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Spoiler Warning!
This article or section reveals details from the fifth season. |
| “ | You don't have to be sorry. And you are not an idiot. You're not. It's just... I didn't even understand it myself for the longest time. I just... I think it needed to happen the way it happened. I needed to find my own way. But what matters is that you're still here, and you still think we can be friends.
— Will to Mike
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” |
William "Will" Byers,[4][5] portrayed by Noah Schnapp, is a main character in Stranger Things, having a recurring but pivotal role in the first season, before being promoted to the main cast from the second season onward. He is the youngest son of Joyce Byers, the younger brother to Jonathan Byers, the stepbrother of Eleven, and the best friend of Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair. He was born on March 22nd 1971.
Will was a shy, artistic boy from Hawkins, Indiana who loved to play Dungeons & Dragons with his three best friends, Mike, Lucas and Dustin. However, Will's life turned upside-down on November 6, 1983; on the way home from his friends' latest D&D campaign, Will crossed paths with a humanoid predator. Despite his best efforts to escape, the creature trapped Will in an alternate dimension; a dark reflection of Hawkins covered in vines, spores and fog.
Trapped in the Upside Down, Will evaded the creature. Though he found a way to communicate with his mother Joyce from across dimensions, he was eventually caught and taken to the other dimension's version of the public library, where he was strung up and attached to a mysterious vine. Joyce and police chief Jim Hopper, who found their own way into the Upside Down, managed to locate and resuscitate Will, immediately taking him to hospital where he was reunited with family and friends. Although Will returned to his old life, his time in the Upside Down left a mark on his psyche; he began to experience visions of the two worlds flickering in and out of existence.
By the fall of 1984, Will started going to Hawkins Lab to be examined by Dr. Sam Owens, who dismissed Will's visions as a consequence of trauma. However, Will's visions proved to be of a much more sinister nature, with Will gradually falling under the control of a gigantic spider-like creature that loomed within the skies of the Upside Down. The creature, informally dubbed the "Mind Flayer", exploited its connection to Will to manipulate Owens and the lab, resulting in a deadly massacre.
With the help of Joyce, Jonathan, and Mike's sister, Nancy, the portion of the creature that inhabited Will was driven out of his body, disappearing into the night. Additionally, Eleven, an escaped child test subject from Hawkins Lab with psychokinetic abilities, and a friend to Mike, Lucas and Dustin, used her powers to seal the interdimensional gateway; this cut off the Mind Flayer's psychic link, and for a time, ended the Upside Down's incursion into Hawkins. A month later, a recovered Will attended the Snow Ball at Hawkins Middle School with his friends.
By the summer of 1985, all other members of the Party were romantically involved: Mike with Eleven, Lucas with Max Mayfield, and Dustin with a girl from Utah that he met at summer camp. With the attention of his friends in short supply, Will struggled to feel accepted, or valued. He attempted to organize new Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, but grew upset when he saw his friends were clearly losing interest. To make matters worse, Will sensed the Mind Flayer's presence was still lingering in Hawkins, and discovered that Max's stepbrother Billy was being used as its new puppet. Putting his feelings behind him, Will joined his friends in once again fighting the Mind Flayer. Three months later, Will tearfully said goodbye to his friends before he and his family moved out of Hawkins, taking Eleven with them.
Dr. Owens relocated the Byers and Eleven to Lenora Hills, California. Eleven noticed that Will had been acting "weird", and wondered if he had a crush on somebody. Will stood by Eleven's side at their new school, where she endured frequent bullying by Angela and her friends. When Eleven was taken away to participate in a government project, Will and Jonathan began a road trip to find her, with Mike and Jonathan's friend Argyle joining them. During their trip, Will revealed his romantic feelings for Mike, to which Mike remained oblivious.
After finding Eleven in the Nevada desert, the four helped Eleven by creating a makeshift sensory deprivation tank, allowing her to remotely fight Vecna, a newly surfaced evil from the Upside Down. Two days later, upon returning to Hawkins, the group were shocked by the scale of destruction that Vecna had inflicted on the town. Upon his return, Will sensed Vecna's presence and realized his psychic connection created back in 1984 was not to the Mind Flayer, but Vecna. He worriedly told Mike that for the horrors of the Upside Down to end, they first had to kill Vecna.
In 1987, as Vecna began kidnapping children for a plan to merge the Rightside Up and the Abyss, the Mind Flayer's home dimension, Will began to discover the ability to tap further into the hive mind, allowing him to use Vecna's powers. Overcoming his fears with the help of Robin Buckley, Will came out as gay to his friends and family who expressed their support of him. In a final battle in the Abyss, Will played a crucial role in the defeat of Vecna, using his new powers to restrain Vecna so that Eleven could mortally wound him. Eighteen months later, in 1989, Will graduated from high school, soon moving to a city where he finds love and acceptance in himself.
Quick Answers
What is the relationship between Will Byers and Eleven in Stranger Things?
Who are the best friends of Will Byers in the series?
What is the role of Will Byers in the first season of Stranger Things?
How does Will Byers's character evolve from the first season of Stranger Things?
What is the significance of Dungeons & Dragons in Will Byers's character development?
History
Background
Born March 22, 1971, Will was the son of Joyce and Lonnie Byers, and the younger brother of Jonathan Byers. As a child, Will was quite compassionate of others, giving a crying little girl in the sandbox at the playground his Tonka Truck, despite him knowing his mother couldn't afford to buy another one for him. He was also very sensitive, having nightmares from scary movies and his mother's impersonation of a witch when he was five. Will was extremely close to his mother and brother, but not to his father. Lonnie would say that he was queer due to Will's sensitivity and interests, while also calling him a 'f**'. Because of this, Jonathan became a much larger role model for him than their father. Around this time, Jonathan introduced Will to "real music", bestowing a mixtape that included the Clash song "Should I Stay or Should I Go", a song Will became quite fond of. Ultimately, Joyce and Lonnie divorced, resulting in Lonnie moving out. Joyce, Jonathan, and Will remained at their home in Hawkins, Indiana, along with the family dog, Chester.
The day their father left, Jonathan and Will spend the rest of the day building a fort for Will called "Castle Byers". They followed Will's drawing of it as their blueprint. It took a long time to build due to Will's incapability to hammer the nails, missing every time. Despite rain beginning to fall, the brothers didn't care and proceeded to build the fort. They later had gotten sick for a week afterward.
Will and Jonathan listen to a mixtape.
Around 1976, Will started kindergarten, attending the same class with Mike Wheeler. Mike didn't know anyone and was lonely until he noticed Will alone on the swings. Mike went on a swing next to Will and asked if he wanted to be friends, and Will agreed, so they happily swung together. He eventually met Lucas Sinclair, due to him living close to Mike.
In March of 1979 was also when Will celebrated his 8th birthday. Though he received many Star Wars toys from his friends, he was especially happy to be given a 120 crayon set by his mother. He used every crayon in the box and eventually drew a large, original spaceship he called a "Rainbow Ship". Joyce took it with her to her job at Melvald's, proudly proclaiming that her son drew it to everyone who came into the store, much to Will's embarrassment.[6] In fourth grade, around 1980, Dustin moved into the neighbourhood and soon joined the friend group.
Will and his friends would often gather at Mike's house to play Dungeons & Dragons; this hobby was developed as early as 1979. On one occasion while playing the game, the party had escaped into the sewers, where there were insects. The group was still on Level One. Will cast Fog Cloud and saved the whole party. The four boys had a great relationship with their science teacher Mr. Clarke, and they were members of the AV Club he ran. They would take part in the annual science fair, winning first place almost every year. On one occasion when the boys biked together, Will fell off his bike and broke his finger and cried. In 1982, Joyce brought him tickets to see the horror film Poltergeist after changing her mind to let him see it.
1983
November
Abduction by the Monster
Will and Dustin race home.
On the evening of November 6, 1983, Will, Dustin, Mike, and Lucas played Dungeons & Dragons in Mike's basement. Mike, acting as Dungeon Master, summoned a Demogorgon, which ultimately defeated Will's character. After he chose to shoot a fireball at the Demogorgon instead of casting protection. While they looked for missing dice, Mike's mother insisted it was time for Mike's friends to leave. Will rode his bike home alongside Lucas and Dustin. Lucas turned down another street while Dustin and Will continued riding forward. Dustin suggested that the two race, and the winner would win a comic. Will took off ahead of Dustin and shouted that he wanted his X-Men #134.
