the Upside Down.

Now ascended as a demonic shadow overlord, Vecna continues appalling Hawkins with his sadistic tactics, converging each death into energy for his ultimate plan…

But that‘s a nightmare to dissect another time! For now, let‘s reflect on the twisted timeline that allowed little Henry Creel to transform into the formidable Vecna over 30+ years.

In Closing: The Twisted Road From Henry to Vecna

Who could have guessed that ordinary 12-year-old Henry Creel from quaint 1959 Hawkins would one day morph into the greatest terror ever unleashed upon the town?

And yet, the pivotal events he experienced – losing his family, acquiring his powers, getting taken by Dr. Brenner – put Henry Creel on a profoundly dark path from the start. Unfolding gradually over years suppressed at Hawkins Lab, that darkness ultimately engulfed any remaining humanity through years of exile.

Now as Vecna, Henry‘s childhood trauma warped into pure malice aimed squarely back at former home. If only young Henry received real help healing rather manipulation from Dr. Brenner to weaponize his gifts, perhaps Vecna would never have emerged at all.

But that chance passed long ago in 1959. Now three decades later, Vecna‘s cycle of violence threatens to further scar the town that made him with unearthly chaos.

Let me know your thoughts on Vecna‘s evolution from innocent boy to demonic destroyer! What other pivotal moments stood out across the tortured timeline of Henry Creel‘s life? Let me know in comments below…