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During the bulk of the concluding season of *Stranger Things*, the young Holly Wheeler and Max are imprisoned in a realm of memories built from the recollections of Henry Creel. Their quest for freedom in episode 6 forces them to experience a traumatic incident from Henry's childhood—a moment that potentially carries the key to defeating him permanently.

Heads Up: The following contains major spoilers for *Stranger Things* season 5, volume 2.

The Discovery in the Tunnel

When she finds Max in the world called Camazotz, Max reveals she is hiding out in a cave that Henry strangely fears. A clever observation a viewing device taken from Henry's old home allows Holly to realize that the source of fear lies beyond the cave. By aligning her view to the cut-out, she and Max plummet into a subterranean passage.

In this place, they observe a young, eight-year-old Henry encounter an man who is hurt and scared. Attempting assistance, the man panics and shoots, striking Henry in the hand. To protect himself, Henry kills the man with a rock. "Was this the turning point?" Holly asks tearfully. The answer is affirmative, but the act involved more than a fight for life.

Like many elements in volume 2, the truth about the events in the tunnel is detailed in the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

A Naval Mystery and A Spy's Mission

The play reveals the 1943 event, which reportedly teleported a warship into a dimension known as the Abyss. Demogorgons assaulted it, and the sole survivor was the ship's commander, who returned in a unresponsive state with an entirely new blood.

This man's son, a young Martin Brenner, attempted to recreate this dimensional breach in remote Nevada. One of his scientists pilfered lab samples to sell to the Soviets, who were eager to begin their version of the tests. The man in the cavern was that very thief.

So, What's in the Case?

Considering what is revealed about the doctor's experiments, the briefcase almost certainly contained vials of Captain Brenner's infected blood. As shown, Henry is already bleeding. It's probable he was infected upon opening the case, which triggered the development of his psychic abilities—traits he would inadvertently transfer to the kids Brenner would experiment on.

Another possibility, the box could have held strange particles that eventually found its way to the Hawkins lab, where it maintains the stability of the mirror dimension. The stage play explains that the boy ended up in the Abyss, returning 12 hours later as a different person. As a youth, he struggles with the whispers of a dark entity, reminiscent of how the character Will was influenced by the entity in an earlier season.

A Weaponized Emotion

His lasting fear associated with the mine demonstrates how deeply scarring the incident was for him. Even as he controls the army of monsters and attempts to pull the Abyss into Hawkins, a part of him lingers. The villain weaponizes terror, and the narrative points to a showdown between him and Will, who has overcome his own deepest fears to fortify himself.

Will's growth has neutralized a key tactic of Vecna. Furthermore, Will now knows what the monster's own weakness, potentially giving him a decisive edge in the ultimate battle to come.