Eleven does most of the heavy lifting in Stranger Things. While the other characters who call Hawkins, Indiana, home do their fair share of sleuthing, they are no match for the monsters that come from the Upside Down and wreak havoc. They don’t even know how to close the portals to the other dimension without their waffle-loving friend around. But Eleven is more than up for the task because she feels responsible for Vecna, having been the one to send him to the Upside Down all those years ago. In Season 5, in particular, she’s gunning for the villain because she wants the whole conflict to be over.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Rather than waiting for Henry Creel to come to her, Eleven goes to the Upside Down in the final season to retrieve Holly Wheeler, leaving all of her friends behind in the real world. And she picks a bad time to go because Will Byers, the first boy that Vecna took, who kicked off Stranger Things‘ whole story, taps into the power inside of him and wipes out a couple of Demogorgons. However, there might be more to Will’s powers than meets the eye, based on a detail that’s easy to overlook.
Stranger Things Really Wants to Make the Hive Mind Happen
Will’s trip to the Upside Down is traumatic in more ways than one. For starters, he has to camp out in a dimension full of scary monsters. While he eventually escapes, his former vacation spot sticks with him, sending chills down his spine whenever he feels his connection to it. Will gets a bit of a reprieve when he goes to California in Season 4, but it’s business as usual when he gets back. In fact, in Season 4’s final moments, the connection is stronger than ever because Vecna has opened up all of the portals he needs to bring the Upside Down to the real world. That plan falls apart thanks to Nancy Wheeler and Co. However, despite facing a temporary setback, Vecna is far from done with his old friend Will.
In Season 5, Will finds himself in the middle of the action, which is unusual for him, because he keeps having visions. After a bit of detective work, he realizes he’s seeing through the eyes of kids around Hawkins, ones that Vecna is coming after. That means, in truth, Will can tap into Vecna’s mind, giving him and his friends a leg up. Seeing another plan nearly go up in flames forces Vecna to act, so he walks through the only remaining portal in Hawkins and lays waste to the military force there. He spares Will, of course, but that proves to be a mistake because being so close to Vecna allows the confused teenager to borrow his enemy’s powers, or at least that’s what he thinks is happening. There’s a good chance that Stranger Things is gearing up to pull the rug out once again, and it’s not even trying to be coy about it.
Will Byers May Not Be an Extension of Vecna But Something Else
At least through Season 5, Part I, the Duffer brothers want everyone to think that Vecna and Will are two sides of the same coin. That way, for the next few weeks, everyone is worried that Will will have to die to stop Vecna. But there’s another possible outcome, one that explains Will’s powers and Vecna’s interest in him. In Part I, Will and Mike Byers are having a serious conversation about Will’s place in the fight. Mike wants to support his friend, so he reminds him that he’s a “Sorcerer” capable of incredible feats. The vote of confidence makes Will feel better and probably plays some part in his powers manifesting.
The only problem with Mike’s line of thinking is that Sorcerers in Dungeons & Dragons are born with powers; they don’t develop them later on. Will’s situation would make him more akin to a “Warlock,” but that’s not how the show classifies him. It could very well be that Will has always had the potential for greatness, and Vecna found that out one way or another and brought the boy to the Upside Down to learn what he could about him. Since Vecna keeps his cards so close to the vest, there’s every reason to believe he’s still hiding Will’s true purpose, and that fact might be the only thing that keeps the teenager from an early grave.
Stranger Things Season 5, Part I is streaming on Netflix.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Courtesy of David Production
