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A major Stranger Things Vecna spoiler might have just been revealed by the cast on Hot Ones (and immediately taken down)

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By Mireia Mullor published 5 December 2025

Some fans are not surprised, though

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With Volume 1 of Stranger Things season 5 now available to watch on Netflix, fans are desperate to find out what comes next for the story, and Noah Schnapp might have accidentally offered a pretty huge spoiler. The ultimate confirmation is that his slip-up has been edited out of the original video, even if by then it was too late to hide it.

The moment happened during an interview on the Hot Ones video podcast, where Schnapp and his co-stars Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo were invited to enjoy some hot wings and talk about the show. When challenged to recap the story from the beginning, the Will Byers actor sped through a few key moments, accidentally confirming that Vecna is being controlled by the Mind Flayer, and that it was Will who built the tunnels underneath Hawkins, likely using his now revealed powers.

That part of the video has been taken down, although fans were quick to share it online for everyone to see. As some have noted already, the stage show Stranger Things: The First Shadow already suggested that the Mind Flayer actually gave Henry Creel his powers, which pushed him to become Vecna. However, those who have only watched the show are still not aware of that fact, and Schnapp's revelation has come to a surprise.

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"You literally see Finn almost throw up and its not from the hot sauce," joked one fan, noting Wolfhard and his co-stars poker faces during the video, with another adding: "They cut out the part in the hot wings video where Noah says that will built the tunnels and the mind flayer controls Vecna. GUYS."

Other fans were not that shocked, with one noting: "Literally neither of these are spoilers… Vecna being ran by the mind flayer was quite literally explained by Dustin already when he said Vecna was the mind flayers 5 star general… and the tunnels being built by Will… did you even watch season 2 when he literally drew the tunnels."

"I've been saying this for years but fans been pushing that “it's been Vecna in control this whole time” like Dustin said Vecna is just a general. The Mindflayer is the leader. The Mindflayer gets in you like it did to Will, Henry and Billy," added another person, while a fifth person shared: "Was I the only one who always just assumed that? Like for me, when Vecna got thrown into the dimension where the shadow monster is, I thought the Mindflayer had definitely invaded his mind so like that was kinda obvious for me."

For now, we'll have to wait to get all the answers, as the final season of Stranger Things was split in three volumes for its festive release. The finale will be its own installment, and its runtime has finally been confirmed, clocking at a feature-length of two hours and five minutes.

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Stranger Things season 5 Volume 2 arrives on Netflix on December 25, with Volume 3 following on December 31. For more, fill out your watchlist with our picks of the other best shows on Netflix or see our Stranger Things season 5 release schedule.

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Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.

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