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Throughout a large portion of the concluding season of the popular Netflix show, Holly Wheeler and Max are held captive in a realm of memories built from the memories of Henry Creel. Their mission for a way out in the pivotal sixth episode has them relive a defining event from Henry's early years—a moment that could contain the secret to his downfall once and for all.

Editor's Note: This article contains major spoilers for the second part of the final season.

Unearthing the Secrets of the Tunnel

After locating Max in the world known as Camazotz, Holly discovers she is sheltering in a grotto that Henry avoids at all costs. By leaving the lens cap on a telescope pilfered from Henry's old home lets Holly see that the danger lies beyond the cave. When she lines up her view through the cap, she and Max plummet into a subterranean passage.

There, they witness a Henry as a boy find an wounded, fearful individual. As the boy offers aid, the man fires a gun, hitting him in the hand. In a desperate act of self-defense, Henry kills the man with a rock. "Did this make Henry evil?" Holly wonders aloud. It was a factor, but the trauma involved more than a defensive killing.

Like many elements in volume 2, the truth about the mine shaft incident was first explored the theatrical production The First Shadow.

An Interdimensional Incident and Secret Science

This backstory explains the 1943 event, which transported a vessel into a plane dubbed the Abyss. Demogorgons assaulted it, and the lone returnee was the captain, who came back in a catatonic condition with an different blood composition.

This man's son, a young Martin Brenner, sought to replicate this experiment in Nevada. One of his scientists took experimental components to sell to the Russian agents, who were keen to start their version of the tests. That traitor in the cavern is that employee.

The Briefcase's Contents

Based on what is known about Brenner's work, the case would assuredly have some of the altered blood. At that moment, Henry is already bleeding. It's probable he was infected upon contact with the blood, which triggered the awakening of his powers—powers he would genetically impart to the test subjects under Brenner's care.

Alternatively, the box could have held dark matter that eventually found its way to the secret facility, where it helps stabilize the Upside Down. The stage play explains that Henry ended up in the Abyss, coming back after half a day fundamentally changed. As a youth, he fights the whispers of a malevolent force, much like how Will Byers was influenced by the shadow monster in season 2.

The Power of Fear

His lasting fear linked to that memory highlights how profoundly traumatic the incident was for him. While he commands the Hive Mind and attempts to pull the Abyss into Hawkins, a fragment of his psyche lingers. The villain weaponizes terror, and the series is building toward a climactic battle between him and Will, who has confronted his own deepest fears to become stronger.

Will's growth has effectively disarmed Vecna. Crucially, Will now is aware of what his enemy truly fears, and this may grant a decisive edge in the endgame conflict that awaits.