While riding on Mirkwood, Will noticed his the light on his bike going out. When it came back, Will was frightened by the sight of a humanoid monster crossing his path. Panicking, he rode his bike off the road and crashed to the ground. He rushed to his house looking for his family, but there was no one home. When he rushed to the phone to call for help, he saw the front door being telekinetically unlocked by an invisible force. This caused Will to retreat where he ran to the shed and loaded a rifle to protect himself, but was stunned when the Demogorgon appeared behind him. The light bulb of the shed glowed brightly before Will decided to shoot the Demogorgon. But as he did, he vanished into an alternate dimension with the Monster.[7]
In the other dimension, Will managed to evade the Demogorgon and adapt to his new surroundings, with the rifle providing him with a limited means to defend himself.
In the morning of November 7, Joyce and Jonathan soon noticed Will's disappearance, with Joyce growing increasingly distraught throughout the day. Police chief Jim Hopper's initial attempts to find Will were unsuccessful, though he did notice a rifle missing from its rack when investigating the Byers shed.
That evening, Joyce answered a mysterious phone call consisting of static, breathing noises and inhuman growling. Though Joyce recognised the breathing as being Will's, a jolt of electricity soon short circuited the phone, with the impact knocking Joyce to the floor.[7] Will was seemingly in the Upside Down version of the house at this moment, along with the Demogorgon.
Even without the phone, Will could hear his mother's speech from across dimensions, since sound from locations in the regular world "echoed" in the Upside Down.[8][9] Through further tests on November 8, Will learned that his presence in the Upside Down version of the house affected electrical devices in his home dimension. Whenever there were traces of mundane electrical activity in the regular world, it would be accompanied by clusters of luminescent gold particles at the corresponding area in the Upside Down. By interacting with the particles, Will could cause a surge of electrical activity in the Byers house, providing him a means to communicate with Joyce. Later visitors to the Upside Down made similar discoveries in March 1986, also interacting with the gold particles to communicate from across dimensions.[9]
Will communicates with his mother via the Christmas lights.
On November 9, Joyce painted an alphabet in black paint on the living room wall, with each letter matching a bulb in a string of Christmas lights. Though the alphabet wall was not visible to Will[9], it helped Joyce and Will to communicate, likely due to the gold particles appearing where the bulbs were and Will hearing Joyce's voice as she explained what she had made. When Joyce asked Will where he was, he replied he was "RIGHT HERE" through the lights before warning her to "RUN", since the Demogorgon was on its way to attack Joyce.[10]
That same night, state police had apparently retrieved Will's dead body from the waters of the Sattler Quarry; despite this, Joyce remained unconvinced that the body was really Will's. While at the house on November 10, Joyce heard a faint noise in the wall. Stripping back the wallpaper, she was stunned to discover a translucent window into the Upside Down (one of the temporary gates created by the Demogorgon), with Will being on the other side. Though the gate was about to reseal and disappear, Joyce used the moment to tell Will she would do everything in her power to find him and get him home.[11]
| ||
| After being transported to the Upside Down, it took several moments for Will to realize he was no longer in the world as he knew it. He re-entered the house attempting to find Joyce and Jonathan before eventually realizing he wasn't where he thought he was. Memories of the D&D campaigns reminded Will that splitting the party can have terrible consequences. He began exploring the Upside Down, wandering out in Mirkwood hoping to find a way out. He came across an apparition of Eleven, but before he could reach out to her, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Will returned to the house; desperate to contact his friends, Will checked on his Supercom. He heard his mother's voice, but before he could respond, the Demogorgon appeared; Will fired a shot at the creature before running back outside. According to this same source, Will could see Joyce's painted alphabet in the Upside Down, along with several floating lights colored the same as the Christmas lights. Later, Will saw Nancy Wheeler enter the Upside Down through a gate in the forest; Will threw a rock to create a noise and distract the Demogorgon, allowing Nancy to escape.[12] |
Captured and saved
An exhausted Will rests in Castle Byers.
In the Upside Down, Will evaded the Demogorgon for a week, showing his great ingenuity, ability to hide, and creativity. Eventually weakened from hunger and thirst, he collapsed in the Upside Down's version of Castle Byers. On November 12, Eleven managed to find Will in Castle Byers after entering the Void, where they briefly communicated. Will told Eleven to hurry, as he was only becoming weaker and more vulnerable.[13]
Will jumping between trees.
As Will shiveringly sang "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" to himself, he heard noises from the Demogorgon, its silhouette moving outside the fort. The monster suddenly ripped through the wooden fort but Will shot it with a rifle and ran with his backpack through the woods of the Upside Down. He had found a tall tree and began to climb it quickly and looked down, stood on a branch, to see if it was down there. Eventually, the monster found him and ascended quickly, but Will jumped across to a neighboring tree, just before it could take him. He reached the tree, but fell down several branches, before hanging on one caught by his bag, but soon fell as the strap on it loosened, dropping to the ground, unconscious.[13][14]
In the the Upside Down, the Demogorgon dragged him to the Hawkins Public Library and Vecna restrained him to a wall, wrapping him with vines. Using his powers, he attached a vine to his mouth, and through it, transporting slugs into him, along with the vine, which was deeply driven into his lungs. Little would he know, this would solidify his connection to the hive mind.[8][14]
A captured Will, with a tendril extending down his throat.
Luckily for Will, Joyce and Chief Hopper were on their way, having entered the Upside Down via the Gate at Hawkins Lab. Retracing the blood-staining footprints of the Demogorgon, the pair eventually found him entangled in the webbing, where a tendril was found extending down his throat and into his stomach; Hopper pulled the vine out before frantically shooting and killing it. Moments later, Joyce and Hopper successfully resuscitated Will after performing CPR, and Joyce tearfully embraced her son.[8]
Hopper, Joyce and Will presumably returned through the Gate at Hawkins Lab, with the weakened Will being carried. It was unclear how Hawkins Lab personnel reacted to their return, given Dr. Brenner's pessimistic belief that Hopper and Joyce wouldn't survive the Upside Down. However, the lab likely had a role to play in getting Will immediately hospitalized at Hawkins General Hospital.
As Will awoke, his mother and brother happily and emotionally greeted him and comforted him, with Jonathan bringing a box of his things, including a new mixtape.
Will's friends visit him in the hospital.
Soon, Jonathan let Mike, Lucas, and Dustin, who had been sitting in the hospital waiting room in anticipation, finally reunite with their best friend. They excitedly explained everything that happened while he was gone; that Jennifer Hayes cried at his funeral, and that the boys had met a strange girl with psychic powers.[8]
"The Boy Who Came Back to Life"
There was some surprise in Hawkins after Will returned to normal life, since his death had been widely reported and acknowledged within the town. It had appeared that Will had drowned at the quarry, due to the fake body that Hawkins Lab had planted there, with a funeral even being held and the fake body buried.
Chief Hopper and Hawkins Lab, now working together, put out a cover story to explain Will's miraculous reappearance, which, according to Lucas, became accepted as public knowledge. The cover story explained that another child had drowned at the quarry, who was confused with the then-missing Will due to his "super decomposed" body. Six days later, police apparently found Will alive in an abandoned cabin a few miles out of Hawkins. It's unclear if Hopper staged this event - with the abandoned cabin possibly being Hopper's cabin - or if this was a complete fabrication by Hopper and the lab.
According to one article published following Will's rescue, Joyce claimed Will was the subject of a secret government program run by Hawkins Lab. However, this reporting was either inaccurate, or was not widely accepted as the true version of events among the townsfolk of Hawkins.
December
A lingering shadow
A month passed, and everything seemingly returned to normal. On Christmas Eve, the boys ran another campaign of Dungeons & Dragons, encountering the dreaded Thessalhydra—but this time, Will's character triumphed over the enemy. Jonathan picked up Will from the Wheelers' house and brought him home in his car. Will opens Jonathan's present from Nancy and Steve and is impressed by the new camera. Back at the Byers, Will feels the weight of his presents while Jonathan took pictures of him and Joyce preparing dinner. As they sit down to eat, Will confidently said one specific green present is an Atari since he felt Dustin's earlier and it was the same weight, while Joyce mockingly says he'll have to wait and see. At dinner, Will excused himself to wash his hands. This was not his true intention—in the bathroom, he threw up and washed away a slug-like creature down the sink. Before Will left the bathroom and returned to dinner, he momentarily saw the Upside Down flicker around him. He returned to his dinner, confirming to his mother everything is fine, and the family of three soon talked about Will's win in Dungeons & Dragons while they eat and the snow fell outside the Byers home.
