The relationship between Will Byers and Vecna bears similarities between that between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, which has us seriously worried for Noah Schnapp’s Stranger Things character. Will Byers has been at the center of Stranger Things’ story ever since he was abducted and taken into the Upside Down in season 1’s premiere, but season 5 has elevated his importance even more. Will now fully understands his connection to Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and the Upside Down’s twisted hive mind, just like how Harry Potter is connected to the Dark Lord as one of his seven Horcruxes.
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In the Harry Potter books and movies, Voldemort killing Harry Potter’s mother inadvertently turns the wizard into a Horcrux — an object or being containing a piece of Voldemort’s soul. This connects the pair throughout the series, just like how Will Byers has been connected to Vecna ever since his first journey into the Upside Down, in which Vecna fed the young Will with particles of the Mind Flayer. In the Harry Potter series, the titular Boy Who Lived had to die for Voldemort to be defeated, which makes us incredibly worried for Will Byers in Stranger Things’ upcoming final episodes.
What Will Byers & Vecna’s Similarities to Harry Potter & Voldemort Mean for Stranger Things’ Upcoming Finale
During Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, originally published in 2007, Voldemort uses the killing curse on Harry Potter to rid the world of his archenemy. However, Potter only dies briefly, as it’s just the piece of Voldemort’s soul inside him that was killed, allowing him to return to life and defeat the Dark Lord. While it was a happy ending for Harry Potter, Will Byers might not be so lucky in Stranger Things season 5’s final episodes — scheduled to release on Christmas Day before a feature-length finale on New Year’s Eve.
If Will Byers and Vecna’s connection is the same as Harry Potter and Voldemort’s, Will Byers may need to sacrifice his own life in order for Vecna and the entire hive mind to be destroyed and dismantled. This could also spread to the other children whom Vecna has seemingly been imbuing with the Mind Flayer, similarly to Will, including Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher), Derek Turnbow (Jake Connelly), and ten more. This would be a seriously dark ending for Stranger Things, but may be the only way for Vecna’s onslaught to be thwarted.
Will Byers’ death in Stranger Things has been theorized for some time, given that it was his abduction that kick-started the events of the series, and his sacrifice could bring things to a close. This would explain some of the other characters’ intense emotions in Stranger Things season 5’s trailers, and that intense “RUN!” moment delivered by Schnapp, as this may be during the final battle while Will Byers has Vecna in his grasp. If this is the only way to defeat Vecna, Will’s death will be a tragic necessity in the much-anticipated upcoming episodes of Stranger Things‘ final season.
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