Stranger Things Season 5 Holly Wheeler Set Photos Mirror Will’s Disappearance In Season 1
Photos from the set of Stranger Things Season 5 show Holly Wheeler riding her bike with Mike and Will, but she’s wearing the same clothes as in a different batch of set photos, in which she met Vecna's human form. This, along with season 5's second episode reportedly being titled "The Vanishing of [SPOILER] Wheeler", has led to theories about Stranger Things season 5 mirroring Will’s kidnapping with Holly. Back in season 1, Will was riding his bike from Mike’s house to his home when he was chased by the Demogorgon and taken to the Upside Down.
This time, however, it seems to be Holly on her bike and possibly being followed by Vecna projecting himself in his human form to lure her and get her to do what he wants. Vecna taking Holly would be shocking, dark, and potentially tragic, as she’s way younger than the rest (approximately 7–8 years old) and she hasn’t done anything to Vecna, the Upside Down, or anyone else.
Holly’s Disappearance Might Support A Wild Karen Wheeler Theory In Stranger Things Season 5
Vecna targeting Holly seems odd, as the ones he should be going after from the Wheeler family are Mike and Nancy, but a wild Stranger Things theory might explain why Holly is being targeted. A theory shared on social media suggests that Nancy, Mike, and Holly’s mother, Karen Wheeler, is Vecna’s youngest sister, Alice. The theory is based on Karen getting a character poster for season 4 even though she’s a (minor) supporting character, and her poster showed her and Creel House.
Henry Creel’s sister, Alice, was killed along with her mother by Henry, but Stranger Things season 4 never showed her death, so it’s possible that she survived with a couple of broken bones and grew up with another family. If Karen Wheeler is Alice Creel and Vecna learns that she’s not only alive but also the mother of two of his biggest obstacles, he could use Holly for a twisted revenge against all of them.
Why Would Vecna Want To Take Holly Wheeler In Stranger Things Season 5?
Whether Karen Wheeler is Alice Creel or not, the biggest question continues to be why Vecna would want to take Holly. After what happened between Vecna and the Hawkins and California crews in season 4, Vecna might have realized that defeating them is harder than it seems, leading him to rethink his attack. Targeting Holly would destabilize the Hawkins team and the Wheeler family, and would affect Nancy more deeply after the vision she had in season 4 of her whole family being dead.
Stranger Things Season 5, then, is on its way to being darker than all the previous ones.