1983 - 1984
Despite having only spent a week in the Upside Down, Will developed a psychic connection to the shadowy entity residing there. He began experiencing psychosomatic episodes similar to those related to post-traumatic stress disorder (as attested by Dr. Owens). However, the increasing frequency and intensity of these episodes led Joyce to realize they were something more than just flashbacks. At school, Will was not readily accepted by the rest of the students and became more of an outcast than before, being given the nickname "Zombie Boy".
1984
October
Visions of the Upside Down
On the evening of October 29, 1984, Joyce dropped Will at the Palace Arcade so that he would play games with Mike. Dustin and Lucas. After the Party discovered that an unknown person using the alias "MADMAX" had beaten Dustin's top scores on both Centipede and Dig Dug, Will began having an episode, being in an abandoned version of the arcade in the Upside Down. Concerned, Mike noticed, and was able to snap Will out of it by calling his name. He then led Will back inside.
In Mr. Clarke's class the next morning, the boys witnessed a new student, named Maxine "Max" Mayfield, arrive. Because of her name's similarity to the alias used at the arcade, Lucas and Dustin suspected she was "MADMAX," but Will didn't think because in his opinion, girls don't play video games. As they were spying on her, they noticed her drop something in a trashcan. After retrieving the note, they discovered it had "Stop spying on me creeps" written on it, indicating she knew they were watching her. Will was then approached by Principal Russell Coleman who told him his mom had arrived to pick up for a routine exam at Hawkins Lab. As Will was escorted by Principal Coleman, he noticed a lot of students looking at him as he walked past them before he met up with his mom at the front of the school.
Will has another vision at the Upside Down.
The next day, the boys went to school dressed in their Ghostbusters costumes, only to discover that no one else had dressed up for Halloween. On Halloween night, Jonathan let Will go trick-or-treating with his friends on the condition that he'll pick him up at Mike's house by 9:00, which made Will happy. As the boys were trick-or-treating with Will recording the events with Bob's video camera, Max jumped out and scared them with her Michael Myers costume and joined the boys in trick-or-treating as she had been previously invited by Lucas and Dustin. Mike, irritated that Max had joined them, told Will that she was ruining the best night of the year before going ahead, though Will did not seem to mind Max joining their Party. When Will was scared and bullied by a bunch of kids in Halloween costumes, he fell to ground, dropping his video camera, and experienced another episode in the Upside Down where he heard strange chirping sounds coming from directions before seeing a large shadow-like creature emerging from the sky and attempting to catch him. Before the creature was able to reach him, Mike lapsed Will out of the vision and took him back to his house, telling the others that they were done trick-or-treating for the night.
Will reveals his episode to Mike.
In the basement of the Wheeler's house, Will revealed to Mike that he felt he was trapped in between the real life and the Upside Down. He then described his vision to Mike and how the shadow creature seemed to be wanting him for something. He also requested Mike that he not tell anyone about the vision as he believed that no one else would understand which Mike promised to do. Mike then believed that Eleven would understand what Will was going through, revealing to Will how much he misses Eleven and how he feels like he is going crazy for feeling her presence everyday. Will and Mike then cheer each up, saying that if either one of them were crazy, then they would go crazy together.
November
Possession by the Mind Flayer
The next day, Will was taken to school by Bob and during a conversation between them, Bob, unaware of Will's vision of the shadow creature, revealed that he'd once been traumatized by an encounter with a clown named Mr. Baldo but overcame it by standing up to his fears, inspiring Will to do the same the next time he had another vision of the Upside Down and saw the shadow creature.
Will realizing Dart is from the Upside Down.
At school, Dustin arrived late to class and told Will, Mike, Lucas, and Max that they all had to meet in the AV Club after class as he had something to show them. Once they were at AV Club, Dustin showed a pollywog-like creature, named D'Artagnan, nicknamed "Dart" and explained how he found him in his trash. When Will held Dart, he, like Max and Lucas, was disgusted on how slimy Dart before he handed the creature to Mike. As Will listened to Dustin discussing the types of amphibians Dart could possibly be, Will and his friends noticed that Dart was starting to have a strange growth. When Dart shrieked upon being inspected under a lamp, Dustin explained how Dart hates heat and proudly announces he just discover a new type of species. However, as Will watched Dustin hold Dart, he realized that Dart made a similar sound he heard last night before he encountered the shadow creature and how Dart was similar to what Will threw up last year, leading Will to conclude that Dart was from the Upside Down.
Once school was over, Will told Mike what he discovered about Dart and the two rushed to Mr. Clarke's room to stop Dustin, Lucas, and Max from showing Dart to Mr. Clarke. Will and Mike then had Dustin and Lucas speak to them in private, while locking Max outside of the AV Club room as they could not tell her about the Upside Down. Will then explained about the incident with the slug he vomited last year and the sounds he heard last night during Halloween. At this news, Will and his friends started to believe he had "true sight," the ability to see into the ethereal plane, due to his visions of the Upside Down possibly being real as Dart is from the Upside Down. Lucas proposed they take Dart to Hopper, but Dustin rejected the idea as he refused to believe Dart could be dangerous, despite coming from the Upside Down. When Dart started to screech demonically in Dustin's ghost trap, Dustin freed him and the boys became horrified and disgusted when Dart molts and sprouts two hind legs. Mike tries to attack Dart, but is stopped by Dustin, leading Dart escaped the room when Max unlocks and opens the door, prompting the group to split up to find Dart.
Will being taken over by the Mind Flayer.
Eventually, Will managed to find Dart in a bathroom and contacted his friends to reach his location. Will reached over to Dart, trying to calm the creature and explain he wasn't going to hurt it. When Dart screeched at Will, he got scared and rushed out of the bathroom in fright. This caused Will to have another "episode" where he saw the shadow monster appearing in the school hallway, causing Will to flee as the monster pursued him. As Wil tried to flee from the shadow monster, he ended up running out of the school and out onto the P.E. field. However, upon remembering Bob's advice to confront his fears, Will stopped, faced the shadow monster as it emerged from the school, and angrily told the creature to go away. In response, the monster ignored him and imparted a part of itself within Will; despite his body being in Hawkins, he became "possessed" by the entity, allowing him to understand its motives and intentions. Will then was brought back into the real world where his mom and friends had tried to snap him out of his vision before he leaves the school with his mom.
After Joyce took him back home and pleaded him to reveal the truth, Will acknowledged that the shadow monster got him and that he felt it inside him.
When Hopper and Joyce asked him about the Shadow Monster, Will told them he could see and know whatever the shadow monster did, calling these visions "now-memories". In order to better understand these visions, Will began drawing them. At first, they appeared to be random scribbles, but after being assembled in the correct order, they depicted a strange maze-like pattern. Believing the drawing depicted vines, Hopper left to investigate the pumpkin patch.
As Will's connection with the Mind Flayer grew deeper, he started becoming more demoralized and scared. Mike came back to the Byers house and comforted him, assuring that they wouldn't let the shadow monster spy back on him.
After Hopper became trapped by the tendrils in the tunnels, Will's connection with the Mind Flayer allowed him to know of the impending danger. Having revealed this to Mike and Joyce, he drew Hopper's location within the tunnels. With help from Bob, the group figured out the location and left to rescue Hopper.
Will began convulsing as the tendrils burned.
Will soon became overpowered by the Mind Flayer's influence, having become part of the hive mind. As a result, after Hopper was rescued from the tunnels and the soldiers arriving from Hawkins Lab burnt the tendrils, the connection caused Will to experience severe pain and he collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
Will, suffering from memory loss, was asked if he recognized Mike
Will was immediately taken to Hawkins Lab for inspection. Upon awaking, he suffered from memory loss as he recognized only Joyce and Mike, but didn't seem to recall Bob, Hopper or even Dr. Owens. After a test involving burning a tendril and observing Will's painful reaction, Dr. Owens confirmed that Will was connected to a hive intelligence with the other hosts. While Joyce became impatient and attempted to pass through the guards, Will told Mike that he may know how to stop the monster.
