Summary
- Jamie Campbell Bower won’t be portraying villains soon after his role as Vecna.
- Bower expressed gratitude for his role on Stranger Things but is ready to move on.
- Fans can anticipate Bower’s return as Vecna in the highly anticipated Stranger Things season 5.
The entire cast of Netflix‘s Stranger Things has so much talent, and fans are curious about the next steps for each cast member. That includes Jamie Campbell Bower, who portrays the evil monster Vecna. When he appeared at MegaCon in Orlando, Florida in February 2025, the actor explained what he’s planning for his post-Stranger Things career.
According to People, at the event, Bower said he told his therapist he doesn’t want to portray a villain again… at least not for a little while.
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Bower said:
“I was like, ‘Yeah, to be honest with you, man, I just don’t think I’ll be doing another bad guy for a minute.’ ”
Bower continued:
“It’s been amazing, and it’s been an incredible journey, to join the show from season 4, to be part of something that so many people love and something that I loved as well and still love. But I definitely am ready to hang up the foam latex and wish him a slippery farewell.”
There’s no doubt that Bower has done an incredible job portraying Vecna, and it’s not a simple part. It’s definitely easy to imagine how much of a toll it takes to play a character who causes people so much harm and, in many cases, kills them. Vecna is horrifying from the very first scene. He targets victims by praying on their hurt, fear, and other negative emotions, and that includes Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), who grieves her brother Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) by listening to Kate Bush’s beloved song “Running Up That Hill.” Vecna knows that Max is sickened by guilt over Billy’s death and shows his true evil colors by forcing her into the Upside Down, the devastating and dark place that he has power over.
Besides playing Vecna in Stranger Things season 4, which has a haunting finale that leads into the highly anticipated final season, Bower played Caius in the Twilight franchise. His other credits include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and Christopher Marlowe in the 2017 TV drama Will about William Shakespeare’s life.
Even though Bower might be saying goodbye to evil characters for a while, there’s no doubt that fans look forward to seeing what happens to Vecna in Stranger Things season 5. Now that the Duffer Brothers shared that the final season will be out in 2025, viewers can be confident they’ll get the answers about Vecna that they’re looking for. Thankfully, fans get one more chance to see the talented Bower portray a villain.
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Source: People.com