While the shadow of Vecna loomed large over Hawkins, his ultimate downfall proved that the heart of the show was never about a singular monster. The long-awaited conclusion of Stranger Things finally settled the score between the living and the dead. Fans expected a cosmic battle of powers, but the reality was far more grounded and personal for the residents of Hawkins.

Could the most satisfying end for a supernatural tyrant come from the hands of a mother rather than a superhero? Why the series prioritized thematic growth over a standard battle between good and evil?

In the final episode, in a definitive act of protection, Joyce Byers decapitated Vecna with an axe to end his reign. Vecna served as a psychological mirror for the trauma of the characters rather than a standard antagonist. While the Mind Flayer represented an alien, unstoppable force, Vecna became a symbol of the internal struggles the gang had to overcome.

His introduction added layers of complexity to the lore, even if his origins occasionally complicated the established timeline of the series. 

Stranger Things was always a story about a group of friends accepting their identities and fighting for their town. Focusing too heavily on a singular evil 001 would have distracted from the emotional maturity of the core cast. Apart from that, the Duffer brothers previously hinted that a trace of goodness remained within Vecna.

The battle for Hawkins was ultimately about a community reclaiming its home from the scars of the Cold War and scientific greed. This shift in focus allowed the series to end on a note of unity rather than just a display of raw power.

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As the physical battle reached its peak, the responsibility of the final blow shifted to an unexpected hero, but why?

The climax of the battle saw Will Byers distracting a dominant Henry, allowing Eleven to impale his body on a massive spire. Although Eleven and Will weakened the monster, it was Joyce Byers who delivered the definitive death blow with her trusty axe in Stranger Things. The Duffer Brothers chose the matriarch of the Byers family to end the nightmare because she was the first person to believe in the supernatural threat back in season one.

Ross Duffer noted that it felt right for Joyce to take action because she was the original catalyst for the fight against the Upside Down. Her final strike was accompanied by a rare and impactful moment of strong language directed at the impaled villain. According to Tudum, this was a calculated choice by the writers to provide a moment that truly deserved such a visceral reaction from a mother protecting her children.

“At the end of the day, it felt like it had to be Joyce because Joyce was the first to really take action, to believe that something strange was going on,” Ross Duffer explained to Tudum. While Henry remained loyal to the darkness of the Mind Flayer until his final breath, Joyce ensured he would never hurt anyone again.

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Did you ever think Vecna would end the way he did in Stranger Things finale? Let us know in the comments below.