Halfway through the first episode of the fifth season of Stranger Things, Holly (Nell Fisher) offers an impassioned defense of her imaginary friend, Mr. Whatsit. “He’s only trying to help,” she tells her brother, Mike (Finn Wolfhard), amid her family’s concern. “He says there are monsters in Hawkins, and they like to eat kids like me.”

Well, sort of. Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) is actually masquerading as Mr. Whatsit. The villain co-opted the name of Mrs. Whatsit from A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle’s classic science fantasy novel from 1962, which Holly can be seen reading in Season 5. Vecna’s alter ego is targeting children throughout Hawkins, including the town’s lovable bully Derek Turnbow (Jake Connelly).

“We discover that Henry has been watching Holly for some time, and he’s chosen her,” Bower says. “I think Holly, for Henry, is probably the hardest to break. She’s the smartest. She would see through the lie before anyone else, and if he can break her, then the others fall into line really easily for him.”

Holly is captured by a Demogorgon and brought to Henry Creel’s house, which is secretly the villain’s mental prison. He’s transformed the space into a warm, inviting sanctuary for the young girl, who believes she’s being kept safe from the monsters stalking Hawkins. “Mr. Whatsit strikes her as a little odd and a little off, but she’s kind of more blindsided by Henry being this marvelous savior figure,” Fisher says.

“Chapter Three: The Turnbow Trap” Behind the Episode of Stranger Things 5

Unlike the gruesome Vecna, Mr. Whatsit wears smart suits and a pair of chic glasses. The inspiration for his look was a combination of Stranger Things character Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) and Mr. Rogers, the beloved host of the children’s program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

“Brenner was in brown, warm tonal suits early on when he was training all of his numbers, and No. 1 was obviously around him the most, so I would think that — even subliminally — Henry would reach for something that was a friendly warm brown color,” costume designer Amy Parris says. She added a bright red tie to Mr. Whatsit’s ensemble, as a nod to Mr. Rogers’s classic red sweaters. “Mr. Rogers [is] this sort of friendly neighborhood person, so it’s all a presentation wrapped up in this gift box,” Bower explains.

By the end of Episode 4, Vecna has stripped himself of his friendly Mr. Whatsit trappings. He emerges as a full-blown monster who prowls the streets with his supercharged powers and takes on the kids of Hawkins, who give him quite a run for his money, especially Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). Suffice to say, we are seated for what’s to come in the next batch of episodes.

Vol. 2 of Stranger Things arrives with three new episodes on Christmas Day, followed by The Finale
on New Year’s Eve. Each volume releases at 5 p.m. PT. Find out when they premiere in your part of the world here. Take our superfan quiz, and keep checking Tudum for more Stranger Things updates.