Stranger Things Season 4: Volume 2 Review - 8 Ups & 2 Downs

Ups...

8. Vecna Cements Himself As The Series' Best Villain

Though Volume 1 did a stellar job of introducing us to the terrifying new antagonist Vecna, Volume 2 confirms him beyond any doubt as the series' strongest villain to date.

Between Jamie Campbell Bower's sublimely creepy performance and some fantastic effects work, Vecna is a legitimately terrifying presence whenever he's on screen, differentiating himself from the more conventional, beastly antagonists in prior seasons.

If Volume 1 proved the horrific damage he was capable of causing, he's elevated to full-on supervillain status in Volume 2, basically serving as the Thanos of the Stranger Things world - a seemingly unstoppable tyrant mercilessly committed to his destructive cause.

One of the few benefits of this season's expanded runtime is how much room it gives Vecna to breathe and be developed as a distinct villain in his own right.

That carries through to these two new episodes, which shed further light on his backstory and motivations.