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Throughout a large portion of season 5 of the popular Netflix show, the young Holly Wheeler and Max Mayfield find themselves trapped inside a mental fortress built from the past of Henry Creel. Their quest for an escape route in episode 6 has them relive a traumatic incident from Henry's youth—an event that may just hold the key to defeating him permanently.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the concluding episodes.

A Journey Into the Tunnel

After locating Max in the world called Camazotz, it becomes clear she is taking refuge in a grotto that Henry avoids at all costs. A clever observation a viewing device taken from Henry's old home allows Holly to realize that the danger lies beyond the cave. By aligning her view to the cut-out, she and Max plummet into a deep mine shaft.

They watch a young, eight-year-old Henry come across an man who is hurt and scared. As the boy offers aid, the man panics and shoots, wounding the boy in the hand. To protect himself, Henry kills the man with a rock. "Did this make Henry evil?" Holly asks tearfully. It was a factor, but the event wasn't just a defensive killing.

Similar to other plot points in volume 2, the truth about the encounter was first explored the stage play The First Shadow.

A Naval Mystery and Stolen Research

*The First Shadow* opens with the 1943 event, which transported a U.S. Navy ship into a plane known as the Abyss. The ship was attacked, and the lone returnee was the ship's commander, who returned in a unresponsive state with an different blood composition.

That survivor's offspring, Martin Brenner, wanted to repeat this phenomenon in Nevada. But a disloyal lab worker took experimental components to hand over to the Soviets, who were eager to begin their own interdimensional projects. This spy in the tunnel was that very thief.

The Briefcase's Contents

Based on what is understood of the doctor's experiments, the container almost certainly contained vials of the unique blood type. As shown, Henry is wounded and bleeding. It's probable he was infected upon handling the contents, causing the origin of his telekinetic gifts—powers he would genetically impart to the children under Brenner's care.

Another possibility, the container could have held exotic matter that eventually found its way to the Hawkins lab, where it helps stabilize the parallel world. The prequel shows that Henry ended up in the Abyss, reappearing after half a day as a different person. From then on, he struggles with the control of a sinister presence, much like how Will Byers was controlled by the Mind Flayer in season 2.

A Weaponized Emotion

Henry's enduring terror of that cave highlights how utterly horrifying the incident was for him. Even as he orchestrates the collective consciousness and works to collapse the Abyss into Hawkins, a fragment of his psyche lingers. Vecna uses fear, and the series is building toward a climactic battle between the monster and Will, who has confronted his personal demons to gain strength.

His confrontation has neutralized a key tactic of Vecna. More importantly, Will now knows what Vecna himself fears, which could provide a key upper hand in the endgame conflict to come.