By 1984, Eleven's powers had grown to the point where she could enter the Void without subjecting herself to total sensory deprivation. Simply blindfolding herself and listening to the white noise of a television was sufficient to induce the state.
“The blood supply to the brain is cut off. It scrambles the signals in the brain to the point where the mind can forget how to do things.
Season 4 finally introduced the true mastermind of the Upside-Down's invasion, the being at the heart of the Mind-Flayer's hive mind. Vecna is a dark mirror of Eleven herself, sharing all her powers, and potentially others as well.
At birth, Eleven was taken away from her mother by Dr. Martin Brenner and was raised as a test subject in Hawkins National Laboratory in order to develop her psychokinetic skills. When placed in a sensory deprivation tank, she can use remote viewing to access other dimensions, primarily for the purposes of espionage.
However, after the big fight sequence between her and the Mind Flayer in the Starcourt Mall, she realized she could not use her powers. It was only during the epilogue section of season three, when we see her pack for Lenora Hills, that it becomes clear that her powers had gone for good.
Eleven's Nosebleeds Could Have Links To Her Emotions
Although Eleven has grown stronger and can use her powers for longer without getting tired, her nose still bleeds when she has to channel excessive energy or when she's not in a good emotional place when using them.
Brenner was able to make or alter the other children so that they would also have powers. Because of that, Vecna was inherently more powerful because he had his powers longer and knew the ins and outs of his abilities.
The reason that Eleven couldn't find Max is actually pretty simple -- Max had already died. That means her soul had already been absorbed into Vecna's consciousness.
At his empire's height, Vecna was betrayed and destroyed by his most trusted lieutenant, a vampire called Kas the Bloody-Handed, using a magical sword that Vecna himself had crafted for him, now known as the Sword of Kas.
While intending to get his revenge on Eleven and Brenner, Vecna also goes after victims who have dealt with traumatizing experiences in the past (reminiscent of his childhood and his time at the Hawkins lab).
However, within the red smoke of Vecna's Mind Lair, it wasn't the song itself that saved her, but the memories it conjured up. What broke through to Max was the happy, loving memories of her friends, particularly Lucas and Eleven, and these were what truly allowed her to break free of Vecna's grasp and escape.
Though this trait is understandable - and not at all Eleven's fault - it's a weakness nonetheless. Failing to trust people leaves her to fend for herself and be constantly on the run.
There are many questions about Eleven, like whether Eleven created The Upside Down, and in the season 4 finale, she brings Max back to life. Eleven uses her telekinetic powers to get into Vecna's mind and battle him herself.
Andrew Rich was a character introduced in the Stranger Things novel Suspicious Minds. Andrew was the biological father of Eleven and the boyfriend of Terry Ives.
Curiously, he also seems obsessed with time, projecting strange visions into his victims' minds—including of the grandfather clock from his home in the Creel House. Vecna's obsession with time appears to be linked to his hatred of humanity.
Is Max alive at the end of Season 4? Physically, yes. Lucas tells his friends that Max is in a coma, and we see her wearing casts on her arms and legs. The Duffer brothers have also confirmed that at the end of Season 4, Max is alive yet "brain dead, blind, and all of her bones are broken."
In episode 7, Vecna is revealed to be Henry Creel (played as a youngster by Raphael Luce), the son of Victor Creel (Robert Englund) and his wife Virginia (Tyner Rushing) shown in the 1950s flashbacks.
In a fit of rage, Henry used his restored powers to brutally murder the other test subjects and workers, and attempted to do the same to Eleven. However, Eleven stood her ground and ultimately overpowered him, sending him through a gate to the Upside Down; there, he gradually transformed into the being known as Vecna.
What does Vecna want with El? In his twisted mind, Vecna believes that he his helping the world by wiping out humans, as a "predator, but for good." When Vecna asks for El to join him, it's because he also sees her as a predator, "better" than humans.
Eleven has a memory during this episode and realizes that 001/Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower) wants her to join him on his evil journey, and she banished him to the Upside Down. 001 then transformed into Vecna, the horrifying Stranger Things villain.
After serving as bait for Vecna, she becomes his “final sacrifice,” getting her bones broken and losing her vision during a low point. Once the fight is over, she dies in Lucas' arms, unable to see or feel anything as Eleven looks on from her mindspace.
Through the window, Max saw her real body levitating above the cemetery, her friends panicking on the ground below. Bracing herself, Max pulled at a vine in Vecna's neck, causing him to writhe in pain and accidentally release her from the vines' grasp.