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During the bulk of season 5 of the popular Netflix show, the young Holly Wheeler and Max find themselves trapped in a realm of memories constructed from the memories of the villain Henry. Their mission for freedom in episode 6 leads them to witness again a life-altering moment from Henry's youth—an event that potentially carries the key to defeating him for good.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the concluding episodes.

Unearthing the Secrets of the Tunnel

After locating Max in the mental landscape dubbed Camazotz, Max reveals she is taking refuge in a cave that Henry is terrified of. An accidental discovery a telescope found in Henry's old home helps Holly understand that the source of fear lies beyond the cave. When she lines up her view to the cut-out, she and Max plummet into a deep mine shaft.

There, they witness a young, eight-year-old Henry encounter an injured and paranoid man. As the boy offers aid, the man reacts violently, wounding the boy in the hand. In a desperate act of self-defense, Henry strikes the man down with a rock. "Is this what corrupted him?" Holly asks tearfully. Essentially, yes, but the trauma wasn't just a fight for life.

In keeping with mysteries in volume 2, the full story behind the encounter was first explored the stage play the prequel play.

The Philadelphia Experiment and A Spy's Mission

The play reveals the infamous Philadelphia Experiment, which allegedly sent a vessel into a dimension later called the Abyss. The ship was attacked, and the only one to return was the captain, who came back in a unresponsive state with an altered blood type.

The captain's son, a young Martin Brenner, sought to replicate this experiment in the Nevada desert. One of his scientists stole research materials to give to the Soviets, who were eager to begin their parallel research. That traitor in the tunnel is the one who stole the materials.

Unlocking the Mystery

Considering what is understood of Brenner's work, the container would assuredly have some of the unique blood type. In the scene, Henry is already bleeding. He likely becomes contaminated upon contact with the blood, which triggered the origin of his telekinetic gifts—powers he would later pass on to the test subjects Brenner would experiment on.

Another possibility, the case could have held strange particles that later made its way to Hawkins Laboratory, where it acts to anchor the mirror dimension. *The First Shadow* reveals that Henry ended up in the Abyss, returning after half a day as a different person. As a youth, he struggles with the influence of a dark entity, reminiscent of how Will Byers was possessed by the entity in an earlier season.

Confronting Terror

The reason Henry avoids the cave linked to that memory demonstrates how profoundly traumatic the incident was for him. While he orchestrates the army of monsters and works to collapse the Abyss into Hawkins, a fragment of his psyche still exists. Fear is his tool, and the narrative points to a showdown between the monster and Will, who has confronted his greatest terrors to become stronger.

Will's growth has effectively disarmed Vecna. Furthermore, Will now is aware of what his enemy truly fears, and this may grant a decisive edge in the ultimate battle ahead.