Will used the photos of the tunnels and located a place that the Shadow Monster tried to hide from him. Dr. Owens and Hopper, being convinced, sent some soldiers to investigate the place.
Will being interrogated by Joyce, Hopper, Jonathan, and Mike.
When the soldiers entered the tunnels to scrutinize the location, Will apologized to Mike and Joyce as he revealed that the Mind Flayer had coerced him to send the soldiers into a trap. He also implored Joyce to go away as the Demodogs were reaching them. Mike tried to warn the scientists but it was too late as the Demodogs massacred the soldiers and started invading the lab. Taking Mike's advice, Joyce sedated Will as he pointed out that the Mind Flayer could be spying on them. With the help of Hopper, Joyce, Bob, Dr. Owens and Mike, Will was taken out of Hawkins Lab, in spite of the swarming Demodogs and returned home to the Byers' household.
After some discussion, the group planned to interrogate Will to find out the shadow monster's weakness as he was connected to it. To keep the Mind Flayer from finding their location, the Byers' shed was remodeled and Will was tied to a post in the middle of the shed where they attempted not only to bring Will's memories back, but also to find out how to defeat the monster.
However, despite Will being essentially part of the monster's army, he was able to communicate the instructions to foil the Mind Flayer's plans by covertly using Morse Code with his hand to spell: 'Close Gate', which referred to the portal at the lab.
Defeating the Mind Flayer
Soon after, the phone in the Byers' kitchen rang, alerting the Mind Flayer to their location. The Mind Flayer then sent several Demodogs to their location. The group sedated him once again, and after a brief fight with Demodogs that ended with Eleven's reappearance. Eleven revealed that she was well-aware of Will's condition and decides to close the Gate. As the group plans on how to close the Gate, Mike reveals that now Will is part of the Mind Flayer's hive mind, he will be killed. Joyce, remembering how Will always told the Mind Flayer likes cold temperatures, realizes that they need to burn the Mind Flayer out of Will in order to free him. So, Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy decided to take Will to Hopper's cabin to free Will from the Mind Flayer's possession.
Will is forced by the Mind Flayer to choke Joyce
Reaching the cabin, they restrained Will to a cot and made his body uninhabitable by increasing his body temperature with several space heaters. Will broke free of his restraints and attempted to strangle Joyce, but was subdued by Nancy burning him with a fire iron. Unable to bear the pain, the portion of the Mind Flayer fled from Will's body and out into the sky. This alleviated Will of the monster's possession once and for all. As Will was hugged by his family, he watched all of the cabin's electricity glowing bright as Eleven closed the Gate, sealing the Mind Flayer for good.
November - December
Sometime after his recovery, Will was informed of Bob's death who had risked his life to get him and his friends to safety from the Demodogs' invasion at the lab. Though saddened to lose a father- figure, Will hung a picture of Bob Newby that he drew to honor his memory, due to Bob's valiant sacrifice to ensure everyone's safety at Hawkins Lab.
December
The Snow Ball
Will and his friends at the Snow Ball.
Will attended the Hawkins Middle School Snow Ball for the first time along with Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and El. At the Byers, he practiced dancing with his mother, who danced old-timely while Jonathan laughs as he records it on the video recorder. At the Snow Ball, he, Lucas, Mike, and Max teased Dustin's new hairstyle when a slow-song starts playing, causing the student body to start slow-dancing. After Lucas shyly asked Max to dance, the three other boys stood alone until a girl comes over. She shyly asks "Zombie Boy" if he'd like to dance. Will was nervous, but Mike's urging causes him to say yes, much to her happiness. They are then seen awkwardly but happily dancing along with Max, Lucas, Mike, El, Nancy, and Dustin.
December 25
On Christmas Day, Will and his family welcomed Mike, Lucas, Dustin, El, and Hopper who came over to celebrate Christmas with them. Will and Jonathan presented Eleven her present from all of the boys which was a walkie-talkie from Radio Shack that the gang had all saved their money for. Will and Jonathan then revealed that they had collected several Christmas specials in VCR form to help make Eleven's first Christmas celebration extra-special. The gang then took turns in explaining the plot of each VCR special to Eleven, with Will explaining the story of A Christmas Carol. Dustin then began to insist that there was a creature outside in the snow, referencing Dart, which left Eleven confused.
Eventually, Will and his friends decided to go out into the woods to find the creature. Shortly after, the gang found the creature which turned out to be a rabbit caught in a trap. After freeing the rabbit from the trap, Will and his friends decided to take it back to his house so they can help tend to his injuries. Once they got back to the house, Will and his friends watched his mom tend to the rabbit and shortly after, they all sat down to watch the Christmas specials together.[15]
1985
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| According to one source, Will and the rest of the Party had an adventure in New York City in early 1985, where they encountered cyborg versions of Demodogs, the maniacial scientist Dr. Baxter Stockman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. |
June
Growing apart
Will having a familiar sense.
On the evening of June 28, 1985, Will, Lucas, and Max were waiting for Mike at the Starcourt Mall. When he finally arrived, the Party headed toward Scoops Ahoy where Steve helped them sneak into the cinema through the back doors to view an early screening of Day of the Dead. During the film, there was a sudden power outage across Hawkins, resulting in the entire mall losing power. While the power returned shortly after, Will felt a strange sensation at the back of his neck. Sensing something was wrong, Mike inquired if Will was alright, to which he responded that he was fine.
The next day, Will and the other party members hosted a surprise for Dustin celebrating his return from Camp Know Where. When Dustin unveiled Cerebro, a radio he created to contact his girlfriend Suzie, the Party departed from the Henderson residence and set out to find a suitable location to construct the device. On their way there, Mike and El lied about having to meet a curfew, leaving the rest of the Party to assemble the device. As Will continued on with the others, the strange sensation he felt the previous night returned. When Dustin's numerous attempts to contact Suzie were futile, Will left for home along with Max and Lucas.
In the Wheeler basement the following day, Will was setting up a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. However, Mike and Lucas were too preoccupied with Mike's relationship problem concerning his lie to El. When Lucas suggested that Mike buy El a gift to make it up to her, Will went with them to the Starcourt Mall where they scoured the stores for a suitable present. Unfortunately, their search yielded no results.
Will's childhood interests being brushed off by his friends.
Will tried to get them to stop their search by suggesting to play Dungeons & Dragons, only for Mike and Lucas to refuse. As the boys were preparing to leave, they unexpectedly met El and Max at the mall's entrance. Will witnessed El confront, and subsequently break up with, Mike. Once El and Max boarded on the bus, Will asked if his friends want to play D&D, which again was declined as Mike and Lucas were heartbroken by their girlfriends breaking up with them.
That evening, while Mike and Lucas were discussing their break-ups, Will was not interested, only wanting to play Dungeons & Dragons and urging the others to forget about the incident. Unbeknownst to the boys, El witnessed their conversation while spying on them in the Void.
July
Return of the Mind Flayer
Will sad and angry of his friends growing up.
Will woke the others the next morning, urging them to play a D&D campaign, and proclaimed that it would be a day without girls. When they did not take the campaign seriously, Will became upset and stormed out. Mike followed him outside where he tried to make Will understand, stating they were growing up and they could not spend the rest of their lives playing games in the basement. He also lashes out at Will, stating "It's not my fault you don't like girls". This had the opposite effect, causing Will to leave and seek the shelter of Castle Byers. Realizing that the dynamic of their Party was changing, he partially destroyed the fort in frustration, especially towards his hinted-at growing romantic feelings for Mike. Suddenly, the same sensation he had felt the night at the mall and the day after returned. When Mike and Lucas caught up to him in order to apologize, Will, now aware of what the feeling meant, announced the Mind Flayer had returned.
Once the Party had assembled in the basement, Will proposed that the part of the Mind Flayer that had possessed him the year prior was still in their world and had attached itself to a new host. When El relayed all that she had seen, they began to suspect that the new host may be Billy. While spying on Billy at the Hawkins Community Pool, they came up with a plan to trap him in the sauna to confirm his status as a host. Lucas tried to apologize to Will for what had happened in Mike's basement but Will told him to forget about it as they should be more focused on Billy and the Mind Flayer.
