Stranger Things: One As A Millennial Hero
“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” The gloomy forecast of The Dark Knight has always resonated far beyond the superhero genre—because it reflects a genuine truth of lofty ambition. The recently-released fourth season of Stranger Things, in fact, has several characters who attempt to construe their own actions as heroism turned to villainy.
Foremost among these is Vecna, whose history unfolds in flashbacks, revealing the ways he has been a part of the Stranger Things story all along. Whether or not this was always the writers’ intention, it was cleverly done: thematically, Vecna fits perfectly into the overarching narrative, a corporeal representation of the secret tragedies that people carry. Vecna’s origin, however, is very much shaped by the sensibilities of real-life Millennials, whose generation has been marked by collective tragedy and failed ideals. By seeking to expose the fallacy of modern life, One speaks to the Millennial plight—not as a villain, but as a hero.
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Despite the long-favored pastime of generations to distinguish themselves from current trends (“Kids these days,” being a refrain of generations immemorial), scholars tend to agree that history repeats itself. Much has been made, in recent decades, of pitting the passing generations against each other, but history will show that generational differences are transitory—the ephemera of circumstance.
Broadly speaking, parents raise their children to believe in the possibilities of a golden future, and the three generations that emerged in the second half of the twentieth century are no different: all three were raised believing
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