As fan speculation surges ahead of the series finale of Stranger Things, a post has gone viral after suggesting that one of the show's final twists may be hiding in plain sight -- on a chalkboard in a Hawkins classroom.
On December 1, a Threads post by @takeitfromherepod drew attention to a moment from Stranger Things 5 Volume 1 in which Derek Turnbow (Jake Connelly) is visited in his classroom by Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), also known as both "Henry Creel" and, back in his Hawkins Lab days, as "One".
Behind Turnbow, the chalkboard features notes about A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle's 1962 science fantasy novel. The image, paired with the text, has generated over 10,000 likes and a flurry of commentary from fans of the series.
"A lot of people have been asking why all the kids in Stranger Things know Vecna as Mr. Whatsit. It actually makes sense," the post reads. "The classroom board shows A Wrinkle in Time, which means the whole class is reading the book."
In the novel, there is a character known as Mrs. Whatsit, who is a being who travels across the universe by folding space-time.
The poster elaborated in the comments: "That's why Vecna uses that name. My theory is he compared himself to Mrs. Whatsit and introduced himself as Henry Whatsit."
The theory has resonated with viewers who are closely analyzing the final season for clues about what might happen, which beloved characters might die and what themes the show will explore.
Some have pointed to the premiere of season 5, which shows young Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) -- sister to main character’s Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard)) -- reading A Wrinkle in Time. As the Wheeler family faces a growing supernatural threat in the first part of the new season, Holly draws on the novel’s themes and characters to make sense of the unusual events around her.
Fans familiar with the book see potential narrative parallels that may serve as clues to the plot ahead of the much anticipated two-hour long series finale, which is set set to air on New Year's Eve.
At the end of A Wrinkle in Time, Mrs. Whatsit compares human life to a sonnet -- a structured form of poetry bound by its 14-line limit. That metaphor, suggesting freedom within constraint, has prompted speculation about what kinds of themes Stranger Things will explore in its finale.
Several fans agreed with the theory in the comments section, treating it as a plausible explanation for Vecna's alias within the classroom scenes and how he ended up gaining the trust of so many children. Some commenters have also used the post as a way to share their own theories about what might come next. Could the potential link to the 1962 novel mean that Vecna still has some good in him that will be revealed soon?
"Spoiler theory: I think he IS good. I think he's the portion of Henry still locked away. Everything he's doing with the kids might be to protect them or make what's happening to them more peaceful. The music in the mailbox? It's a tool. I think Max might be the Mindflayer or under its control. A twist," one viewer shared.
"He could also be telling them to call him that," another added.