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Stranger Things 5’s Vecna Was Largely Practical as Jamie Campbell Bower Says Goodbye

More than 90 percent of the villain’s appearance came from seven-hour prosthetic builds, with animatronics plus light VFX refining the design.

Overview

  • The makeup team spent roughly seven hours per shoot day applying custom prosthetics to Jamie Campbell Bower’s face, head, shoulders and hands.
  • Additional padding, a specialized body suit and subtle footwear lifts reshaped his silhouette and enabled performance-friendly movement.
  • Digital effects were used sparingly to layer in creeping vines, pulsating textures and other unnatural motions over the physical build.
  • For the final season, Vecna’s look evolved to darker, sharper, more organic forms, with upgraded prosthetics and facial animatronics.
  • After the finale, Bower posted “It’s been a pleasure to serve x,” discussed the role’s mental-health toll and stepping back from villains for now, and a transformation video drew strong fan praise.