If you’ve seen Stranger Things Season 4 already, then you know just how imposing and terrifying its new villain, Vecna, is. Whether it’s the way he moves, his mysterious actions, his creepy looks, this character was hands down the most horrifying antagonist the series has produced.
But what if I told you that the initial designs of Vecna were somehow even more sinister and terrifying? Earlier this week, Stranger Things concept artist and director Michael Maher Jr. posted a slew of different early concepts for the Season 4 villain, each of which looks different and scary in its own way.
According to Maher, The Duffer brothers initially wanted something inspired by Nightmare on Elm Street and Hellraiser while still existing in the Upside Down design language and the Dungeons and Dragons theme. Early versions of the character even had maggots infesting the cavity of his missing nose as well as wriggling in the rot of his vine infected body parts.
While Vecna obviously still came out looking pretty scary and amazing, it’s really interesting to see all the other possible ways he could have also looked like.
If you want to see more early designs and info on the Stranger Things Season 4 character, head on over to Michael Maher Jr.’s official blog post here. Be sure to let us know in the comment section which one was your favorite.
We’ve also got some more Stranger Things Season 4 content located throughout the site, including plenty of features, news, and quizzes, so be sure to take a look around in the related articles section below.
