It’s been a while since fans started speculating about Holly Wheeler, the youngest of the Wheeler family, would be in danger in Stranger Things 5. Ever since Netflix revealed the title of the season’s second episode, “The Vanishing of…”, fans have had Holly as the favorite to be taken to the Upside Down, just like Will Byers was in the season premiere.
Spoilers for Stranger Things 5 Vol. 1 ahead!
Well, in the second episode of Stranger Things 5, which is now titled “The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler,” that’s exactly what happened. The Demogorgon rips a whole from the Upside Down into Holly’s room and snags Holly, who is played by Nell Fisher, in season 5, but Holly escapes and runs into the bathroom to her mom. They hide in the bath while the Demogorgon stalks around the Wheeler house to ABBA’s “Fernando.”
Despite a valiant effort by Karen Wheeler, played by Cara Buono, to stop the Demogorgon, the Upside Down creature slashes the throat of Karen, Mike, and Nancy’s mom, and flees into the Upside Down with Holly.
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) arrive minutes too late. While Nancy waits with her mom until the ambulance arrives, Eleven walks through the portal into the Upside Down, hunting down the Demogorgon to save Holly.
While we all knew Holly was going to be in danger in Stranger Things 5, I don’t think anyone was expecting the real reason why Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), also known as Henry Creel, is targeting Holly. And, even after four episodes, we still don’t know the full scope of Vecna’s plan, but part of it has been revealed.
The Demogorgon attack on Holly wasn't random; it's all part of Vecna's plan
Netflix shared clips of Holly getting attacked by the Demogorgon heading into season 5, but how it actually went down was much more intense than anything I could have imagined. And, it's very clear that this was not just a random attack. Vecna wanted Holly, but not for the reasons we expected.
Throughout the first four episodes of Stranger Things 5, there are a few things that are obvious with Vecna's plan. So far, he's not targeting Holly to get back at Nancy or anything like those fan theories. He's using Upside Down creatures to rip portals into Hawkins and take a few kids into the Upside Down to infect in the same way that he used to infect Will in season 1.
Remember, the first season of the season, which is very important, showed Vecna laying the groundwork for what was to come. During Will's vision in Stranger Things 5 episode 4, we see the kids, including Holly, with the tentacles down their throats.
Vecna finally makes an appearance in Stranger Things 5 episode 4, "Sorcerer," and he explains that he needs kids for his plan. In this case, Holly wasn’t actually special, but she was weak, easily broken, and controlled. He also mentions "reshaping the world."
Vecna's full plan is still unclear even after the big reveals of the season
So, Vecna has a plan, but it's just unclear what that is right now.
But, unlike with Will, who was the first, Vecna needs more live bodies for some reason. We can't tell if he's siphoning the life force of the kids, or if the kids will be brought back into Hawkins later as some sort of monstrous, powerful army. Imagine a dozen mini-Vecnas wreaking havoc on Hawkins and the world because they're under the control of Vecna.
I think there's something to the idea that Vecna is going to use the kids in some capacity like that. If not, why not just kill everyone like Mike said? Vecna is clearly playing a longer game, and if they want to get Holly back, they need to figure out that specifically he's up to. Maybe, that will be easier now that Will has powers, too!
Ultimately, I don’t think anyone predicted that Vecna was going to actually use other kids in the same way that he used Will in season 2. That's a big surprise for everyone, and it completely changes what to expect in the final season. Instead of just fighting Vecna and the monsters of the Upside Down, Eleven and the gang could be up against an army.
Heading into the season, I was expecting Holly and the Wheelers to be targeted because of the events of Stranger Things 4. Remember, Nancy is the one who delivers the "killing" hit on Vecna in the Upside Down. It’s a combination of Eleven, Hopper in Russia, and Nancy, of course, but it definitely hurts Vecna. I thought the Demogorgon was taking Holly in some kind of revenge plot.
Vecna also likely knows that Mike is Eleven’s boyfriend. While he wasn’t accessible in the fourth season, Mike could have been forced to sit by as he was virtually powerless to his sister getting taken by the Demogorgon, but it didn’t happen that way either.
It bothers me a little bit that we still don’t know why, but I’m sure we’ll have our answer in the next batch of episodes. Stranger Things 5 Vol. 2 premieres on Christmas Day at 5 p.m. PST.