Stranger Thingsseason 5 might just be giving us the missing piece of Will Byers' story that we’ve been waiting for. As it’s the show’s final season,Stranger Thingsseason 5will have to tie up a lot of loose ends, especially concerning the Upside Down and Vecna’s powers. There’s an inextricable part of that story, though: Will Byers.
Everything inStranger Thingscan be traced back to the night that Will disappeared.Whereas other Demogorgon victims, like Nancy’s friend Barb, never made it out of that terrifying parallel plane, the tiny, inexperienced, and petrified Will managed to survive in what we’d later learn was Vecna’s and the Mind Flayer’s domain for days – a whole week, even.
Though we know that experience left him scarred in more ways than one, we don’t understand much about his time there. From the show’s brief glimpses and theStranger Thingscomics, we know that Will managed to escape the Demogorgon when he first arrived in the Upside Down and hid as much as he could until Hopper and Joyce found him.
What else happened there, though? How did his journey affect his mysterious connection to the Mind Flayer?How much of a role did Vecna play in Will’s survival? One shot in theStranger Thingsseason 5 teaser trailersuggests we might finally be getting those answers and more.
Stranger Things Season 5 Looks Like It’s Doing A Will Byers Flashback
In the latestStranger Thingsseason 5 trailer, between the 1:12-1:16 mark, there’s a shot of someone dramatically leaping away from a Demogorgon in the Upside Down, red lightning and all. Based on the character’s size (they also appear to be carrying a backpack), there’s a genuine possibility that this is a young, season 1-era Will.
Sure, this could potentially be someone else leaping away from a Demogorgon in the show’s present-day storyline. After all, with all the open rifts in Hawkins, the place is probably swarming with these terrifying monsters. Anyone could be running for their lives, especially with Vecna on the loose.
Will’s entire story is tied to his abduction. We need to know what he experienced, and more importantly, what was done to him.
However,Stranger Things’creators,the Duffer Brothers, have previously hinted that season 5 will (finally) focus on Will. Including answers about his time in the Upside Down is only logical. Will’s entire story is tied to his abduction. We need to know what he experienced, and more importantly, what was done to him.
What Showing Will’s Upside Down Survival Could Mean
Our understanding of the Upside Down has been completely upended since that first season ofStranger Things.Vecna is tied to it all; he shaped it how he saw fit and took control of the Mind Flayer and the hive mind.Nothing in the Upside Down occurs without Vecna knowing. How much of a part did he play in Will’s week-long nightmare?
What if Vecna ordered the Demogorgons to keep him alive? What if he purposefully chose to infect Will? What if he’s been grooming him all this time? Maybe he views Will as a successor. Perhaps he needs him to help fight Eleven.
Sure, Will was good at hiding, but is that really how he managed to stay alive? There’s got to be more to that story, and I, for one, hope we discover the truth inStranger Thingsseason 5.
