Jamie Campbell Bower has revealed the chilling real-life inspiration behind his portrayal of Mr. WhatsIt in the final season of Stranger Things. The actor, who plays the human form of the villain Vecna, cited Jim Jones, the infamous leader of the Peoples Temple cult, as a direct reference for crafting the manipulative and unsettling persona that lures children in Stranger Things 5 Volume 2.
In a recent interview, Bower explained that Jones’s rhetoric and methods were “on the mood board” for his performance, particularly in scenes where Mr. WhatsIt addresses the group of kidnapped children. The goal was to capture the specific, grim charisma of a cult leader who erases individual will.
“Jim Jones was an early reference for me,” Bower said. “There were points where I thought, ‘Do I say the word “you” or do I use the word “we”? ‘We’re a family now.’ That’s really grim! It totally can remove the idea of autonomy, so definitely there had to be that level of cult leader-esqueness about him.”
The Actor’s Approach to a Different Kind of Terror
While Bower is best known for portraying the monstrous, prosthetic-heavy Vecna, he found the seemingly kinder Mr. WhatsIt just as frightening to play. The challenge shifted from outward horror to deep-seated deception. His character presents himself as a benevolent guide to the children he has abducted, most notably Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher), whom he first approaches as an imaginary friend.
Bower described the psychological difficulty of this performance, especially when acting opposite younger cast members.
“This is very much like, how nice can I be to these poor children to make them feel as comfortable as possible in this world? And how much of my experience am I burying within that?” he said. “There’s a level of real dishonesty in that, and that’s really scary. It’s really hard, particularly opposite a child.”
Despite the character’s violent history and plans, Bower maintains that a trace of humanity remains within Henry Creel, the man who became Vecna. He suggests that unexplored trauma from the character’s childhood, glimpsed in the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, is key to understanding him.
Unlocking Vecna’s Past and the Finale Setup
Bower was so determined to understand his character’s origins that he pressed series creators Matt and Ross Duffer for more details about a pivotal, traumatic event in Henry Creel’s childhood.
“It was something that I really felt like I had to pry out of Matt and Ross Duffer… but it was important for me to know what that was and why that was the case,” Bower explained.
That mystery is partially addressed in Season 5, Episode 6, when Max (Sadie Sink) and Holly navigate Henry’s memories. They witness a young Henry in a mine shaft, where he is shot by an injured man guarding a silver suitcase. Henry kills the man in self-defense, and the contents of the case are teased as a major revelation. When asked what’s inside, Bower offered a one-word hint: “reason.”
The season builds toward its conclusion with Episode 7, “The Bridge,” which ends with Henry and the twelve abducted children joining hands at the Creel house dining table. This eerie, cult-like image sets the stage for the series finale.
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What to Expect in the Stranger Things Series Finale
The final episode of Stranger Things, Episode 8, premieres globally on Netflix on December 31, 2025. Bower has issued a stark warning to fans who think they have predicted the show’s ending.
“The end of 7 is an incredible setup for what is to come. And if you think you know what is to come at the beginning of 8, you’re probably wrong,” Bower teased. “It really does blow up. Whatever you think you know will be exceeded.”
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