Once the pool had closed and Billy was alone, the group enacted their plan, luring him into the sauna. Once he was trapped, the group looked on as Billy became more and more unstable due to the increasing heat and the Mind Flayer's influence. When Billy was fully under the entity's control, he escaped the sauna. In the ensuing battle, El threw Billy through the wall, allowing his escape.
The following day, Will, Lucas, Mike, El, and Max gathered in the Wheeler basement; they discovered that Hopper and Joyce were heading to Illinois through El's abilities. When Nancy and Jonathan arrived and explained Doris Driscoll had exhibited behavior identical to Will's when he had been possessed by the Mind Flayer at the same time as Billy's sauna test, they concluded that Doris had also become "Flayed"-- a host to the Mind Flayer -- and suspected there were potentially several more. This led to the realization that Heather Holloway, a lifeguard from the pool, and her parents had also become hosts.
Learning that the Flayed are consuming chemicals, Will reveals this behavior is something new.
At the Holloway residence, they found that the inhabitants had consumed several household chemicals. Will, knowing he never consumed any chemicals when he was possessed by the Mind Flayer last year, revealed that this behavior of the Flayed was something new. Will even listened to Mike's theory that the Flayed could be making a new substance with the chemicals they consume after recounting a science lesson with Mr. Clarke. When they investigated further, they surmised that Heather's parents had been attacked, tied up, and taken to an unknown location where they were flayed. Will then proposed that they use Driscoll to find the source--the location where the flaying was taking place, in order to stop the Mind Flayer.
At the hospital, Will and the others were forced to stay behind in the waiting room while Nancy and Jonathan went to see Doris. During their wait, Will allowed Mike some privacy so he can mend his relationship with El. Will and his friends then noticed the lights suddenly flickering, which, along with Will sensing the Mind Flayer, alerted the Party that Nancy and Jonathan were in danger. They caught up with the couple just in time, saving Nancy from a gruesome monster made out of melted flesh and bone where El subdued the creature with her powers before throwing it out the window. Running outside, they witnessed the creature escape through a grate into the sewers.
At the cabin, the next day, Will and the others waited for El to locate the Flayed. When El announced she had found Billy situated in his room, everyone agreed it was a trap. However, El made the decision to return to Billy in the Void and through his memories, discovered Brimborn Steel Works to be the Mind Flayer's lair. In doing so, however, she allowed the Mind Flayer to learn their location as well.
Seeing that the Mind Flayer was headed toward the cabin, the group prepared for battle. In the assault, the Mind Flayer grabbed El by the leg with one of his tentacles. After being freed from the creature's grasp, El severed the Mind Flayer's head in half, temporarily incapacitating him and allowing the group to escape.
The group went to Bradley's Big Buy to dress El's wound and gather supplies. Will and Lucas went to look for a bowl at Max's request to fix El's wound, but could not find one. However, upon a firework display, Will and Lucas decided to take some fireworks in order to fight the creature, despite Max disagreeing with the idea. When Mike was contacted by Dustin, the group traveled to the mall where they arrived just in time to save the Scoops Troop from Russian soldiers. When El collapsed, it was revealed a piece of the Mind Flayer was still stuck under her skin. Using her powers, El managed to remove the piece. Just then, Hopper arrived along with Joyce and Murray.
Battle against the Mind Flayer
Once everyone was briefed on the situation, the group came up with a plan: Hopper, Murray, and Joyce would infiltrate the Russian bunker to shut down the Key and close the Gate with the aid of Dustin and Erica, who would be driven to Cerebro by Steve and Robin. Nancy, Jonathan, and the remaining Party members would seek shelter at Murray's warehouse in Illinois.
In the Starcourt parking lot, Nancy discovered that the car wouldn't start due to the car missing its ignition cable. With Billy blockading the mall's parking lot, the group was forced to retreat back into the mall. While trying to get in touch with the Scoops Troop for emergency transportation, they realized they could use the ignition cable from the car El had thrown before.
Immediately after retrieving the component, the Mind Flayer crashed through the glass roof into the center of the mall. After successfully evading the creature, Will, Lucas, Nancy, and Jonathan escaped through the front out to the car, where Billy was waiting. Just before Billy crashed into them with his Camaro, Steve arrived and crashed into Billy's car, saving them. The group, now including Steve and Robin, drove away, distracting the Mind Flayer away from El, Mike, and Max in the process. When the Mind Flayer was alerted to their location through his connection with Billy and headed back toward the mall, they followed the entity. When they returned to the mall, Will and the others began pelting the Spider Monster with fireworks in an effort to save El. While the effort successfully impeded the creature, their supply of fireworks ran out. However, El was saved by Billy, who had been freed from the creature's control. Soon after, the creature died following the destruction of the Key and closing of the Gate.
Following the arrival of military, Will and the others were escorted to the mall's parking lot, where he tearfully reunited with his mother.
October
Farewell & moving out of Hawkins
In October, Will and his family, along with El, said goodbye to their friends before leaving Hawkins, moving to California. As Will put his D&D manuals and games in a donation box, Mike suggested to keep it if he ever wants to join another Party, but Will simply said, "Not possible", causing them to smile at one another. Mike suggested to Eleven that she and Will return to Hawkins for Christmas as he thought that it would be fun to open their presents together on Christmas Day. After packing everything, the group said goodbye to Will, Eleven, Jonathan, and Joyce, with Will crying silently as he hugged his best friends. With Jonathan driving, Will staring out the car window crying in silence as they (following Joyce and El in the moving van) left Hawkins.
1985 - 1986
A new home
After moving out of Hawkins, Will and his family were helped by Dr. Owens in relocating to Lenora Hills, California so they could stay safe. Once they settled into their new home, Will, El, and Jonathan got enrolled in Lenora Hills High School with Jonathan becoming a senior while Will and El became freshmen. Though Jonathan made a new friend named Argyle while living in California, Will and Eleven had trouble making new friends where El became a target of bullying, leaving Will to try and support her. In addition, both Will and El kept in touch with Mike, but Will only received a few phone calls from Mike while El received lots of letters from him, making Will a little jealous as he had begun to develop feelings for his best friend.
1986
March
Spring break
Will and El at their new school in Lenora Hills, California.
On March 21, the last day before spring break, Will finished working on a painting that he had been working on for a while which he intended to give it to Mike, but never had allowed anyone to see the painting he had been working on. Then, Will joined Jonathan and El in riding to school with Argyle, taking a history project on Alan Turing with him. Once they arrived at their high school, Will and Eleven walked through the hallways of the school and arrived at their history class on time with their history projects.
Will, Jonathan, and El greeting Mike at the airport.
The next day, Will, Jonathan, El, and Argyle arrived at the Lenora Hills Airport to pick up Mike who would be visiting them for spring break. It was Will's birthday but no one realized that and when El spotted Mike amidst a crowd of people exiting from his plane, Will was the second to greet him and intended to give his painting to Mike. However, upon noticing how flat their reunion was, Will changed his mind at the last second and told Mike the painting was just something he had been working when he noticed it in his hands. Will then watched some awkwardness develop between Mike and Argyle when the latter said the shirt Mike was wearing was "shitty knockoff", but told him that he would hook him with the "good threads" and heard a lot about his sister before they all decided to leave.
As they began leaving the airport, Will walked beside Mike and El where they planned to spend the whole day together by eating breakfast burritos and going to Rink-O-Mania while Will remained silent. However, when Mike asked El if any of her "friends" would be joining them, Will became shocked and confused over El having friends. When El stated she was "friends" with Stacy and Angela, Will discovered El had been lying to Mike for a while, but did not say anything as he and his friends left the airport.
While eating dinner with Murray, Argyle, Mike, and his family, Will listened to Murray explain he arrived in California on a business trip and decided to stop by the Byers's house to spend the night. Will was then surprised to hear his mom announce she was leaving tomorrow to go to Alaska for a business trip, leaving Jonathan in charge of El, Mike, and Will in the meantime. Will then watched in annoyance as the high Jonathan expressed confusion over what his mom told as Argyle filled him in on what was happening before they mentioned the incident at the roller rink. When Argyle stated he believed Angela was going to be fine, Will and El glared at Mike when he offhandedly commented on Angela not looking fine as he was still upset over being lied to. This caused El to abruptly excuse herself from the table and storm off into her bedroom as Joyce and Murray looked on in confusion over the tension between him and his friends.
After Dr. Owens's agents rescue El, Will, Jonathan, and Mike learn of a murder spree happening in Hawkins.
