Stranger Things’ Jamie Campbell Bower Reveals Vecna's Pop Culture Inspiration for Season 5's Mr. Whatsit

Stranger Things fans might’ve noticed some off-season upgrades to the show’s big bad. 

And not only does Vecna’s Mr. Whatsit alter ego allow Jamie Campbell Bower to periodically film sans makeup in season 5’s Vol. 1—its four episodes are now streaming on Netflix—he was also gifted an adjusted call time to his famously long prosthetic sessions. 

“Season four our prosthetic time was about seven to eight hours,” Bower shared with the Associated Press. “Stranger Things five our prosthetic time was cut down.”

Despite the decrease in time spent in HMU, Vecna’s pulsating vines grew a bit longer on his head and shoulders, alongside some noticeable scars from Steve Harrington’s molotov cocktail and Nancy Wheeler’s shotgun.  

“He's definitely had a bit of an aesthetic change from last season,” the 37-year-old told the outlet, before referencing Vecna’s defeat (for now) at the end of season four. “He fell out of a window. He got set on fire. He was shot. Poor guy.”

As the final season has proven, the man who was once troubled child Henry Creel has evolved into an end-all antagonist who can wear many hats—literally—with Vecna’s latest manifestation Mr. Whatsit donning a fedora as he goes full Freddie Krueger in his kidnapping spree across quarantined Hawkins. 

Speaking of dressing the part, Bower looked to polar opposite fashion icons from pop culture for inspiration. 

“I used people like Mister Rogers. I used Willy Wonka even in parts,” Bower noted. “It was always about building this pretense with a truth underneath it."

"I think what's important to remember with Mr. Whatsit is that this is a sort of presentation of what he wants people to see in order to feel comfortable,” he continued. “What you're seeing is: ‘How can I show you that you can be comfortable with me, even though I know—and the rest of the world knows—my motivations and endgame?’” 

Photo: Netflix

While Bower goes full-foe in the upside down, he’s been all smiles alongside the cast on the Stranger Things press tour, where it’s been a full-circle farewell for the young actors after a decade spent growing up on screen. 

“I'm just so grateful and blessed to have been a part of it. So lucky,” Millie Bonnie Bongiovi told SYFY Wire at the Los Angeles premiere Nov. 6. “I love the show with everything in me.”

Vol. 1 is streaming now, ahead of the Hawkins crew’s final adventure playing out across Vol. 2 on Dec. 25 and the series finale on New Year’s Eve.