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For much of season 5 of the popular Netflix show, the young Holly Wheeler and Max Mayfield are held captive inside a mental fortress built from the past of Vecna. Their quest for a way out in episode 6 has them witness again a traumatic incident from Henry's early years—a discovery that could contain the key to defeating him once and for all.

Spoiler Warning: This article reveals crucial plot points for the second part of the final season.

Unearthing the Secrets of the Mine Shaft

After locating Max in the mental landscape dubbed Camazotz, Max reveals she is taking refuge in a chamber that Henry strangely fears. By leaving the lens cap on a spyglass found in Henry's old home allows Holly to realize that the true terror lies outside of the cave. When she lines up her view through the cap, she and Max plummet into a deep mine shaft.

There, they witness a Henry as a boy find an injured and paranoid man. Attempting assistance, the man reacts violently, hitting him in the hand. To protect himself, Henry ends the threat with a rock. "Did this make Henry evil?" Holly questions through tears. Essentially, yes, but the trauma went deeper than a fight for life.

In keeping with mysteries this season, the full story behind the events in the tunnel was first explored the theatrical production the prequel play.

An Interdimensional Incident and Stolen Research

*The First Shadow* opens with the 1943 event, which allegedly sent a warship into a realm known as the Abyss. The ship was attacked, and the only one to return was the captain, who returned in a catatonic condition with an different blood composition.

That survivor's offspring, Martin Brenner, sought to replicate this experiment in the Nevada desert. However, a treacherous employee pilfered lab samples to hand over to the Communist spies, who were keen to start their version of the tests. That traitor in the cavern was that very thief.

Unlocking the Mystery

Based on what is revealed about Brenner's work, the briefcase almost certainly contained samples of Captain Brenner's infected blood. At that moment, Henry is already bleeding. It's probable he was infected upon contact with the blood, leading to the development of his psychic abilities—powers he would later pass on to the test subjects in Hawkins Lab.

A second theory, the container could have held exotic matter that was destined to travel to the secret facility, where it maintains the stability of the mirror dimension. *The First Shadow* reveals that young Henry was transported in the Abyss, returning after half a day with a new blood type and personality. As a youth, he fights the control of a dark entity, similar to how the character Will was possessed by the shadow monster in season 2.

Confronting Terror

The reason Henry avoids the cave associated with the mine shows how deeply scarring the encounter was for him. Even as he orchestrates the collective consciousness and attempts to pull the Abyss into Hawkins, a piece of the scared boy remains. Fear is his tool, and the series is building toward a climactic battle between the monster and Will, who has confronted his personal demons to become stronger.

This journey has neutralized a key tactic of Vecna. More importantly, Will now is aware of what his enemy truly fears, and this may grant a decisive edge in the ultimate battle to come.