It has been more than three years since Stranger Things Season 4 hit Netflix. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the epic conclusion of this monumental Netflix original series. With so much time between seasons, fans have had plenty of time to speculate on fan theories. One such theory suggests that Will Byers, one of the main characters and the boy who was kidnapped and taken into the Upside Down in Season 1, is still under Vecna’s control. This theory suggests that Will is a double agent, lying in wait and ultimately destined to be the group’s undoing.
While that is a popular Will-centric theory, another fan theory about Will makes a lot more sense. This dark theory isn’t as dire as the idea of Will going evil and turning against his friends, but it still suggests that Will will suffer a great loss in order to defeat Vecna. If this fan theory turns out to be true, Will is likely be the key to defeating Vecna once and for all, but he won’t walk away unscathed.
Will Byers Has Always Been One of the Most Important Stranger Things Characters
Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) at Hawkins Middle School in the Upside Down in Stranger Things.Image via Netflix
Will is a member of the core friend group. In Season 1, the group consisted of Will, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. In Season 1, Eleven was eventually included in the group, despite initial resistance from Lucas. In Season 2, the group expanded a little bit more to include Max, but the bond that the original four members share is hard to overlook. These four boys love playing Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and hanging out at the local arcade. They are creative, imaginative, and most importantly, willing to do anything for each other. That’s exactly how Stranger Things started.
Will, Lucas, and Dustin are in Mike’s basement. Mike, the Dungeon Master, runs a D&D campaign for his three friends. This is how the audience meets this core group of friends. They’re laughing while playing the game, clearly excited and enjoying one another’s company. Mike introduces a new enemy to the game, the Demogorgon. Their campaign is interrupted by Mike’s mom before the result of Will’s dice roll can be determined. Before Will leaves Mike’s house, he confesses the result of the roll to Mike, which foreshadows the rest of the season.
Soon, the boys part ways, and Will rides his bike home. On his way home, Will realizes that something is following him. The audience never sees what follows Will in detail, but there are a few scenes that hint at an outline of the monster. Whatever the creature is, it ends up kidnapping Will, leaving his friends and family in dismay as they search high and low for him. Fans later learn that it was the Demogorgon, a creature from the Upside Down. That said, there is also evidence to suggest that Vecna might have actually been the one stalking Will.
Will’s disappearance becomes the focal point of the entire first season. His mother, Joyce, and his older brother, Jonathan, are put through the wringer as they try to uncover the truth about Will’s disappearance. Will’s friends are also deeply affected by the loss, which inevitably gets them caught up in a much larger scheme while they try to find him. Their search eventually leads them to Eleven, who helps them track Will down and also fights the Demogorgon multiple times to protect herself and the rest of the group.
Thankfully, Will is saved from the Upside Down by the end of the season, but he doesn’t escape unscathed. Will still maintains a strong connection to the Upside Down, one that sees him possessed by the Mind Flayer. He also transports Dart into Hawkins. We see him throw up a slug-like creature that eventually grows into a Demogorgon. Will’s connection to the Mind Flayer, and therefore Vecna (as revealed in Season 4), continues to affect him seasons later. He can still sense when the Mind Flayer is near and active, making him an invaluable tool in fighting back against the forces of the Upside Down. Unfortunately, it came at a great cost to Will’s mental and physical well-being.
This Fan Theory Suggests Will is the Key to Victory, But Only If He Loses an Eye
Image via Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
According to a popular fan theory, Will will be the reason the group finally defeats Vecna once and for all. This isn’t really that outlandish. He has been such an important fixture in the entire Stranger Things series that his relevance needs to pay off, especially with his continued connection to the Upside Down. The Duffer Brothers have also promised that Will will play a substantial role in the final season, so many fans believe he will either be the key to defeating Vecna or the key to Vecna’s victory.
This particular theory suggests that Will will lose his eye in Season 5, though. He will sacrifice it as a means to defeat Vecna. That may sound completely random and out of the blue, but there are actually a lot of details in Stranger Things to back up this theory. The first hint that Will might lose his eye dates all the way back to Season 2.
In Season 2, Will and his classmates learn about Phineas Gage, a real person who survived a traumatic brain injury in 1848. Gage was a railroad foreman who had a tamping iron shot through his head, taking his eye and part of his skull with it. During this scene, the camera spends a considerable amount of time focusing on Will, as if trying to draw a parallel between Phineas Gage and Will Byers. That, of course, is not enough to support this theory, but it’s only the beginning of why this theory actually makes sense.
Another serious hint happens in Season 4. Joyce moved to California and took Jonathan, Will, and Eleven with her to get her family away from the continued dangers of Hawkins. Eventually, the California-based gang is forced to return to the town. There’s a shot where Will stares out the window of the car as they re-enter Hawkins. He is looking at all the destruction Vecna caused in his absence, especially after he succeeded in his plan to open the four gates to the Upside Down. While staring out the window, there is a prolonged instance where a pole obstructs our view of Will. That pole hovers over half of Will’s face, hiding his eye from view.
This moment is a significant point for Will. He realizes that the destruction brought on by the Upside Down will never stop. It doesn’t matter how far he runs or where he goes; he now knows that he can never truly escape the events of the past. Even if he does run, he’s leaving thousands of people behind who will suffer in his place. If he wants to be free, then he needs to stay and fight. Hinting at Will’s future fate at this moment of horrifying clarity is a brilliant way to foreshadow a future event without anyone noticing.
This Fan Theory Relies on the Show’s Dungeons & Dragons Theme
Image via Netflix
The promotional material for Season 5 also seems to support this fan theory. From most of the posters and official teaser images we see of Will, both of his eyes are rarely visible. Will’s right eye is usually completely or mostly hidden from view. Even when he is pictured with other characters, such as Mike or the entire cast, he is the only one whose face is partially hidden in shadows or turned away from the camera.
The only other character that we see with this type of marketing is Vecna himself. In the “One Last Adventure” poster, Vecna’s face hovers in the sky above the kids as they ride their bikes below him. Vecna is very clear and visible, but his right eye is completely omitted from the image.
This leads us into our most compelling piece of evidence. Vecna’s name comes from Dungeons & Dragons. Stranger Things has always been themed around D&D because it was the easiest way for the kids to interpret the supernatural occurrences happening to them. The Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer are also creatures that come straight out of D&D. In the game, Vecna is a powerful and evil wizard who eventually transforms into a lich. Vecna has been called one of the greatest villains to emerge from Dungeons & Dragons.
Mike, Dustin, and Lucas were also running “The Cult of Vecna” campaign at the beginning of Season 4, with Eddie Munson as their DM. So, it’s only natural that they associate Vecna, an evil and powerful wizard, with the person tormenting Hawkins in Season 4. Vecna’s real name is Henry Creel, also known as 001, Dr. Martin Brenner’s very first test subject. To the core characters, though, Henry is known predominantly as Vecna.
In D&D, there are several artifacts associated with Vecna that player characters can actually obtain and use, even against the villain. One such artifact is the Eye of Vecna, a rare, powerful, and malevolent artifact that grants the user magical abilities. It also unlocks new senses for those who wear the artifact. The catch? In order to use the Eye of Vecna, the wearer must sacrifice their own eye and replace it with the artifact.
Since the promotional material keeps emphasizing both Vecna and Will “missing” their right eyes, it makes sense that Season 5 might implement the idea of the Eye of Vecna to finally defeat this ultimate villain.
Release Date
2016 – 2025
Network
Netflix
Showrunner
Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Directors
Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz
Writers
Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
Millie Bobby Brown
Jane ‘Eleven’ Hopper
Finn Wolfhard
Mike Wheeler