How Dungeons and Dragons' Vecna Compares to Stranger Things'
Since the beginning of the series, Stranger Things has constantly made reference to Dungeons & Dragons. From the very first episode featuring Mike and his friends playing through a tabletop session to major enemies being named the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer, Dungeons & Dragons has always been an integral part of the show. With its latest antagonist, Vecna, Stranger Things makes a reference to the tabletop game's most infamous villain and pulls inspiration more directly than ever.
For what it's worth, Stranger Things has tended to base its creatures only vaguely on their Dungeons & Dragons counterparts. The Mind Flayer in Stranger Things, for instance, bore almost no physical resemblance to its namesake, but possessed an affinity for mind control and psionic powers similar to the Mind Flayers from Dungeons & Dragons. When it comes to Vecna, however,Stranger Things pulled more closely from the game than it ever has.
Stranger Things: Watch Jamie Campbell Bower Do The Vecna Voice In Behind-The-Scenes Video
The original Vecna is arguably the strongest being in all of Dungeons & Dragons at his peak. While Vecna from Stranger Things boasts impressive proficiency in mind control and psionic magic that makes him at a potentially world-ending threat, Vecna from Dungeons & Dragons literally ascended to godhood, cementing his place as one the most powerful magic users in existence — a multiversal threat.
Vecna of Stranger Things borrows a few spells from his namesake, but shows significantly lesser magical abilities. Despite wreaking havoc on Hawkins, Vecna's abilities are fairly typical of a low-level spellcaster in Dungeons & Dragons. For comparison's sake, the Hand of Vecna — which acts as a powerful magic item in Dungeons &
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