Who is 010 in Stranger Things?

010 was a test subject at Hawkins National Laboratory in the Netflix series Stranger Things. Referred to as "Ten", he was among a group of children experimented on for their psychic abilities in secret government research spearheaded by Dr. Martin Brenner during the 1970s. Tragically, 010 did not survive the "Hawkins Lab Massacre" in September 1979 when another powerful test subject, 001/Vecna, broke free and slaughtered many at the facility.

Digging Deeper Into 010‘s Backstory

While 010‘s time in Stranger Things was painfully short, there are some fascinating layers around this ill-fated test subject worth a closer analysis:

What We See of 010 Onscreen

In a chilling opening scene of Season 4 set in 1979, viewers get their only glimpse of 010 alive. Under Dr. Brenner‘s supervision, 010 uses his mental talents to identify objects situated in an adjacent room he cannot see. This training session perfectly captures the cold, clinical experimentation upon gifted children occurring regularly at Hawkins Lab.

We never see 010‘s full face, but it‘s apparent he is just one of many young subjects Brenner exploited in his covert psychic research agenda. 010 demonstrates attentiveness and urgency when following Brenner‘s commands, likely fearful of potential consequences if he fails the test. Their dynamic highlights Brenner‘s psychological manipulation tactics to ensure his subjects compliance.

While 010‘s portion of the scene is brief, it underscores a bigger backstory – Hawkins Lab had been honing children‘s abilities secretly for years by this point. 010 is living proof that Brenner‘s human experiments predated even meeting fierce fan-favorite hero Eleven (011).

010 Speculated As Eddie Munson By Some Fans

When early trailers for Stranger Things Season 4 first displayed shadowy figures from the 1979 lab massacre, some fans speculated that 010 may have actually survived…living on as Eddie Munson decades later!

The theory argues that because 010‘s face is never fully visible onscreen, he could have conceivably escaped the lab unrecognized that fateful day. Furthermore, Eddie does not react strongly when informed about Eleven‘s powers. Perhaps he already possessed firsthand awareness of Hawkins Lab‘s gifted test subjects?

While creative, most devotees have since dismissed notions of Eddie being 010 incarnate. The Duffer Brothers have provided no solid clues indicating 010 made it out alive after Vecna‘s rampage. And given Eddie seemingly has no personal experience with psychic phenomena before befriending the core Stranger Things crew, theories correlating him with test subject 010 remain largely debunked. But it is still fun to imagine ways this fan-favorite 80s metalhead could have originated from Brenner‘s clandestine experiments!

Digging Into The Hawkins Lab Massacre‘s Aftermath

The climactic Hawkins Lab Massacre resulted from Brenner‘s most formidable known test subject – 001/Vecna – turning murderously hostile after Eleven banished him to the Upside Down in 1979.

That fateful September day, Vecna psychokinetically overpowered his containment cell door lock, enabling him to roam free. He proceeded to gruesomely kill facility doctors and soldiers before setting his sights on Brenner‘s prized young test subjects.

As seen in the opening minutes of Season 4, 010 became one of Vecna‘s many defenseless victims during this rampage. While Eleven was conveniently absent from the lab when the massacre began, most others present that day perished violently under Vecna‘s unrestrained wrath.

Exact death totals remain undisclosed, though the trail of carnage was clearly extensive based on glimpses of bloodied bodies strewn about the lab corridors. Between security personnel and an unknown number of Barnes‘ test subjects, Vecna‘s body count from his explosive Hawkins Lab revenge likely reached double digits.

The aftermath of this shocking bloodbath was immense. With Vecna successfully escaped into the Upside Down, Dr. Brenner‘s human experimentation ambitions were indefinitely put on hold. The lab was dangerously compromised, extremely short-staffed, and no longer equipped to safely contain, treat and develop any surviving subjects.

Eleven herself would not resurface until crossing paths with the boys of Hawkins two years later in 1983, when Season 1 begins. As for poor 010 and other test subjects slain by Vecna mid-experiment, they became little more than forgotten casualties buried in Hawkins Lab‘s alarming history.

How 010 Compares To Other Numbered Test Subjects

010 is simply one specimen in a sequence of gifted children given numerical designations while under Dr. Brenner’s testing supervision at Hawkins National Lab. Examining patterns across subjects grants helpful perspective:

Subject Comparison Table:

Observing patterns across test subjects:

• The first two numbers 001 and 002 are the oldest subjects from Brenner‘s initial trials
• 82% ultimately escape the lab‘s captivity
• Only 36% of known subjects are confirmed to still be alive
• A gender split leans 60% male subjects vs 40% female

Situated between more established predecessors like 001/Vecna and celebrated escapee 008, unlucky 010 landed squarely in the crosshairs of the former during his savage revenge rampage in September 1979. While brief, 010‘s story sheds light on those earlier days when Dr. Brenner operated his human experiments entirely in the shadows.

Final Thoughts

In the end, "Ten" represented just one of potentially dozens of psychically talented children exploited by Dr. Brenner for clandestine government research during the 1960s and 70s. While 010‘s death was senseless and premature, his tale adds perspective around how long Hawkins Lab‘s activities persisted before Eleven broke free and crossed paths with Mike, Dustin, Lucas and the greater community of Hawkins, Indiana in 1983.

Who knows how many gifted young minds like 010 had their futures cut tragically short within those sterile walls? As a devout Stranger Things fan, I sincerely hope the forthcoming fifth season continues peeling back layers on Brenner‘s past transgressions. After all, in-depth understanding of where these heroes and villains originated from makes their unfolding journeys resonate all the more richer today. Even side characters like 010 help color in show‘s mythology one piece at a time!