Jamie Campbell Bower surprised theatergoers Friday evening by making an unexpected cameo in the “Stranger Things” Broadway show.
The actor, who plays Vecna/One/Henry Creel in the Netflix series, made his Broadway debut on Friday with an appearance in the prequel play’s final scene, replacing his on-stage counterpart, Louis McCartney. The casting swap actually worked for this moment, as the final scene connects directly to one from Season 4, where Henry interacts with a young Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and brings about a massacre at Hawkins Lab.
Campbell Bower expressed a similar sentiment to Tudum after the debut, noting, “The end of the play is the sort of lead into Season 4, and I remember exactly how it felt and exactly who that person is.”
“I’m honored to have been asked to do it,” he added. “I’ve been so fortunate to see ‘First Shadow’ twice, both in London and when it opened here. It’s both a very bizarre and also beautiful experience to see it, so to wrap up my journey with ‘Stranger Things’ by doing this, it’s really cool.”
Video footage of Campbell Bower’s curtain call has already made the rounds on X, and shows the “Stranger Things” villain dressed in a white orderly uniform, similar to the one he dons in Season 4.
“I just want to take a moment to acknowledge something very, very special has happened here tonight,” McCartney said while standing next to Campbell Bower onstage at “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.” “The Broadway debut of freakin’ Jamie Campbell Bower.”
Jamie Campbell Bower makes his Broadway debut playing Henry Creel in Stranger Things: The First Shadow!
— Screen Rant (@screenrant) December 20, 2025
Hear the cast talk about how Henry is the "dynamite" of @STonBroadway as they celebrate the finale of #StrangerThings. pic.twitter.com/R7HxrD96cT
After receiving a round of applause from both the cast and the audience, McCartney reminded audiences to tune in for the rest of Season 5 — which releases Vol. 2 on Christmas Day and the series finale on New Year’s Eve.
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” takes place in 1959 and tells Vecna’s origin story, as well as gives glimpses of younger versions of fan-favorite characters like Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper. It’ll will likely also factor into the rest of the plot for Season 5.
How exactly? Click here to find out.