Later that night, Will and Mike waited as Jonathan tried to get in touch with the airlines and the juvenile detention center. However, the boys were surprised to see government agents, Ellen Stinson, Harmon, and Wallace arrive at the house. Letting the agents inside his home, Will, Jonathan, and Mike were told by the federal agents that they, along with Dr. Owens, had rescued El and dropped the charges against her. In addition, they also revealed to the boys that Dr. Owens had escorted El away to help her regain her powers as there was a murder spree which was connected to the Upside Down occurring in Hawkins. While completely shocked by these turn of events, Will became even more surprised when the Stinson did not had a clear answer on how long it would take for El to get her powers as the agent theorized it would probably take weeks or months. When Stinson informed the boys that they would be under the protection of Wallace and Harmon in the meantime, both Will and Mike protested they were not the ones in danger, but rather their friends due to them living in Hawkins with a murder spree happening in the town. Though Stinson promised to handle the situation in Hawkins until El was ready, she then told the boys to not say anything about the matter to anyone to which Mike objected to. As a result, Will, Jonathan, and Mike heard Stinson reveal that there was another faction within the government hunting for El right now as its official wrongly believed El to be the culprit behind the murders. Because of that, Will, Mike, and Jonathan were also told they could not risk contacting their friends as it would endanger them and their loved ones. After Stinson asked the boys to trust her and her colleagues as they worked for Dr. Owens, Will watched Stinson give Mike a letter from El, causing him to go into another room to read it. As Will and Jonathan took a moment to accept these new developments, Stinson then left them in the care of Agents Wallace and Harmon.
On the run
While on the road, after escaping from the soldiers, Will, Mike, and Jonathan tended to the wounded Harmon as Argyle continued driving his van. Harmon told the boys to not take him to a hospital and revealed to them that the soldiers would soon figure out where El was located and that they had to warn Dr. Owens. Will watched Jonathan question Harmon on how they would find Owens where he heard Harmon mutter the name "Nina". Will, Mike, and Jonathan were then given a pen by Harmon, making them realize Harmon had a phone number that could be used to contact Nina. The boys tried to get Harmon to write down the phone number with Will holding a piece of paper for Harmon to write down on, but became horrified to watch Harmon succumb to his injuries and die. As the boys let the moment sink in, they spotted a car tailgating them, prompting them to yell at the paranoid Argyle to drive off road. Once Argyle did what he was told, Will and his friends were able to lose their pursuer and escape into a desert.
Will, Mike, Jonathan, and Argyle requesting Suzie's help.
The next morning, Will and his friends were able to reach Salt Lake City, Utah and arrived at Suzie's house, tired and exhausted from the drive. After getting out of Argyle's van, Will and his friends walked up to the front door of the house where Mike rang the doorbell. Meeting Suzie's younger brother, Cornelius, Will watched Mike ask him if Suzie was home, only for the boy to shoot a toy arrow into Mike's forehead. Entering the house uninvited, Will and his friends saw all of Suzie's siblings engaging in various activities, but none of the younger children were willing to help the boys as they were too engaged with their hobbies. Seeing Suzie's older sister, Eden putting Cornelius on a time out, Will and his friends followed her upstairs and asked her where Suzie is where she gave them directions to Suzie's bedroom. When the boys entered Suzie's bedroom, Will and his friends spotted an opened window, making them realize she was outside. Spotting Suzie on the roof of the house, Will and his friends told her they were friends of Dustin's and that they needed her help.
Upon finding the address in the deserts of Nevada, the boys wasted no time in rushing there. Mike expressed concern that Eleven wouldn't need him anymore once she regained her powers, and Will expressed sympathy. He handed Mike the painting he was intending to give him at the airport - a mural of Mike, Will, Dustin and Lucas in D&D regalia fighting a large dragon. Impressed, Mike asked if he painted it, and Will said he did for Eleven since she commissioned it (this was a lie, since Will refused to show the painting to anyone). Will pointed to Mike's character on the painting having a heart and he told his best friend that he is the "heart" of the Party, and without it, they'd fall apart, especially Eleven. He began to say that "El" has been so lost without Mike, and that it was hard for her to make friends since she's "different" and felt like "a mistake". But he said that Mike gave "El" hope, and if she was pushing him away, it was because she was scared of losing him. Will finished his analogy and says that "El" will and always will need him, easing Mike and cheering him up. Will, however, turned away to window and sobbed silently into his hand, heartbroken he could not express his true feelings. Unbeknownst to him, Jonathan eavesdropped on their conversation and looked saddened for his little brother.
By the time the boys had located the base of Nina Project, Lt. Colonel Sullivan and his army had unleashed their forces upon the underground facility with the goal of eliminating Eleven, believing her to be the origin of Hawkins' mysterious and ritualistic murders. Though Dr. Martin Brenner was shot by a sniper while carrying Eleven to safety, Eleven had already regained her abilities, which had been amplified to even stronger levels, and used them to force the helicopter with some of Sullivan's men to crash down the ground. A few moments later, El was surprised from behind by Mike, who could not be more happy to see that the love of his life was alright. The couple shared an emotional reunion and embraced, with Will witnessing this from behind. However, he still seemed genuinely glad that his adoptive sister was alright and the two also shared a hug. Their reunion was interrupted by Eleven's power-dampening collar being deactivated and unlocked by a dying Brenner. Eleven refused to forgive the man who raised her away from society and left him alone to die in the desert. Once Argyle drove the group away, Eleven warned the boys that they needed to try anything to return to Hawkins or all of their friends were going to die.
Helping El Fight Vecna
Eleven explained to the boys a plan their friends in Hawkins had formulated to kill Vecna, a creature from the Upside Down who was committing a murder spree in Hawkins to open several portals between the two worlds and who used to be the first child test subject of Hawkins Lab, "One". The plan involved Max acting as bait for the creature while the others travelled to the Upside Down to attack his physical body. After Jonathan had failed in finding the soonest flight back to Hawkins, El suggested creating a makeshift sensory deprivation tank to enhance her abilities to a point where she can protect Max from their current location, insisting that it would be just like the times when she infiltrated her mother and Billy Hargrove's minds. Argyle drove the group to a nearby pizzeria and Jonathan and Will began filling a freezer with salty water.
As Will watched Mike and El happily getting along, Jonathan brought his attention back to him by asking him if he remembered the day when he stuck a LEGO piece named Larry inside his nose and Jonathan had to remove it. Though not directly saying it, Jonathan guaranteed to his younger brother that he was aware of his sexual orientation and feelings for Mike and none of that would cause any damage to their bond, causing Will to embrace his brother and sob his heart out in his arms. After calming down, the two brothers returned to the task at hand and ultimately finished filling the freezer.
Upon entering the makeshift tank, Eleven entered the Void and found Lucas and Max in the abandoned Creel House, which happened to be Vecna's childhood home back when he was still the human Henry Creel. Lucas and Max were trying to communicate with the creature but he refused to strike, leaving Max increasingly impatient and frustrated. She ultimately decided to go through a calmer strategy and admitted that there was part of her that wanted Billy gone for all the abuse she had suffered at his hands throughout their years as stepsiblings but since his demise caused by the Mind Flayer, she immediately regretted those thoughts and began praying that something would happen to her. This confession was ultimately the key to convince Vecna to place Max under his curse once more and the creature commenced to stalk the girl through her mind. Moments later, El entered Max's memories, which took her to a skate park in the 1970's.
After navigating the memory for a while, El found a younger Max and tried to unsuccessfully interact with her. Will asked his adoptive sister if she noticed any trace of Vecna, the Mind Flayer or the rest of the Upside Down in the memory and while El initally responded in the negative, she soon found a table with DJ equipment above a bridge, which was part of the illusionary 1984 Snow Ball, the happy memory where Max was hiding from Vecna. Though El managed to infiltrate the illusionary Snow Ball and save Max from being executed by Vecna at the last minute, both girls were overpowered by the so-called dark wizard of the Upside Down and taken captive into his mindscape. Will helped Mike, Jonathan and Argyle in getting Eleven to a table when she started to choke as a result of one of Vecna's vines strangling her and the youngest Byers encouraged Mike to act as the "heart" of the Party, leading Mike to confess his feelings for El. His speech allowed her to break free from Vecna's restraints, enabling her to push Vecna away from Max right before he could land the final blow on her.
