Jamie Campbell Bower, who played the scary Vecna in Stranger Things, shocked everyone by appearing on Broadway to reprise his role as Henry Creel in the Tony Award-winning play Stranger Things: The First Shadow. The 37-year-old actor walked on stage at New York’s Marquis Theatre on December 19, 2025, during the climactic final scene. The audience cheered and gave him a standing ovation.
Bower’s surprise appearance marked his Broadway debut and connected the Netflix show to the stage production set in Hawkins in the 1950s. He played adult Henry Creel, kneeling to meet a young Eleven. Then they left hand in hand, with synth music and Vecna projections behind them, which made Stranger Things fans very happy. Louis McCartney, who plays young Henry, praised Bower on stage as a “inspiration” and the “dynamite” of the show.
Kate Trefry wrote Stranger Things: The First Shadow with story ideas from the Duffer Brothers. It tells the story of Vecna’s beginnings and younger versions of Hopper, Joyce, and Bob Newby. It won four Tonys, including Scenic Design and Lighting, after it opened on London’s West End in 2023 and on Broadway in April 2025. After the end of Season 5 of Stranger Things, ticket sales shot up through 2026.
Bower called the moment “special” and “honored,” saying that he had seen the play in London and New York before agreeing to do the cameo at the Season 5 premiere. He used his Season 4 role to add realism and connect family dynamics to things that will happen in the next season. This is the first time the cast has done a TV-to-stage reprise, which builds excitement for the New Year’s Eve movie screenings of the finale.
