Ever since he was kidnapped by Vecna’s puppet Demogorgon in season one, Will (Noah Schnapp) has had a direct connection to the Upside Down. This evil has possessed his body more than once and even used him as an unwitting spy.
The gang believed the connection was severed in season two. However, viewers knew that wasn’t the case; Will continued to get goosebumps whenever Vecna was using his powers nearby.
In season five, episode two, “The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler,” Will admits that he’s always been able to tap into the Hive Mind (the psychic connection that bonds all creatures from the Upside Down, which Vecna channels to control them).
“Ever since he took me, it’s like I was permanently changed,” Will tells his mother. In episode four, “Sorcerer,” Mike explicitly compares Will to Vecna, theorizing that Will could pull the strings of the Hive Mind in the same way.
Two episodes later, Mike’s theory proves impressively accurate. When his friends’ lives are threatened, Will harnesses his own Vecna-like magic, freezing the Demogorgons mid-attack and killing them from afar.
It’s clear that Will’s similarities to Vecna will be of tremendous importance in the rest of the season. Unfortunately, because their connection flows both ways, Will also is a liability. As long as he’s still alive, Vecna will always have access to the Rightside Up — meaning that Will may need to die if the gang hopes to defeat Vecna for good.
We’ve seen how hurting one piece of the Hive Mind hurts the rest of it. If one Demogorgon goes up in flames, the rest of them collapse and writhe in agony. If Will is correct that his connection to the Hive Mind is permanent, then killing Vecna could mean killing Will simultaneously.
In the words of Mike, “As far as crazy theories go, I’ve had crazier.” Turning Will into a world-saving martyr would be consistent with the show’s motifs. In an interview with Time, the Duffer brothers said they conceptualized “Stranger Things” as “a show about Will.” The very first episode is titled “The Vanishing of Will Byers.”
Out of all the boys in the original quartet, it would make the most sense for Will’s arc to end with some kind of climactic sacrifice. If he managed to save his family and friends, just as they saved him in season one, it would bring the series full circle.
Risk level: Frighteningly High
