With the final season of Stranger Things on the horizon, the mysterious history of Hawkins National Laboratory and its test subjects is more important than ever. The lab’s experiments on children with psychic powers created both the show’s greatest hero and its most terrifying villain. For those who need a refresher on this complex backstory, here is a simple guide to every known test subject and their role in the story leading into the grand finale.
The Start of the Experiments
The story begins with Dr. Martin Brenner, the head of Hawkins Lab. His work was part of a real-life controversial CIA program called MKUltra, which involved experiments on human subjects using drugs and sensory deprivation. In the world of the show, Brenner wanted to create children with superhuman abilities.
He started by recruiting pregnant women as volunteers. These women, including Terry Ives, were given experimental drugs and blood transfusions while in sensory deprivation tanks. Brenner then abducted their children after they were born, correctly guessing that the experiments would cause the babies to develop psychic powers. These children were raised inside the lab, stripped of their names, and known only by the numbers tattooed on their arms.
Henry Creel: The First Test Subject
Henry Creel, also known as One and Vecna, was the original test subject and the most powerful of them all. Brenner discovered Henry as a boy after his family was involved in a strange tragedy. Brenner took Henry to the lab, studied him, and implanted a device called Soteria in his neck to suppress his incredible powers.
While imprisoned, Henry was forced to work as an orderly. He formed a connection with a young Eleven, convincing her that they were both misunderstood. He manipulated her into using her powers to remove the suppressor chip from his neck. Once his powers were restored, he went on a murderous rampage.
Henry killed nearly every other numbered child in one night, leaving the lab soaked in blood and scarring Eleven forever.
This event, known as the September 8, 1979 massacre, transformed Henry into the villain Vecna. After a brutal psychic battle, Eleven ultimately overpowered him and banished him to the Upside Down, where his body was transformed by the dimension’s lightning.
The Children of the Rainbow Room
Brenner’s program produced at least eighteen numbered children, most of whom lived and trained together in the lab’s Rainbow Room. Nearly all of them were killed by Henry Creel during the 1979 massacre. The following table lists the key child test subjects and their fates.
| Test Subject Number | Name / Alias | Status | Key Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Henry Creel (Vecna) | Alive | Original subject; responsible for the massacre; main villain. |
| 002 | Unknown | Deceased | Bullied Eleven; killed by Henry. |
| 003, 004, 005 | Unknown | Deceased | Friends of Two; participated in bullying Eleven. |
| 008 | Kali Prasad | Unknown | Escaped before the massacre; can create illusions. |
| 010 | Unknown | Deceased | Featured in Season 4’s opening scene. |
| 011 | Jane “Eleven” Ives | Alive | Defeated Henry; opened the Gate to the Upside Down. |
The Bullies and the Massacre
Subjects Two, Three, Four, and Five were a close-knit group who frequently bullied Eleven for her struggles during training exercises. In one instance, after Eleven defeated Two in a training match, the group cornered her in the Rainbow Room and used their powers to slam her against a wall, threatening to kill her. Dr. Brenner later punished Two for this attack by using an electroshock collar on him. This act of cruelty was a key factor that led Henry to convince Eleven that the lab was a prison that needed to be escaped.
The Survivors
Only a handful of test subjects survived the massacre. The most well-known are Eight and Eleven.
Kali Prasad (Eight) escaped from the lab before the massacre. She does not possess telekinesis like the others but has the unique ability to make people see powerful hallucinations. She briefly reunited with Eleven in season two, showing that other survivors were living outside of Hawkins.
Eleven (Jane Ives) is, of course, the most important survivor. After being raised in brutal isolation, she eventually escaped the lab, which set the entire events of the show in motion. She is the only subject strong enough to have ever defeated Henry Creel, and she will be the central figure in the final battle against him.
The Legacy of the Lab
The experiments at Hawkins Lab show how the pursuit of power can destroy innocent lives. The children were treated as objects and weapons, not human beings. This cruelty directly created the show’s central conflict: Henry Creel’s hatred for humanity turned him into Vecna, while Eleven’s resilience made her a hero.
The lab’s history is the foundation of the entire series. The final season will force the characters to reckon with this dark past. As one analysis notes, “The past of Hawkins Lab shapes every major conflict. Powers born there could return to challenge Vecna.” The story will likely come full circle, with Eleven and her friends confronting the nightmare that began in the lab’s cold hallways.
Also Read: Will Byers Takes Center Stage in New Stranger Things 5 Poster
