Stranger Things

Vecna’s Entrance in Stranger Things 5 Was Inspired by Darth Vader — The Duffer Brothers Confirm the Star Wars Connection

Side-by-side comparison of Darth Vader’s Rogue One hallway entrance and Vecna’s Season 5 Episode 4 entrance in Stranger Things, both emerging from red-tinted smoke in dramatic silhouette.

Stranger Things has never been shy about paying homage to iconic horror and sci-fi moments, but Season 5 takes that love letter to cinema to a whole new level. According to the Duffer Brothers, Vecna’s dramatic entrance in Episode 4 (“Sorcerer”) was directly inspired by Darth Vader’s legendary hallway scene in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. And once you see the comparison… yeah. It’s unmistakable. The creators break down Vecna’s redesign, his rebuilt form, and his entrance in the official Netflix Tudum episode guide — which is absolutely worth the read. The Vader Inspiration: How Star Wars Shaped Vecna’s Return For Episode 4, the Duffers wanted Vecna’s reappearance to feel mythic — not just another monster reveal, but a moment with cinematic gravity. Vader walking through that smoke-filled corridor in Rogue One has become the modern gold standard for “unstoppable villain enters the chat.” So they borrowed the emotional…

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