Spoilers ahead, tread with caution:
Stranger Things fans finally got a glimpse of Will Byers' mysterious abilities in the first volume of Season 5, and the Duffer Brothers are now revealing exactly what’s going on. Speaking to Variety, Ross Duffer explained that Will’s powers are different from those of Eleven or Vecna; he’s not innately powerful in the same way, but instead “able to channel Vecna’s powers… sort of puppeteering.”
Matt Duffer added that Will “taps into the hive mind, and then he can manipulate anything within the hive.” This connection is how he’s able to control monsters, though it has limits: “He can’t open a door, because the door is not part of the hive mind.” Ross further clarified that Will must be close to the hive mind to access it, with Matt emphasising that it’s “proximity-based.”
As for how long this power has been part of Will’s story? Ross said, “We’ve been talking about Will having powers for as long as I can really remember.” Matt revealed that hints of it appeared as far back as Season 2: “He had a dark version of it… he could see what [Vecna] saw, but he didn’t realise at the time that he was able to tap into it and use it against Vecna. That’s something he doesn’t learn till this season.”
For the unversed, in the climactic battle of Stranger Things 5: Volume 1, the Upside Down’s creatures breach the military zone, massacring soldiers who underestimated them. Robin and Murray attempt to evacuate Hawkins’ school children in a truck, only to be chased by Demogorgons, while Eleven and Hopper discover that Eight, another telekinetic kid from the Hawkins Lab experiments, is alive and being held in the Upside Down.
Vecna emerges through the Upside Down, effortlessly overpowering Joyce, Mike, Will, and the remaining soldiers. He manipulates their weapons and grenades, then levitates Will to confront him directly, taunting him and the children he’s trying to save. As Demogorgons drag the kids into the Upside Down, Vecna calls them “perfect vessels” and singles out Will, remarking how easily he broke and showed what was possible.
At the crucial moment, Will remembers memories of love, friendship, and courage, drawing strength from them. He unexpectedly accesses powers we hadn’t seen before, allowing him to manipulate the Demogorgons. Through the hive mind, he stops the monsters in their tracks, sees through their eyes, and destroys them, saving his friends.
Volume 1 ends with Will, bloodied but resolute, staring purposefully into the distance, signalling the emergence of his hidden abilities and setting the stage for the next chapter.