Though Vecna was gravely injured by Nancy, Steve and Robin's attacks, he somehow managed to escape and the injuries that he inflicted upon Max were severe enough to kill her. Her death allowed his four curse gates to expand and destroy a large portion of Hawkins, claiming the lives of at least twenty residents and leaving many others homeless whilst others went missing. Before El left the Void, she focused on her telekinesis and successfully restarted Max's heart.
Return to Hawkins
Two days later, the boys and Eleven finally reached Hawkins, only to find numerous families leaving the town after having had enough of the numerous casualties and destruction occurring there. The quintet made a stop in the Wheeler residence, where Jonathan reunited with Nancy and Mike, El, and Will reunited with Dustin, who informed them of the events that occurred during their absence. Dustin takes Nancy, Jonathan, Mike, El, and Will to Hawkins Memorial Hospital, where they found Lucas and Erica standing beside the bed of a barely-alive and comatose Max. Will and the others were saddened when Lucas reported that the doctors were skeptical over whether Max would eventually awaken and believed it was a miracle that brought her back to life, with Eleven electing not to reveal that it was her who brought Max back. She discreetly went through the Void to find Max's consciousness but it was completely empty, leaving El shocked and horrified.
The beginning of the end
The group travelled to Hopper's cabin in the woods and decided to restore it. During the cleaning, Mike confessed to Will that El began to think that Dr. Brenner was correct when he insisted that she was not ready to face Vecna, with Will insisting it was thanks to El that Max was still alive and expressing his belief that she would have another chance. Though Mike looked convinced that Vecna was dead and gone for good, an anxious Will reported the bad news-- his return to Hawkins restored his link to the Upside Down's hive mind and the link allowed him to sense that Vecna was still alive in spite of his massive injuries. This discovery also allowed him to realize that the Mind Flayer was a puppet and result of Vecna's machinations and the latter held control over all lifeforms residing in the Upside Down. The youngest Byers went on to guarantee that Vecna would never stop until he had eradicated them and everyone they loved, which meant they had to put an end to his existence. After Mike reassured him that they would find a way like they always did, they spotted a car approaching the cabin.
Will and Jonathan reunited with their mother Joyce, who had rescued Hopper from a prison in Kamchatka, Russia. As El and Joyce reunited and embraced and Mike and Hopper did the same, Will suddenly felt the his neck sense once again, and looked up to see the sky engulfed by dark clouds. Soon enough, abnormal white spores began descending from the sky, prompting the protagonists to head to Weathertrop Hill to get a closer look what they were witnessing. All of them witnessed in horror as a field of flowers was slowly dying and the causes behind these strange phenomena were none other than smoke and a supernatural storm with red lightning from the Upside Down emerging from the intersection point of Vecna's curse gates. The Party and their loved ones realized Vecna's plan of merging the real world and the Upside Down was coming to fruition.
1987
November
One year later
Will having breakfast with the Wheelers.
Will and the others hearing Robin's transmission.
On November 3, staying at the Wheeler house, Will and Jonathan had overslept but woke up for breakfast, sitting at the table with his mother, Mike, Jonathan, Nancy, Holly, Karen and Ted arguing that it was always Jonathan's fault that they don't wake up on time and had a piece of bacon. After breakfast, them and Holly departed on bikes to Hawkins High School while listening to Rockin' Robin's broadcast, just passing the Mac-Z area. He and Mike watched Andy harass Dustin, but Lucas and Mike stood up for him. Once Andy left, they argued about Dustin attracting too much attention and at lunch, they talked about what was wrong with Dustin and said that he "lost his mind". Suddenly, they all began to hear Robin's broadcast on their radio which, in code, communicated details about the burn and crawl happening later, which Mike jotted down.[14]
The Crawl
Mike checking in on Will after his vision.
Later, Will, Mike, Lucas and Dustin all went to the woods, a map of Hawkins in hand, and discussed the plan for the crawl using D&D minifigures, talking about route, timing, etc., but doubts were raised as the crawl location, zone G1, was unlikely for Vecna to be there. Mike reiterated that they will not stop crawls until he is found and the boys all stacked their hands and all cried "Kill Vecna!". Suddenly, Will started to feel uneasy and looked up, seeing the sky spin faster and faster until falling before holding to a tree. They all ran to Will and Mike checked on him, asking if he was alright, and Will replied that he was fine and just felt nervous. The boys all agreed to meet at 6:00 for the crawl before leaving.
Will witnessing Robin and Vickie's relationship.
Will and Lucas biked over to Hawkins Memorial Hospital to see Max, who was still comatose. Will had told her about his "feeling", earlier in the woods and that Mike though it was Vecna who might have come back and asked Lucas what he thought. Upon leaving, he told him he was going to grab a Coke and asked if he wanted one, but Lucas kindly refused. Will went to a vending machine, grabbed a Coke and, down the hall, seeing Robin, called out to her but couldn't hear him, so he went to her, but before he could speak, he peaked through the open door to see her have an intimate moment with her girlfriend, Vickie, reminding him of his feelings for Mike and when they kissed, he accidentally dropped his drink and ran.[14]
Later, at night, as everyone had prepared, Will gave Hopper a flashlight and when Steve had issue rotating the wheel attached to a radar, Will said that he had to flip a switch under the wheel. When Steve needed someone to watch the amplitude and frequency of the telemetry tag's signal, Will offered to do it but Joyce forbade him saying it was too dangerous, despite being capable, disappointing him.
Will seeing through the Demogorgon's "eyes" in his vision.
Joyce trying to snap Will out of his vision
From the Squawk, Joyce, Will, Eleven, Robin and Nancy all listened as Mike and Lucas observed from a building and as they counted down until the burn commenced, with Hopper sneaking into the MAC-Z right afterward into a truck. All of a sudden, over the mic, they heard a crash followed by Hopper abruptly cutting off. Will began to see through a Demogorgon, seeing and feeling as it ripped through the soldiers, with his body collapsing, hitting the floor head first. As Eleven laid him in his lap and as Joyce attempted to snap him out of it, he continued seeing the Demogorgon run, until stopping at the Wheeler House. Joyce slapped him until he snapped out, embracing Joyce and telling Nancy that the Demogorgon was at her house. At once, Nancy and El had departed for the house, while the rest stayed behind at Squawk.[14]
Using the hive mind
Will and Robin finding a mandala
While Joyce and Robin were working to restore comms and power, Will sat at a table, holding a towel to his head. Soon after, Joyce sat down with him and asked him if the vision he just had one of his "now-memories" that he had years ago, to which, in a frightened voice, replied that it was more "intense" and much more immersed into the hive mind, such as being able to almost fully sense what the Demogorgon was sensing. When she asked him why the Demogorgon could have taken Holly, he said it was difficult to remember, and that the connection must not have been truly severed, saying that, during the summer of 1985, he could feel the Vecna and again, after returning to Hawkins, a year later, saying, with tears rolling down his face, that now, he was closer than ever before. Robin joined in the conversation, suggesting that Will was a "receiver" and proceeded to explain it to them; Will was essentially an antenna and Vecna was transmitting radio waves (Mind Flayer particles) and depending on Will's proximity to the particles, the visions would be more or less clearer.[16]
Will and Robin talking about the child part of the hive mind
Will then proposed that they could find Holly if they were at the school, where his vision appeared, that he could connect to the hive mind. However, Joyce objected, saying it was too dangerous and the two argued that Joyce's plan to repair communications to Hopper was not effective enough to save Holly in time. While Joyce kept trying to raise Hopper on the comms, Robin created a diversion to talk to Will, saying the flux capacitor was down. The two went upstairs and Robin agreed that Joyce's plan was flawed and that Will's plan was genius and both biked to the woods and when Robin asked if he wanted to turn back, Will refused.
