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During the bulk of season 5 of the popular Netflix show, Holly Wheeler and Max find themselves trapped inside a mental fortress built from the recollections of Vecna. Their mission for an escape route in the pivotal sixth episode leads them to relive a defining event from Henry's early years—a discovery that potentially carries the means to overcome him for good.

Heads Up: This article contains major spoilers for the concluding episodes.

The Discovery in the Mine Shaft

Upon meeting Max in the mental landscape dubbed Camazotz, Holly discovers she is taking refuge in a grotto that Henry avoids at all costs. By leaving the lens cap on a spyglass found in Henry's old home helps Holly understand that the true terror lies outside of the cave. When she lines up her view through the cap, she and Max tumble into a abandoned tunnel.

They watch a child version of Henry encounter an injured and paranoid man. When Henry tries to help, the man panics and shoots, wounding the boy in the hand. Fighting for his life, Henry kills the man with a rock. "Is this what corrupted him?" Holly wonders aloud. It was a factor, but the trauma went deeper than a defensive killing.

In keeping with mysteries of the final season, the significance of the mine shaft incident originates in the live show the prequel play.

An Interdimensional Incident and Secret Science

This backstory explains the 1943 event, which transported a U.S. Navy ship into a dimension later called the Abyss. It faced creatures, and the only one to return was the ship's commander, who emerged in a unresponsive state with an different blood composition.

This man's son, Martin Brenner, wanted to repeat this phenomenon in remote Nevada. One of his scientists pilfered lab samples to give to the Russian agents, who were desperate to launch their version of the tests. The man in the tunnel is that employee.

The Briefcase's Contents

Considering what is known about his research, the briefcase would assuredly have vials of the unique blood type. In the scene, Henry is wounded and bleeding. It's probable he was infected upon handling the contents, causing the origin of his telekinetic gifts—powers he would inadvertently transfer to the test subjects in Hawkins Lab.

A second theory, the case could have held exotic matter that eventually found its way to Hawkins Laboratory, where it helps stabilize the Upside Down. The stage play explains that Henry ended up in the Abyss, reappearing after half a day as a different person. Throughout the play, he fights the whispers of a dark entity, much like how Will was controlled by the shadow monster in the past.

A Weaponized Emotion

The reason Henry avoids the cave associated with the mine demonstrates how deeply scarring the encounter was for him. While he commands the Hive Mind and seeks to merge the Abyss into Hawkins, a part of him lingers. The villain weaponizes terror, and the series is building toward a final confrontation between Vecna and Will, who has confronted his own deepest fears to fortify himself.

Will's growth has effectively disarmed Vecna. Crucially, Will now knows what his enemy truly fears, potentially giving him a key upper hand in the series finale that awaits.