Jamie Campbell Bower reveals major transformation he went through to become Vecna in Stranger Things Season 5

Dec 01, 2025

Washington DC [US], December 1 : Can Vecna get any more terrifying? Fans of 'Stranger Things' seem to be finding out firsthand as the show's ultimate villain returns in the final season, looking more horrifying than ever.
Vecna, played by Jamie Campbell Bower, is back on screen, and his monstrous new appearance has already had fans talking.
Introduced in Season 4 as the series' most menacing antagonist, Bower first appeared as Henry Creel before transforming into the grotesque Vecna, defined by his gray, vein-covered skin, skeletal frame, and chilling eyes. After his temporary defeat, when Nancy, Robin, and Steve set him on fire in the Season 4 finale, Vecna has returned in Season 5 looking even more frightening.
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Season 5 of the popular sci-fi series shows a redesigned creature, and according to Bower, the transformation demanded extensive practical and digital effects. Speaking to Variety, Bower said, "This season was definitely more of a blend between practical and CG. On a practical level, the face is all prosthetics, the shoulders are prosthetics, the hands are prosthetics, but everything else is a morph suit."
Bower shared that maintaining Vecna's imposing physical presence was crucial, revealing that special adjustments were added to ensure he still felt massive on set. He recalled asking to preserve Vecna's "presence," especially now that he wouldn't be fully suited during filming.
"Vecna still has the presence that he had when I first stepped onto set, I want to make sure that I'm still large," he added. "Two large blocks in the side of the suit" were added so that Bower's arms "just naturally sat that little bit further away from the body."
The actor went on to add that the updated suit required far less latex than Season 4. Back then, he had "an inch and a half of foam latex to get through," whereas the latest version required just "a millimeter."
The first four episodes of the final season dropped on Wednesday. Season 5 consists of eight episodes, according to Netflix's fan platform Tudum, as reported by PEOPLE. Episodes 5, 6, and 7 will drop on December 25, followed by the series finale on December 31.