Jamie Campbell Bower on Vecna’s Fate in Stranger Things Finale
Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Vecna in Stranger Things, shares his thoughts on his character’s fate in the final season, revealing how he learned about the ending and why he believes it was the right call.
Jamie Campbell Bower, the actor behind Vecna in the much-loved Stranger Things, has come to terms with how things wrapped up for his character in the show’s last season. He reckons the ending was spot on for the series, and that it couldn’t have played out any other way. During a chat on The Tonight Show, Bower reflected on his journey with the series, saying,
“It’s the ending the show deserves. I’ve been a fan of the show since the start, so even just joining the show was a huge achievement, and I felt very honoured and blessed to be a part of it. Even as the actor who plays Vecna, it feels right. This show is so much about friendship and love and hope and joy and of course the person who is not that has to go. All he really needs is a hug, though.”
For Bower, joining the cast was a big deal, having followed the series from the beginning. He described feeling lucky to be included in such a popular show, and said that, even from his perspective as Vecna, the outcome made sense. The series, he pointed out, is all about mateship, hope, and sticking together, so it was only natural that the character who stood against all that would meet his end.
Finding Out About Vecna’s End
Vecna’s story came to a close in episode eight, the final chapter, when Joyce Byers, played by Winona Ryder, finished him off with an axe. Bower admitted he didn’t know about his character’s demise until the table read for that episode. The reveal came as a bit of a shock, especially given the circumstances.
He explained that he was forced to attend the table read remotely because he’d come down with COVID-19. While the rest of the cast gathered in the Atlanta studio, Bower was stuck in his flat, dialling in from his computer. He joked about the situation, saying he felt a bit like Vecna himself—isolated and on his own.
Reflecting on the Experience
Bower described the remote table read as a strange experience, being separated from the rest of the cast at such a pivotal moment. Despite the odd circumstances, he managed to keep his sense of humour, taking the mickey out of his own situation by comparing it to his character’s loneliness.
Looking back, Bower said he felt grateful for the chance to be part of the Stranger Things phenomenon, even if it meant saying goodbye to Vecna in the end. He maintained that the show’s focus on connection and hope meant there was only ever going to be one outcome for a villain like Vecna.