What's Inside the Briefcase Henry Unlocks in the Hit Series?
During the bulk of the concluding season of *Stranger Things*, Holly Wheeler and Max are held captive in a realm of memories forged from the recollections of the villain Henry. The search for a way out in the pivotal sixth episode forces them to relive a life-altering moment from Henry's childhood—a moment that may just hold the means to overcome him once and for all.
Spoiler Warning: The following reveals crucial plot points for *Stranger Things* season 5, volume 2.
A Journey Into the Cavern
When she finds Max in the psychic realm known as Camazotz, Holly discovers she is sheltering in a chamber that Henry is terrified of. An accidental discovery a telescope found in Henry's old home helps Holly understand that the danger lies not within the cave. Matching her view with the shape, she and Max plummet into a abandoned tunnel.
There, they witness a young, eight-year-old Henry encounter an wounded, fearful individual. Attempting assistance, the man reacts violently, wounding the boy in the hand. To protect himself, Henry strikes the man down with a rock. "Did this make Henry evil?" Holly wonders aloud. The answer is affirmative, but the act wasn't just a simple act of survival.
In keeping with mysteries in volume 2, the truth about the encounter was first explored the stage play The First Shadow.
An Interdimensional Incident and Stolen Research
The play reveals the 1943 event, which reportedly teleported a U.S. Navy ship into a plane dubbed the Abyss. Demogorgons assaulted it, and the sole survivor was the ship's commander, who came back in a unresponsive state with an altered blood type.
That survivor's offspring, Martin Brenner, wanted to repeat this experiment in remote Nevada. But a disloyal lab worker took experimental components to give to the Soviets, who were eager to begin their own interdimensional projects. That traitor in the mine shaft is the one who stole the materials.
The Briefcase's Contents
Considering what is known about the doctor's experiments, the case would assuredly have some of Captain Brenner's infected blood. At that moment, Henry is already bleeding. It's probable he was infected upon handling the contents, which triggered the development of his psychic abilities—traits he would later pass on to the children Brenner would experiment on.
A second theory, the box could have held exotic matter that later made its way to Hawkins Laboratory, where it acts to anchor the mirror dimension. *The First Shadow* reveals that the boy was transported in the Abyss, reappearing after half a day as a different person. From then on, he battles the influence of a dark entity, reminiscent of how Will was possessed by the entity in season 2.
A Weaponized Emotion
Henry's enduring terror associated with the mine demonstrates how utterly horrifying the incident was for him. Even as he commands the army of monsters and attempts to pull the Abyss into Hawkins, a fragment of his psyche still exists. Vecna uses fear, and the narrative points to a showdown between the monster and Will, who has deliberately faced his personal demons to become stronger.
Will's growth has effectively disarmed Vecna. More importantly, Will now knows what Vecna himself fears, which could provide a key upper hand in the ultimate battle ahead.
