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Throughout a large portion of season 5 of *Stranger Things*, the young Holly Wheeler and Max Mayfield are imprisoned within a psychic prison built from the memories of the villain Henry. Their quest for freedom in the pivotal sixth episode has them witness again a traumatic incident from Henry's childhood—an event that may just hold the means to overcome 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 Tunnel

After locating Max in the psychic realm dubbed Camazotz, Max reveals she is sheltering in a cave that Henry is terrified of. A clever observation a viewing device taken from Henry's old home lets Holly see that the danger lies outside of the cave. By aligning her view through the cap, she and Max plummet into a abandoned tunnel.

In this place, they observe a young, eight-year-old Henry come across an injured and paranoid man. Attempting assistance, the man reacts violently, wounding the boy in the hand. Fighting for his life, Henry ends the threat with a rock. "Is this what corrupted him?" Holly asks tearfully. It was a factor, but the act involved more than a fight for life.

In keeping with mysteries in volume 2, the truth about the mine shaft incident was first explored the live show The First Shadow.

An Interdimensional Incident and A Spy's Mission

*The First Shadow* opens with the legendary naval test, which transported a U.S. Navy ship into a dimension dubbed the Abyss. Demogorgons assaulted it, and the only one to return was the captain, who came back in a unresponsive state with an altered blood type.

That survivor's offspring, a young Martin Brenner, attempted to recreate this experiment in remote Nevada. However, a treacherous employee pilfered lab samples to give to the Communist spies, who were eager to begin their own interdimensional projects. This spy in the mine shaft is that employee.

The Briefcase's Contents

Considering what is understood of the doctor's experiments, the case most likely held some of the altered blood. At that moment, Henry is already bleeding. He likely becomes contaminated upon handling the contents, causing the development of his psychic abilities—abilities he would inadvertently transfer to the test subjects under Brenner's care.

A second theory, the case could have held exotic matter that eventually found its way to the secret facility, where it acts to anchor the mirror dimension. *The First Shadow* reveals that the boy somehow wound up in the Abyss, coming back 12 hours later as a different person. From then on, he struggles with the control of a malevolent force, reminiscent of how Will was controlled by the shadow monster in the past.

The Power of Fear

The reason Henry avoids the cave linked to that memory demonstrates how utterly horrifying the incident was for him. Even as he commands the Hive Mind and seeks to merge the Abyss into Hawkins, a fragment of his psyche lingers. The villain weaponizes terror, and the series is building toward a showdown between the monster and Will, who has deliberately faced his personal demons to fortify himself.

This journey has effectively disarmed Vecna. Furthermore, Will now is aware of what the monster's own weakness, potentially giving him a key upper hand in the series finale ahead.