Is Will the key to stopping Vecna in Stranger Things season 5?

Highlights

Will Byers has always been the catalyst for the development of Stranger Things, with his kidnapping setting off a chain of events.
Will’s connection to the Shadow World and the Mind Flayer could make him the key to thwarting Vecna’s plans in the final season.
Through his psychic connection with the creature, Will may have untapped powers to alter the energies of the shadow world.

In the course of the acclaimed Netflix series Stranger ThingsThere have been a number of fan-favorite characters that have made the series what it is today. From the heroics of Hopper, Steve, and of course Eleven, to the humor of Dustin and the complex villainy of Mind Flayer and Vecna. But one character has always been the catalyst for the series’ development, and that is none other than Will Byers. The young boy set the events of the series in motion, and his abduction became the event that led both his family and friends to government cover-ups and alien worlds.

As the fifth and final season approaches in 2025, the question on everyone’s minds is who will be vital to Vecna’s plans for the city of Hawkins and the group of heroes standing in his way. While Eleven is a sure part of the fight against him, Will Byers is the character everyone should be paying attention to. Could Will be the key to stopping Vecna and saving the world from the Shadow World in the final season of Stranger Things?

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Will’s journey so far

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Will Byers was a shy, introverted boy who loved hanging out with his friends and playing Dungeons and Dragons. The son of a single mother, Joyce, Will spent a lot of time with his older brother, Jonathan. After spending time with his friends, he went home alone one night. But when he arrived home, he was kidnapped by a creature the heroes called the Demogorgon. The mystery surrounding Will’s fate led to many more mysteries being revealed as the series progressed. When Will’s mother Joyce and Sheriff Hopper discovered that Hawkins Lab was partially responsible for opening the rift leading to the Upside Down, an alternate reality connected to our world, they ventured into this alien world to save Will’s life.

But things weren’t so clear-cut, as the second season revealed that Will didn’t survive completely unscathed. His experiences left him psychically linked to a being from the Shadow World known as the Mind Flayer. The Mind Flayer, a giant, monstrous creature that connects with the other creatures of the Shadow World, attempted to take over Will through their shared mind link in hopes of crossing over to our world. The combined efforts of his friends, family, Hopper, and of course Eleven helped save Will from the creature and close the rift.

In season three, Will was tested more personally than before. His struggle to retain some of the childhood he missed clashed with his friends, who had grown up faster than he had. Yet his connection to the Shadow World and the Mind Flayer remained, and he could sense the creature’s growing infection in Hawkins when Billy became possessed. After saving Hawkins again, he moved to California with his mother, brother, and Eleven. Things came to a head in season 4, however, as Will struggled with his sexuality and feelings for his best friend Mike, while also helping to track down Eleven and stop Vecna. Despite his best efforts, Vecna’s plans worked, and Will sensed the Shadow World beginning to infiltrate Hawkins.

The key to stopping Vecna’s plans

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Whatever his ultimate goals, Vecna is the villain the Hawkins heroes must face. In Season 4, the backstory of Vecna, aka Henry Creel, reveals that he gained his powers after disappearing into another world for 12 hours, bringing the Mind Flayer with him. This story ran parallel to Will’s story, though Henry allowed the creature to take control and turn him into a future killer, while Will had friends and family to help him stamp out the monster.

Eventually, Henry’s powers developed to an uncontrollable point, and his caregiver, Dr. Brenner, chipped him to keep his powers under control while experiments on children continued until they created Eleven. A fateful event caused Henry to regain his powers and kill everyone except Brenner and Eleven, who he felt a connection to. However, she was horrified by his actions and managed to banish him to the Shadow World, where he became scarred and transformed into the monster known as Vecna.

Considering how similar Henry Creel and Will Byer’s experiences in the Shadow World were, and how connected they are to the Shadow World’s hive mind, including the Mind Flayer, Will could be the key to stopping Vecna. While Eleven has had superpowers so far in the series, Will may be sitting on his own untapped potential, and his traumas in the Shadow World may have given him the gift of altering and shaping the energies of the Shadow World in the same way that Vecna does. This could lead to Stranger Things’ The creators have set up a fight between Eleven, Vecna, and Will with tragic circumstances. Perhaps Vecna sees Will as the child he was not allowed to become, or as the last vessel to take with him when he crosses over to our world. Either way, Will possesses the power or answer that will help the heroes stop Vecna once and for all.