🔗 Share this article What's Inside that Case Henry Unlocks in Stranger Things? For much of the concluding season of *Stranger Things*, the young Holly Wheeler and Max are held captive within a psychic prison constructed from the recollections of Henry Creel. Their mission for an escape route in "Escape from Camazotz" forces them to witness again a life-altering moment from Henry's early years—a moment that may just hold the means to overcome him permanently. Editor's Note: The following details significant events for *Stranger Things* season 5, volume 2. A Journey Into the Tunnel Upon meeting Max in the world called Camazotz, Holly discovers she is hiding out in a chamber that Henry avoids at all costs. By leaving the lens cap on a telescope pilfered from Henry's old home helps Holly understand that the source of fear lies outside of the cave. Matching her view to the cut-out, she and Max suddenly fall into a subterranean passage. There, they witness a Henry as a boy come across an injured and paranoid man. Attempting assistance, the man fires a gun, striking Henry in the hand. In a desperate act of self-defense, Henry kills the man with a rock. "Is this what corrupted him?" Holly wonders aloud. The answer is affirmative, but the event wasn't just a defensive killing. Similar to other plot points this season, the full story behind the mine shaft incident is detailed in the stage play the prequel play. The Philadelphia Experiment and Secret Science This backstory explains the 1943 event, which transported a vessel into a plane later called the Abyss. Demogorgons assaulted it, and the only one to return was the captain, who emerged in a vegetative state with an different blood composition. The captain's son, the future Dr. Brenner, attempted to recreate this phenomenon in Nevada. But a disloyal lab worker took experimental components to give to the Communist spies, who were desperate to launch their version of the tests. The man in the tunnel is that employee. So, What's in the Case? Considering what is known about his research, the briefcase almost certainly contained samples of Captain Brenner's infected blood. At that moment, Henry is already bleeding. It's probable he was infected upon handling the contents, causing the origin of his telekinetic gifts—abilities he would genetically impart to the kids Brenner would experiment on. Alternatively, the case could have held exotic matter that eventually found its way to the Hawkins lab, where it acts to anchor the Upside Down. The prequel shows that Henry somehow wound up in the Abyss, returning 12 hours later with a new blood type and personality. Throughout the play, he battles the whispers of a dark entity, much like how Will Byers was influenced by the entity in season 2. The Power of Fear His lasting fear linked to that memory demonstrates how utterly horrifying the encounter was for him. Even as he controls the collective consciousness and works to collapse the Abyss into Hawkins, a fragment of his psyche still exists. Vecna uses fear, and the narrative points to a showdown between him and Will, who has deliberately faced his own deepest fears to gain strength. This journey has taken a weapon from Vecna. More importantly, Will now is aware of what Vecna himself fears, which could provide a key upper hand in the series finale to come.