Henry Creel - Upside Down Theory
This theory will dive into the Upside Down questions surrounding Henry Creel, alongside his potential backstory. Therefore, this theory builds upon my previous theory regarding Henry Creel and his origins.
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In my previous theory, regarding the origins of Henry Creel, I went into depth about his family history and growing distaste for human civilisation. He started to loathe it and believed that it was unimportant. This is really important to note and to remember, especially for this theory.
Victor Creel was convinced that a demon was possessing his home and that his family were in danger. Virginia Creel was the one who wanted to try and get Henry help, due to having suspicions that it was him who was causing these horrible ongoings in the Creel house. Virginia tried to contact Dr Brenner in order to help Henry, much to Henry’s disgust. Virginia thought he was broken, whilst Henry thought it was humans that were broken, not him. This pointless vision of time that humans abide too and the structure that they follow daily, all was unimportant to Henry.
Thus, the above is really important to remember for the plot development going into Season 5. Something must have caused this particular disgust and distaste for humans. Most obviously, caused by a mental health condition. However, that would be quite a simple plot now, wouldn't it? The fact that they have paralleled many times with Will Byers demonstrates that they are indeed trying to show some similarity (yes, I admit that is very low indeed). Both are completely different, in so many ways. But perhaps in one aspect they are similar?
Season 5 of Stranger Things is set to delve into the backstory of not only Will Byers, but also Henry Creel. Which means that there is more to this boy than you currently believe. If both Will and Henry were to have any similarities, it would have to be bullying. Perhaps, over many years, young Henry Creel was bullied for being different. Which tends to be quite a common theme in Stranger Things. Bullying can have damaging effects on the mental health of anybody, but a young boy especially. This scarring could be taken advantage of by a higher, more powerful being. This is where the theory gets interesting!
One day, within the Creel House, Henry found a nest of black widow spiders in the bathroom vent. Henry became infatuated by these spiders, it was the first things he related to in his life. He believed that spiders were misunderstood, much like himself. Perhaps Henry feels isolated and lonely due to him being different, thus relating to these tranquil but sometimes lonely creatures. A demon would be ecstatic about this, right? A weak point mentally in Henry, something he finds comfort it. Something that can be exploited. We all know what Henry’s illustration ends up being too, don't we? Let’s get down to the crucial details.
Once Henry had discovered his powers and went on to eventually murder most of his family, he was monitored by Dr Brenner at the Hawkins National Laboratory. After which, cutting a long story short, he ended up in an alternate dimension after clashing with a young Eleven. This is where he ‘shaped’ the mind flayer into the same form that he drew as a young child. It willingly was controlled by Henry to do his bidding, which you would say is rather strange. A higher, ancient being randomly submitting to a random human with supernatural powers. Must be something in it for the mind flayer then, right? Perhaps he is just using Henry until he doesn’t need him anymore. Doing the light work. Or he just needed him to break into the real world!
Going backwards in time now, we need to discuss a really important plot point in order to make the above make sense. It’s almost like the mind flayer knew that Henry would end up in the alternate dimension at some point, almost like time was manipulated. Henry drew a drawing of an ancient spider looking being as a child, after obsessing over the black widow spiders in his home. So the links to the mind flayer were already ingrained into his mind from the start. I believe this is due to the mind flayer controlling Henry from the start.
The mind flayer found many weak points in Henry when the Creel family moved in. He was isolated, lonely, different. So many exploitable elements. I believe this is possibly how Henry gained his powers, through the mind flayer. How you might ask? Possibly the Creel house is built upon a rift to the alternate dimension, which we know is the Upside Down. The mind flayer is like a fungus, spreading and festering. This is how it controlled and gave power to Henry. It spread inside him, both mentally and physically. It found potential in Henry, and took advantage of him.
Plot twist; the mind flayer has always been in control of everything, despite Henry thinking that he is in control of everything.
I find it very intriguing that we have not been shown Henry’s backstory in Season 4. Easily, they could’ve fit it into the storyline, especially the montages when Victor was speaking about the Creel family. It feels like they’ve intentionally left this out so that it can be the big twist in Season 5. Otherwise, why leave this out until Season 5? There is something crucial awaiting the Henry Creel backstory. I believe it will show you how Henry was bullied at school and was a lonely and traumatised child. This is what the mind flayer prayed on when the Creel family moved in. It took advantage quickly, spread to Henry and controlled most elements from there forth.
I said the following in my previous theory “spiders like to create webs that spread. They weave and spread webs to create nests and homes. The mindflayer is similar in that it spreads. Therefore there is a parallel to Henry liking spiders and finding comfort within them. The mindflayer being a possibly intelligent higher force could’ve taken advantage of this fact, the only comfort Henry had”. This is how the mind flayer took control of Henry and found a way to connect with him. Giving him the powers from the start would help with events later on, which I believe the mind flayer knew. Even if powers weren’t given to him by the mind flayer, I believe events were manipulated by the mind flayer and the influence was already there.
If the mind flayer could manipulate time, it would know where Henry would end up, or perhaps even manipulated events when Henry was teleported by Eleven in the lab. Somehow, Henry was meant to end up in the Upside Down, in order to connect with the mind flayer and to give him the form that he needed. The strength and power. Perhaps without Henry, the mind flayer couldn’t get into the real world and needed him to be able to spread further. Therefore, they both needed each other. Their goals aligned. But, ultimately, Henry was being used by the mind flayer.
It is possible that Henry/Vecna could have a redemption arc on the cards and the mind flayer would turn on him. As soon as he doesn't need him anymore, it will discard him. Unlike Henry, the mind flayer isn't human. It’s not controlled by emotions. However, it's possible no redemption arc will be used. If not though, the mind flayer has still played a crucial role in spreading into the real world, manipulating events and giving Henry the necessary powers to do so. Also, I don't think it would redeem the things Henry has done, but maybe he can at least put an end to it all and realise his mistakes.
After all this time, maybe the mind flayer really was the big bad after all!