If you watched the Stranger Things finale on New Year’s Eve and found yourself scratching your head because the whole Vecna-Mind Flayer thing was glossed over and not addressed, you’re not imagining things.

Christmas week was reliably bountiful for Broadway, with some record-breaking grosses for the holiday fulfilling producers’ holiday wishes. Among the big performers were Stranger Things: The First Shadow,

A briefcase that young Henry opened in Stranger Things volume 2 is linked to his origins as Vecna, as shown in the prequel play of Stranger Things.

The play reveals that the cave system was where Henry first ventured to Dimension X — now dubbed "The Abyss" in Stranger Things. That's the alternate dimension where the Mind Flayer and Demogorgons are from, as opposed to the Upside Down, which Volume 2 reveals is a bridge connecting the Abyss to our world.

Find all the connections from previous seasons and 'The First Shadow' play that may help you connect the dots as you watch 'Stranger Things 5' Vol. 2

The First Shadow is still running on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre. Get updated run dates (through June 28, 2026), showtimes (7 p.m. plus 1 p.m. matinees), holiday-week changes, and ticket prices from $59.

The First Shadow' grossed more than $2.5 million in one week over Christmas, a record for the Marquis Theater.

The Top 10 earners for the week were Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, $3,038,963; Wicked, $3,001,721; Hamilton, $2,983,979; The Lion King, $2,754,103; Mamma Mia!; Stranger Things: The First Shadow; Chess, $1,727,978 ; MJ, $1,659,386; Aladdin, $1,602,12; and Art, $1,590,503, which recouped it investment this month.

"Stranger Things" is ending tonight. Here’s what time the Season 5 finale comes out on Netflix, how to watch and the runtime of the supersized New Year’s Eve episode.

Stranger Things Season 5’s biggest twist, that the Mind Flayer was the real villain all along, was pretty well signposted. The end of Season 4 had apparently turned the entire story upside down, with Vecna claiming he was the show’s real villain and that he’d created the Mind Flayer.