🔗 Share this article The Contents of the Briefcase Henry Opens in the Hit Series? Throughout a large portion of season 5 of the popular Netflix show, Holly Wheeler and Max are imprisoned in a realm of memories forged from the past of the villain Henry. Their mission for freedom in the pivotal sixth episode leads them to witness again a traumatic incident from Henry's childhood—a discovery that potentially carries the key to defeating him for good. Spoiler Warning: This discussion details significant events for *Stranger Things* season 5, volume 2. The Discovery in the Tunnel When she finds Max in the mental landscape known as Camazotz, Max reveals she is taking refuge in a chamber that Henry is terrified of. An accidental discovery a spyglass taken from Henry's old home allows Holly to realize that the source of fear lies not within the cave. When she lines up her view to the cut-out, she and Max suddenly fall into a abandoned tunnel. In this place, they observe a Henry as a boy find an man who is hurt and scared. As the boy offers aid, the man fires a gun, striking Henry in the hand. Fighting for his life, Henry kills the man with a rock. "Is this what corrupted him?" Holly asks tearfully. The answer is affirmative, but the trauma wasn't just a simple act of survival. Similar to other plot points of the final season, the full story behind the events in the tunnel is detailed in the live show Stranger Things: The First Shadow. A Naval Mystery and A Spy's Mission The play reveals the infamous Philadelphia Experiment, which allegedly sent a U.S. Navy ship into a dimension dubbed the Abyss. Demogorgons assaulted it, and the lone returnee was the ship's commander, who came back in a vegetative state with an altered blood type. This man's son, the future Dr. Brenner, sought to replicate this phenomenon in remote Nevada. However, a treacherous employee took experimental components to hand over to the Communist spies, who were keen to start their own interdimensional projects. That traitor in the cavern is the one who stole the materials. Unlocking the Mystery Considering what is known about his research, the container most likely held samples of the unique blood type. As shown, Henry is wounded and bleeding. It's probable he was infected upon contact with the blood, causing the development of his psychic abilities—traits he would inadvertently transfer to the kids Brenner would experiment on. Another possibility, the container could have held exotic matter that later made its way to Hawkins Laboratory, where it acts to anchor the parallel world. *The First Shadow* reveals that young Henry somehow wound up in the Abyss, reappearing 12 hours later as a different person. From then on, he struggles with the control of a dark entity, similar to how Will was controlled by the Mind Flayer in season 2. Confronting Terror The reason Henry avoids the cave associated with the mine shows how profoundly traumatic the encounter was for him. While he controls the collective consciousness and seeks to merge the Abyss into Hawkins, a part of him lingers. Fear is his tool, and the narrative points to a climactic battle between the monster and Will, who has overcome his greatest terrors to fortify himself. Will's growth has neutralized a key tactic of Vecna. Crucially, Will now is aware of what his enemy truly fears, potentially giving him a key upper hand in the series finale that awaits.