Stranger Things 5 Volume 1 has finally been released after leaving fans waiting for three whole years. When the Netflix show was first released in 2016, it started with Will Byers (played by Noah Schnapp) being taken into possession by the Mindflayer. But have you ever wondered why he chose Will out of all the kids of Hawkins?
In fact, the first episode of Stranger Things 5 begins with what happened when Vecna, aka Mindflayer, took control of Will's mind in the Upside Down world. Reddit users, over the years, has had several theories on why Vecna chose Will. Let's try and decode.
Why did Vecna choose Will Byers?
Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, has always been one of the most important characters of the show after Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). More so, because of how has been connected to Vecna right from the first episode of Stranger Things. Reddit, too, has several interesting theories. Let's find out:
- Theory 1: "Will was in the wrong place and wrong time. BUT… assuming S5 is showing how Vecna was involved, he probably read Will’s mind at some point. Vecna would have learned about Will’s deep fears / insecurities over being different, that he felt like a mistake and didn’t belong. Vecna may have related to that on some level and decided instead of just killing Will, he would make a good spy / avatar. He would give Will purpose."
- Theory 2: "Remember in the first season how they placed an emphasis on how so many people thought el was will? I think he was taken because Vecna/the demo were looking for el the night he went missing and the night that el escaped. They were both also near the same area when this occurred. There’s not been a real clear answer on whether he was specifically taken or not, at all. Everything about the way ST1 was written suggests that Will stumbled by chance into the UD while trying to get away from the demogorgon, hid for a while, and then was captured. It was severe bad luck. I think it would be a retcon to suggest otherwise, but that doesn’t mean Vecna didn’t decide there was a way to use him after he was captured, even if only as a failsafe vessel of possession a la ST2. Hence his slug impregnation and the events of that season. There could be even more to it that we don’t know about yet, but it doesn’t seem like Vecna had the power to reach the real world in ST1 like he did ST4, so it was unlikely he was looking at Will’s mind. As for whether he was the first… I mean the series opens with a red shirt lab dude in the elevator being taken up presumably into the UD to be eaten."
- Theory 3: "I would argue that Will has always been in a negative mental health space. Obviously, this is more prominent after his return because of the trauma he went through and the fact that we actually see him in the show. Joyce said in the first episode that he was being bullied and I always got the impression that it was worse for him than his friends due to it often including homophobic slurs that he would have heard from his father. Additionally, his family is clearly not as well of as his friends’ families and his parents went through a very nasty split so he has a number of factors making things harder for him than his friends. I do think there’s some other reason that he was taken (I feel like the writers have played up the importance of him being taken compared to other characters) but I also believe he was showing similar signs to other victims. I think Will’s storyline is probably what I’m looking forward to the most next season based on what the writers and actors have said and I really hope they clarify what exactly his importance is to Vecna."
- Theory 4: "I think because that Vecna as a kid felt alone being so different and I think he feels it in other people like Pennywise and fear. Chrissy was Pregnant, remember Vecna as her mom saying we can let your dress out and nobody will know while she was puking. Will because he’s gay, very different back then. The black kid being abused, Fred pulling a Ted Kennedy and leaving his friend to die, Max because she so depressed about Billy and her mom drinking and living in s trailer park in Indiana has to suck. I don’t think Vecna is in charge and he had to have 11 help him escape and she also defeated him! The Flayer is the ruler of the upside down and they’ve never even tried to guess why the upside down was stuck in 1983 at the moment Will was taken."
- Theory 5: "Season 1 drew in an audience with its mysterious vibe. As the series became more complex, it created bigger plot holes. The writers in season 1 didn’t imagine how successful ST would end up being. To keep up with demands, they resorted to blockbuster-type tropes to gain viewership. Unfortunately, the more background context that was explained to the viewers, the murkier the story became. As interesting as the Vecna plot line is, it doesn’t make much sense with the storyline established in season 1. As an audience, we were made to believe that Will was simply taken by a beast with animalistic instincts. Now, a psychopathic man is behind everything. Since he is apparently in control of the Upside Down, why would he send a demogorgon to kidnap a boy he has no connection to whatsoever when he knew Eleven was out there? Why has it taken him 3 whole seasons to reveal himself if he’s this important? The answer, the writers ran out of ideas of how to wrap up the show while staying consistent to the original story we all came to love."
Noah Schnapp talks about taking possession of Vecna's mind in Stranger Things 5
Noah aka Will spoke about the star scene from Stranger Things 5, where he did the unthinkable - by tapping into Vecna's mind. He spoke about the same at Netflix's Tudum website and shared, "It was scary, honestly, because I've never really worked face to face with Vecna, which is crazy because we're so connected and have so many parallels to our stories. But I was scared on set watching him and being face to face with him, and it really helped with the performance. I could really feel a part of it, because it’s not CGI and so much of it is Jamie Campbell Bower in a real costume and hours of makeup. It was incredible getting to work with him, and he's also an amazing actor. And I think it's so masterful how it all comes together with Will and Vecna."
(Stranger Things 5 theories expressed above are those of users on Reddit. They necessarily do not reflect the opinion of the author.)
