During a panel at Nashville Celebrity Comic Con 2026, Vecna/Henry Creel actor Jamie Campbell Bowerdiscussed the end of Stranger Things, including the one thing he would change about the final season.
When asked, “If you could change one thing about Season 5, whether it’s your character or somebody else’s, what would it be?” Bower quickly answered, “I would have killed everybody.” Presumably, Bower was answering from the perspective of his character, Vecna, but the answer earned a laugh from the audience all the same.
This question and Bower’s response come within the larger context of the controversial conclusion of Stranger Things, which led to such mixed reactions that an entire conspiracy theory, Conformity Gate, was born. Yet, with very few exceptions, the actors have largely stayed away from commenting on either the quality of the finale or the negativity surrounding it.
One major exception would be Dr. Brenner/Papa actor Matthew Modine, who surprisingly revealed that he didn’t like the Stranger Things finale in an Instagram comment. Steve Harrington actor Joe Keery didn’t weigh in on whether the finale was good, in his view, but he did tell fans to “Let it go.”
Outside of those comments, and actors like Caleb McLaughlinand Sadie Sinkaddressing whether they think Eleven is still alive, the Stranger Things stars haven’t been all that vocal about the finale, despite the (particularly online) backlash.
Bower’s comment, in addition to being funny, was a thoughtful way to navigate this territory, which ultimately didn’t give away his personal feelings on the finale one way or the other.
Bower also shared some interesting insight into Henry/Vecna as a character at the same Nashville Celebrity Comic Con panel, revealing that he thinks there is a chance Henry may have had a change of heart and not turned totally evil had Eleven gone with him as he had asked after massacring the Hawkins Lab—although, he said so with a sense of humor, suggesting that Henry and Eleven could have gone to live on an island together.
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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