David Harbour Teases Vecna, Stranger Things ' First 'Psychological Horror' Villain: 'A True Big Bad'

Hattie Lindert
·2 min read
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 18: Actor David Harbour attends the "No Sudden Move" premiere during the 2021 Tribeca Festival at The Battery on June 18, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage,)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 18: Actor David Harbour attends the "No Sudden Move" premiere during the 2021 Tribeca Festival at The Battery on June 18, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage,)

Jim Spellman/WireImage

There's a new villain haunting Hawkins, Indiana in Stranger Things season 4 — and according to David Harbour, it's badder than ever.

At the premiere of the Netflix series' highly-anticipated fourth season, the 47-year-old actor revealed that the new batch of episodes will introduce a new "psychological horror" creature named Vecna.

Harbour, who plays the wily Detective Jim Hopper on the series, teased to Variety that Vecna is "the true big bad we've really needed."

"The Upside Down has been this wild west world where there are creatures running around," Harbour told the outlet. "There's violence, but we've never seen something as calculatedly psychologically evil as this."

STRANGER THINGS. Vecna Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
STRANGER THINGS. Vecna Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

Netflix

RELATED: David Harbour Channels the Upside Down in Custom Bedazzled Suit at Stranger Things Premiere

Fans have already been introduced to a host of evils from the ever-present Upside Down, including the Demogorgon, a humanoid creature with a gnashing mouth that rivals Alien's iconic monster.

Stranger Things' executive producer and director, Shawn Levy, raised the stakes for Vecna even higher, telling Variety the new villain "makes a Demogorgon look cuddly."

Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin Henderson, also told the outlet that Vecna's arrival will change everything for the Hawkins gang.

"The craziest thing is just how new and fresh the villain feels compared to what we've had before," Matarazzo explained. "It's something that brings a whole new vibe to how we deal with our villains in 'Stranger Things' and how we will continue to do so going forward."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

According to Variety, Vecna was created primarily using practical effects — a feat actor Joe Keery called "unparalleled."

"There aren't other people that are doing similar things to this, so as the fan in me, I was just freaking out," Keery said.

Though Harbour said his character "doesn't directly deal" with Vecna this season, he revealed Hopper will have to fight off a "pretty terrifying" Demogorgon in the Russian prison, where he'd landed at the end of season 3.

STRANGER THINGS. David Harbour as Jim Hopper in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
STRANGER THINGS. David Harbour as Jim Hopper in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

Netflix

RELATED: Sadie Sink Promises Stranger Things Season 4 Will Be the 'Most Bizarre Season We've Ever Had'

Sadie Sink, who plays Max Mayfield, previously hinted to PEOPLE that a new "really scary" foe was set to join the cast, in what the 20-year-old actress called the "most bizarre season" ever.

"Just the scale of it is out of this world," Sink revealed. "We get to explore a lot of different themes and different sides of the characters that everyone knows and loves, so I'm looking forward to it."

Part one of Stranger Things season 4 will premiere May 27 on Netflix, with the second part expected to drop on July 1.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Edinburgh council urges residents going to BBL surgeries offered online to contact them

    A council has warned residents set to undergo a 'Brazilian Butt Lift' (BBL) to contact them over concerns about cosmetic surgeries being offered through social media. According to the NHS, a BBL has the highest death rate of all cosmetic surgeries. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) has previously advised its members not to carry out the procedure.

  • Daimler Truck faces imminent strike by over 7,300 US workers

    Daimler Truck must reach a new labor contract with over 7,300 hourly workers at six facilities in the U.S. South by the end of Friday or face a possible strike by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union members. The workers are seeking higher pay, institution of cost-of-living adjustments and greater job security from the heavy-truck maker, UAW President Shawn Fain said during an online speech earlier this week. "Workers' wages at Daimler have not kept up," he said on Tuesday.

  • FTSE 100 Live: Index hits another record, shock Darktrace buyout, Anglo rejects BHP

    Darktrace’s three year stay on the London stock market is set to end after the cybersecurity firm backed a £4 billion takeover by a US private equity firm. The developments came as mining giant Anglo American said it had rejected BHP’s “opportunistic” £31 billion bid approach.

  • Q4 2024 Accolade Inc Earnings Call

    Q4 2024 Accolade Inc Earnings Call

  • Jack Whitehall reacts after Prince William calls his jokes 'dad-like'

    The future King said on Thursday: ‘I’ve been asked to produce a dad joke, so I’m trying to channel Jack Whitehall’

  • UPDATE 1-China's Shein set to face tougher EU online rules

    The European Union designated Chinese-founded fast-fashion company Shein as a very large online platform (VLOP) after it reported a huge number of users, the EU said in a statement on Friday. Companies with more than 45 million users are regarded as VLOPs under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), facing stricter rules on online content that require them to do more to fight illegal and harmful content as well as counterfeit products on their platforms. The online retailer said it was committed to comply with the rules.

