so, like, the main message of stranger things is obviously that it's okay to be different, right???
i'm pretty sure everyone knows that lol. all the main characters are either "weirdos" in some way, suffering from trying to force themselves to conform to societal norms, or both.
eddie even explicitly spells it out for us!!! "forced conformity, that's what's killing the kids" (i'll be comƬng back to this quote later)
what seems strange, then, is how this connects to the antagonists of the show. usually, antagonists have goals, values and motivations that act as foils and counters to those of the protagonists. this can be incredibly simplistic, e.g. "hero wants to save people, villain wants to hurt people". occasionally, though increasingly more frequently in the current era of storytelling, a villain will have motives that seemingly mirror or compliment those of the hero, but that are corrupted in some way. this is the classic "we're not so different, you and i" type of villain.
brenner and the russians are both interested in weaponising and studying types of nonconformity. brenner seems to think he has complimentary motives to el, but he really doesn't.
the creatures of the upside down are, without guidance, just feral animals. dustin's relationship with dart literally proves that they have zero malicious motivations, or motivations at all beyond a desire for food.
the non-brenner government is the only antagonistic force actively trying to erase the nonconformity. their goals are the most opposed to those of the protagonists, but they share the same broad motive of wanting to keep people safe.
but henry, vecna, the mindflayer, whatever you want to call him??? the apparent main antagonist of the show??? he hates that forced conformity too!!! he spends an excruciating amount of time monologuing about how much he hates it!!! he loathes his mother for looking down on him for being different, and brenner for taking advantage of him for it. he encouraged eleven by reassuring her that she was different from the others, and that it was a good thing.
his values aren't just similar or complimentary, they are a straight up copy+paste of the show's message, but held by a bitter man with a grudge.
but why??? what does this communicate to the audience??? that it's okay to be different, unless you don't want to forgive the people who have judged you for it???
well first of all, that's a shitty fuckin message.
second of all, if that's the case then el, the main character of the show, is in opposition to the message!!! while s4 played with her morality, she wouldn't be cast in contrast to the statement the story is making, she's not that kind of protagonist.
and then i had a thought.
all of henry's victims are traumatised and struggling with mental health issues, yes, but that's not why he targets them. he targets them because they're trying to hide their struggles and conform with what is expected of them.
in a way, then, he's representative of the kind of deep self loathing that comes from lying about who you are. he's the personification of intrusive thoughts- literally, when he uses the visions on his victims!!!
from a meta perspective, he's acting like the very things he hates. if the structure of society is choking the life out of people who deviate from it, then he is the most drastic manifestation of that. forced conformity is killing the kids in spirit, and henry embodies it when he kills them in reality as well.
from a character perspective again, the problem with henry isn't his values themselves, but his utter lack of tolerance for others. not intolerance for people who actively go against his beliefs, either, but intolerance for those who aren't quite ready to apply them to themselves yet. nobody can ever break free of the confines of society if they are punished and broken simply for being born into it.
i think the message of henry's character is this:
accept and embrace the ways in which you are different, but do not look down on others for not yet being able to do the same.
