Stranger Things 5 theory suggests how Eddie could return as Kas and kill Vecna

6 July 2022, 21:07

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By Katie Louise Smith

Who is Kas the Bloody Handed? How is he connected to Vecna? And what does this have to do with Eddie Munson? [WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things 4!]

Stranger Things 4's mind-blowing and explosive finale packed quite a few punches, didn't it? And by punches, we mean painful deaths that some of us are still crying about 5 days later.

[WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Stranger Things 4 Volume 2!]

But, as always with grief, the first stage is denial. And boy are the fans in denial about Eddie Munson's devastating death. So much so that they have now whipped up one of the most interesting, and absolutely wild, theories for Stranger Things 5.

Despite official word from the Duffer brothers themselves, who have confirmed that Eddie is dead ("officially"), the Munson stans have been busy thinking up ways in which he could still be alive, or at least how he could somehow return in season 5.

This particular theory hasn't just popped up out of anywhere... It all stems from one specific scene in season 4, episode 1 that accurately foreshadowed the events of the season finale.

Will Eddie come back from the dead in Stranger Things? Here's the Kas the Bloody Handed theory explained...

Before Volume 2 dropped, fans theorised that Eddie's final D&D campaign would predict the outcome between the fight between Eleven and Vecna – and they were right.

Towards the end of the campaign, it falls to Dustin and Erica to defeat Vecna and take home the win for the party. Dustin rolls first, but only manages to roll an 11 and fails to beat him. Dustin's roll predicted the final episode, where Eleven actually does lose to Vecna. (El might have stopped him eventually, but Max's "death" fulfils his masterplan and Hawkins in plunged into hell. Mike confirms that El "loses" the fight in a later conversation with Will.)

It remains to be seen how Erica's final roll of 20 will come into play in season 5, but fans have theories about that too – and they involve the return of Kali a.k.a Eight.

Now, fans have turned their attention to another detail in that scene, and it's all to do with Mike's mention of Kas.

So, what does this have to do with Eddie? And who the hell is Kas?

In Dungeons & Dragons lore, Kas is a human vampire who uses a shield and a sword as his weapons. He's the most trusted lieutenant of Vecna who, after many years of loyal service, ends up betraying him.

Fans are theorising that because we don't know what happened to Eddie's body (we just assume they left him in the Upside Down), Vecna could somehow resurrect Eddie, and appoint him/use his body as his right-hand man. (If El apparently has now resurrection powers, then what if Vecna/001 also has similar abilities?)

On Reddit, one user shared a screenshot of a theory which reads: "Eddie is not dead. The Duffer Brothers have said that you cannot die from the bite of a bat. (Yes, you can eventually bleed out, but the bite alone, will not kill you.) I have this theory that Eddie will become Kas, the vampire…. the right hand man to Vecna, Kas eventually turns on Vecna and defeats him."

(Editor's note: The Duffer brothers were actually directly discussing Steve's injuries and concerns about his possible death when they said that, not Eddie who was attacked by a lot more bats, for a longer period of time, resulting in his death.)

Several videos have gone viral on TikTok explaining the theory in more detail, including one from @paulruddfanclub who notes the connection between bats and vampire lore. Eddie, of course, was killed after being bitten to death by the demobats.

The theory also adds that there was several mentions of vampires during the group's conversation at Skull Rock. Other fans have also picked up on the small detail that Iron Maiden's mascot is a zombie named Eddie.

Oh, and Eddie's tattoos? He's got one of a swarm of bats, and another of an undead creature on puppet strings with a creepy hand controlling the strings. Fans are arguing that this particular tattoo could hint at what might happen to his dead body at the hands of Vecna.

Sounds wild, right? Unfortunately though, it doesn't seeeeem like that's the route Stranger Things will take this time. (But then again, you never know...)

With Hopper's death fake-out last season, and Max's revival/comatose state this season, bringing Eddie back to from the dead will just cheapen the stakes and the impact that his heroic death and sacrifice had, particularly for Dustin.

That said, if Vecna ever gets Dustin, his traumatic visions could bring images of Eddie back, paving the way for Joseph Quinn's return in a similar way to Dacre Montgomery's Billy.

Joseph Quinn has also revealed that he and Joe Keery already have a theory that Eddie could return in "supernatural"-type way, "as a figment of Gaten’s imagination or something". (Via Radio Times)

Considering the immense impact and popularity that Eddie had in season 4, it's probably more likely that we'll see his potential return in flashbacks and visions rather than a resurrection. (If he returns at all, that is.)

Another factor to remember with Stranger Things is that the Upside Down monsters are not actually Dungeons and Dragons monsters come to life. Vecna is not Vecna from D&D, he is Henry Creel, who was nicknamed Vecna by the group because they share similarities. Same as the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer.

In referencing Kas, other fans have theorised they could just be alluding to the fact that Eleven "betrayed" and "banished" 001/Henry back in 1979, believing him to be dead this whole time. Much like Mike's statement in the D&D scene, his "return" could just simply be referring to Henry/001's return in 1986.

Some people have even theorised that Will's journey could mirror Kas' lore, with him succumbing to the Upside Down but eventually being the one to destroy Vecna.

Stranger Things 5, please hurry up. We need answers!!!

Read more about Stranger Things 5 here:

• Stranger Things 5 will feature a time jump
• Stranger Things creators reveal their plans for season 5 made Netflix execs cry
• Is Will Byers gay in Stranger Things 4? Noah Schnapp opens up about his character's sexuality
• Stranger Things 5 will be the last season of the Netflix series
• Stranger Things season 5: Release date, spoilers, cast, news and trailers

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