  • Automakers are not on deadline to fix dangerous defects in millions of recalled vehicles

    Jay Mills loves his Toyota Rav 4 Hybrid. What he doesn't love, however, is the defect that could cause the SUV to catch fire. Mills received a recall notice from Toyota last July telling him the car had an electrical issue that needed to be repaired. According to the notice, the remedy would be available by the end of 2023. Meanwhile, Mills continued to drive his grandkids to school. Mills said he calls dealerships "almost every month, and they say we know nothing."

  • Aon first-quarter profit grows on gains from investments, funds

    Aon reported a rise in first-quarter profit on Friday, powered by increases in interest earned from investments as well as funds held in a fiduciary capacity. Interest income rose nearly six times to $28 million in the first quarter ended March, primarily due to interest earned on $5 billion investment of debt proceeds used to fund the purchase of NFP. Last year, Aon agreed to buy privately held NFP in a deal valued at about $13.4 billion to tap the fast-growing middle-market segment of insurance brokerage, wealth management and retirement plan advisory.

  • Glencore seeks investment opportunities in Nigerian mining sector

    Mining and trading house Glencore will invest in Nigeria's mining sector if the government ensures a stable business climate, the company's CEO said on Thursday during a visit to Nigeria's minister in charge of solid minerals. The visit comes as Nigeria is seeking to woo foreign investors to its undeveloped mining sector. "We are looking at opportunities to invest in the mining sector with emphasis on nickel, cobalt, zinc amongst others," Glencore group CEO Gary Nagle said.

  • Race Across The World confirms why contestants couldn't go through China

    Race Across the World has confirmed the reason why contestants were unable to go through China in the show's latest episode.

  • Latest report shows new update on inflation

    Latest report shows new update on inflation

  • Students at prestigious Paris university protest over Israel-Gaza war

    Students at one of France's top universities occupied its premises overnight Thursday after police broke up a pro-Palestinian demonstration there on Wednesday. It follows similar waves of anger across college campuses in the US in protest over Israel's bombardment of Gaza. Several dozen students at the Paris campus of Sciences Po staged a sit-in Thursday night. Rubbish bins and and other material blocked the main entrance on Friday morning, the French news agency AFP reported.Organisers – member

  • UN official says it could take 14 years to clear debris in Gaza

    The vast amount of rubble including unexploded ordnance left by Israel's devastating war in the Gaza Strip could take about 14 years to remove, a United Nations official said on Friday. Israel's military campaign against Gaza's ruling Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has reduced much of the narrow, coastal territory of 2.3 million people to a wasteland with most civilians homeless, hungry and at risk of disease. Pehr Lodhammar, senior officer at the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), told a briefing in Geneva that the war had left an estimated 37 million tons of debris in the widely urbanised, densely populated territory.

  • UPDATE 1-Russian central bank holds rates at 16%, raises inflation forecast

    Russia's central bank held its key interest rate at 16% for the third meeting running on Friday, but raised its inflation forecast for 2024, acknowledging for the first time that it may struggle to reach its 4% target this year. The decision was in line with a Reuters poll of economists, which had forecast that the persistence of inflation, fanned by strong consumer demand and widespread labour shortages, would prevent the central bank from easing borrowing costs more quickly. The bank lifted its inflation forecast to 4.3-4.8% from 4-4.5% previously.

  • Exxon misses on Q1 profit despite big gains in Guyana

    Exxon Mobil Corp on Friday missed analysts' estimates with a 28% year-on-year drop in first quarter profits as weaker refining margins and lower natural gas prices offset volume gains. The largest U.S. oil company, which is in the process of closing a $60 billion deal for top shale oil producer Pioneer Natural Resources, posted first-quarter earnings of $8.22 billion, or $2.06 per share, compared to an $11.43 billion net profit a year ago. The results were the second highest for a first quarter in the past decade, behind the year-ago period, said Chief Financial Officer Kathryn Mikells.

  • EastEnders shares aftermath of Zack and Lauren betrayal

    EastEnders has offered a first look at the aftermath of Zack Hudson and Lauren Branning's betrayal.

  • Ex-Parliamentary researcher ordered not to contact MPs after China spy charges

    Christopher Cash is accused of an offence under the Official Secrets Act.

  • Millie Bright interview: 'It's nice to be underdogs, but we must find another level to get to the final'

    The Blues take a narrow first-leg advantage into the home decider on Saturday

  • Fledgling coach relishes learning from Lions legends

    Devizes RFC’s minis and juniors had a day to relish as they got to keep company with British & Irish Lions greats Jason Robinson and Gavin Hastings.

  • Ellen DeGeneres: I was kicked out of showbusiness

    DeGeneres returns to the spotlight with a new stand-up show - two years after her talk show ended.