Stranger Things wrapped up its wild ride with its fifth and final season, with the end of the antagonist, Vecna. Even so, the chatter around the finale has not died down, especially the much-debated final moment involving Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown. Another intense moment was the scene where Joyce Byers, played by Winona Ryder, brutally decapitates Vecna. 

This intense scene was meticulously planned, and one of the most surprising details about it was recently shared by Winona Ryder.

Winona Ryder, best known for Beetlejuice and Heathers, plays the fiercely protective mother, Joyce Byers, in Stranger Things. In a long-awaited moment, Joyce finally puts down the axe she has been carrying and uses it to decapitate Vecna. Ryder later revealed that she did not take much time to rehearse for it.

“You can’t rehearse a scene like that. You just have to sort of save it for the take. I think I only did it twice,” she told Netfkix Tudum.

The ’90s goth queen and Edward Scissorhands actress also went on to praise Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna) for that intense scene. Throughout the series, Joyce underwent one emotional blow after another, from her son Will’s disappearance to Bob’s death. This scene was a turning point, as she did something completely different.

“You fu---- with the wrong family,” Joyce says before the decapitation. 

The Duffer Brothers save the use of strong language on Stranger Things for important occasions, and Vecna's decapitation scene was perhaps the most important of all. 

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Every detail, from the dialogue to the flashbacks, was carefully planned by creators Matt and Ross Duffer. So, it is worth knowing what the Duffer Brothers had in mind while making this powerful and emotional scene.

The scene where Joyce Byers decapitates the antagonist Vecna was a crucial moment, and the Duffer Brothers initially debated who should take up the role. In the end, they decided it had to be Joyce, played by Winona Ryder. They felt Joyce, the protective mother of the group, was the right person to end Vecna. 

It also made sense to finally let her use the axe she had been carrying for so long, bringing her arc full circle. The Duffer brothers also wanted the scene to be emotional, and it did exactly that. The flashbacks in the series’ most heartbreaking deaths were a gut punch for fans. And that it took Winona Ryder only two takes demonstrates how greatly the show has impacted the cast.

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Did you notice these details in that particular scene? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.