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Throughout a large portion of the concluding season of the popular Netflix show, the young Holly Wheeler and Max Mayfield find themselves trapped in a realm of memories forged from the past of Henry Creel. The search for freedom in episode 6 leads them to experience a traumatic incident from Henry's early years—a discovery that may just hold the secret to his downfall for good.

Spoiler Warning: This article details significant events for the second part of the final season.

The Discovery in the Cavern

Upon meeting Max in the world called Camazotz, Max reveals she is hiding out in a cave that Henry avoids at all costs. A clever observation a viewing device pilfered from Henry's old home lets Holly see that the source of fear lies outside of the cave. When she lines up her view with the shape, she and Max plummet into a abandoned tunnel.

They watch a young, eight-year-old Henry encounter an wounded, fearful individual. As the boy offers aid, the man panics and shoots, striking Henry in the hand. Fighting for his life, Henry ends the threat with a rock. "Is this what corrupted him?" Holly questions through tears. Essentially, yes, but the trauma went deeper than a defensive killing.

In keeping with mysteries of the final season, the truth about the mine shaft incident was first explored the stage play The First Shadow.

An Interdimensional Incident and Secret Science

*The First Shadow* opens with the 1943 event, which allegedly sent a vessel into a plane known as the Abyss. It faced creatures, and the only one to return was the captain, who came back in a unresponsive state with an entirely new blood.

The captain's son, the future Dr. Brenner, attempted to recreate this experiment in remote Nevada. One of his scientists stole research materials to hand over to the Communist spies, who were eager to begin their parallel research. That traitor in the tunnel is the one who stole the materials.

So, What's in the Case?

Based on what is understood of his research, the briefcase almost certainly contained samples of Captain Brenner's infected blood. In the scene, Henry is already bleeding. It's probable he was infected upon opening the case, causing the origin of his telekinetic gifts—abilities he would later pass on to the kids in Hawkins Lab.

A second theory, the box could have held strange particles that was destined to travel to the secret facility, where it helps stabilize the mirror dimension. The prequel shows that the boy somehow wound up in the Abyss, coming back after half a day as a different person. Throughout the play, he fights the control of a sinister presence, similar to how the character Will was possessed by the entity in an earlier season.

The Power of Fear

The reason Henry avoids the cave linked to that memory shows how deeply scarring the incident was for him. While he commands the army of monsters and attempts to pull the Abyss into Hawkins, a piece of the scared boy still exists. Vecna uses fear, and the series is building toward a climactic battle between him and Will, who has overcome his greatest terrors to become stronger.

Will's growth has taken a weapon from Vecna. More importantly, Will now knows what his enemy truly fears, and this may grant a critical advantage in the endgame conflict that awaits.