They both eventually reached the tree where he had his vision, but when he felt nothing, they proceeded to walk to the school. While walking, Robin asked Will if he was at the hospital the day before, which he immediately denied, but fearing that he might have seen her and Vickie, told him that Vickie was a candy striper and her friend, and asked him not to divulge their "friendship" as she feared societal stigma and much more if people knew and Will, being able to relate, reassured her that he didn't see what she thought he did. They soon found a mandala whose spirals reminded Will of when his vision seemed to spin and said he heard kids' laughter and playing and ran all the way to Holly's school, reaching just by morning. He found the merry-go-round and deduced that his vision was really him seeing through the eyes of a child spinning on that platform, who must have been part of the hive mind and that the child was Holly. The two were interrupted upon seeing the school bus arriving, with children getting off, he felt his neck-sense and had another vision; he was Derek Turnbow and was walking past Will with children and shoved one before flipping him off. This convinced Will that Derek was Vecna's next target.[16][17]
The two then biked back to Squawk, but while on their way there, were found by Joyce who was driving, looking for them and loaded their bikes onto her car and Joyce began scolding them for them leaving, causing Will to stand up for himself and asserted his maturity, calling out the flaws in her plans and told her to stop being cautious as the stakes were that high and said that his plan worked, telling her that he accessed the hive mind and that Vecna will keep taking more children. He finally said that if he was ever ordered again to stay, he wouldn't count on that, stunning Joyce. They then left and drove back to the Squawk.[16]
Kidnapping the Turnbows
Mike explaining the plan to kidnap Derek
Everyone except Eleven and Hopper regrouped at the Squawk and everyone was brought up to speed. When everyone started asking questions, Will told them that he could access the hive mind and by extension, Vecna in the form of visions and Will said that they had to stop whatever his plans and save Derek. They all went to the basement and Will told them his plan, that, once the family falls asleep, they grab and move Derek to the McCorkle farm without him seeing anything. Mike and the others elaborated and planned out the kidnapping to address flaws or doubts among the group. At a table, using D&D minifigs, Mike expanded the plan so that; they would recruit someone trusted by the family and has access to their house, that person knocking them out with Benzos to ensure that Vecna cannot spy through Derek, and removed from the house afterward. This would lure the Demogorgons to the house to presumably take him, but would instead find themselves, with the house rigged and the group armed to attack it, intending to use a telemetry tag to track the Demo to the lair where Holly is kept, while also hoping to find Vecna.[17]
Will and Robin finding the Benzos stash
Soon after, Will and Robin bike to Hawkins Memorial Hospital, where Robin got past the receptionist, Doris, using Ms. Massey to deceive her and, when Will asked who she was with Robin saying she was her grandmother who fell down some stairs and broke many bones, with Will sympathizing before she said she was not her real grandmother, only using her name to visit Vickie, saying that Ms. Massey loves her more than her own family as Robin "always brought cookies". They then almost encounter Vickie and hide behind a corner and then a door, explaining that she would take her to Enzo's, but had to stand her up due to the ongoing crisis. Will suggested that Robin could kiss her again, revealing that he did see her with Vickie. Robin asked if she knew what she was doing, to which he said yes and then asked her how she knew that Vickie wanted to date, which Robin said that there were signals, which confused Will. They both find a large stash of Benzos and packed it into a backpack.
Will talking to Joyce at the farm
Later that night, after Will and the rest waited for Erica to enter the house and knock the family out, they all got out of the Squawk van and heavily modified the entire house as a makeshift trap for the Demogorgon, emptying rooms, creating the barbed wire trap while Will and the others carried the unconscious Turnbows into the van and drove to the farm and put them in the barn. While waiting for them to wake, Will approached Joyce, who quickly flicked away her cigarette, Will commenting that he thought she quit smoking before she asked where his coat was. Will apologized for being harsh to her and Joyce also apologized for acting the way she did and said it was because it reminded her of when she couldn't find Will all those years ago. Joyce expressed remorse for not knowing that he was missing all that time. They, then talked about Robin, whom Joyce said was "certainly interesting" but also said that she will protect him until it was all over, but Will said that she didn't need to look away and just asked her to trust him.
As Will, Robin, Joyce and Erica listened over the supercom, hearing the plan succeeding and the tag planted but also of Dustin tracking the Demo and discussed among themselves why they turned around but were interrupted to the noises of Derek waking up, who momentarily saw his surroundings until Will realized that they were southeast and it turned because the Demo knew where they were. Joyce calmed him down and attempted to get him to cooperate, untying him, but Derek instead ran, trying to escape but Will tackled and restrained him until Derek threw dirt in his face and climbed up a ladder, to a higher section of the farm, out of their reach. As they were all trying to reason with him, Will felt the Demogorgon near and had a vision of the Demogorgon at the farm trying to break into the barn. Eventually, it got through and saw Joyce, who swung at it with an axe before it was rammed by Steve's car, with him, Nancy, Dustin and Jonathan in it. Will collapsed and began seeing the lair where Holly and other children were kept, restrained to spires and vines running down their throats similar to Will when he was taken in 1983, before snapping out of it and embracing his mother in fear.[17][18]
Will seeing Joyce fight a Demogorgon
Will's painting of the Vecna's lair
While Joyce attempted to contact Nancy, Steve, Dustin and Jonathan, Will began painting in red, what he saw in his vision, a place where he saw Holly and three other children unconscious, a place Vecna didn't want him to see. Robin commented that he was closer to the hive mind than before and not only did he access the hive mind, he found his way to the most critical area in it, in the Upside Down, and when Joyce asked where Holly was, he painted in black that she was "part of it" and painted three other children, and that he only knew Derek was targeted because he walked right past him, with Robin pointing to additional spires, and deduced that Vecna was going to take 8 more children if Will's painting was accurate. While they were figuring out how to find the kids, Mike and Lucas arrived on bikes and interrupted, saying that they saw MPs taking Debbie Miller and putting her on a bus with more children and as they followed it for more blocks, they stopped and loaded more children onto it.[18]
Infiltrating the MAC-Z
Will and the others discuss using Derek as an inside person
The next day, Will, Robin and Joyce, joined by Mike and Lucas all returned to the Squawk, Erica snuck into the MAC-Z and when the bus with children arrived, she advised them that the children were being housed inside a barracks, near the library, where Joyce marked on the map, realizing the tunnels was right beneath it. Mike raised that breaking into the barracks wouldn't be easy and that they would have to dig into the barracks and take the children to Murray, who would smuggle them out of Hawkins, all unnoticed, which reminded Robin of Tom, Dick and Harry, and used the 1944 escape of Stalag Luft III as an analogy for their plan, saying that they could smuggle the children through the bathroom. Mike proposed that they could use Derek to, as one of the children who was unaccounted for, direct the children who have seen Mr. Whatsit to the bathroom, all done covertly.[18]
Will and Mike talking about his earlier vision
While Derek entered the MAC-Z and was put into the barracks, the five were given a breaking bar, shovel, safety goggles, a surveyor's wheel and showed them, in the truck, a padded room for the children before Derek, over the Supercom, informed Joyce that he arrived, who told him to direct any children to the bathroom stall and that they will be there soon. Walking toward the hatch, Mike commented that Joyce and Robin were getting along better, where Will said that it may have been because she fended off the Demogorgon. Mike asked him if he could really see what the Demo saw, Will saying that he felt closer to the hive mind, enough that "it was like this scary movie you just can't turn off." Once they reached the tunnel entry, Mike suggested that Will could "pull the strings" whenever he tapped into the hive mind, much like Vecna did, to which he sarcastically asked if he was trying to say that Will was an "evil and hell-bent on destroying the world", Mike responding that he was sorcerer, as his magic was innate. Will playfully shoved him and gazed at him and, unbeknownst him, Robin noticed his attraction to Mike.[18]
Will and Robin having a heart-to-heart in the tunnels
While Will and the others walked through the tunnels, Robin wanted to have a heart-to-heart with Will and bumped into him and asked if he remembered Tammy Thompson, whom Will asked if she was "that terrible singer". Robin recounted that, in her ninth grade, with Tammy, she experienced love at first sight and instantly became infatuated with her, thinking to herself that if she was with her, she could be herself and whole, that was, until Steve Harrington arrived. She said that Tammy had a crush on him and that her dreams of being with her were over, saying that she got bad grades, got grounded and had to do chores every weekend. One day, she found a film that she had made when she was younger and saw how carefree and intrepid that young Robin was, when she stopped being scared of who she was, she compared her intense feelings of relief to being able to fly and conveyed to Will that he had to come to terms with his affection for Mike and his sexual orientation, to love and accept himself and let go of his fear of Mike rejecting his feelings for him. Will understood, with visible tears in his eyes, and when Lucas told the pair to catch up, they both burst in laughter before Mike and Lucas began breaking through to the floor of the latrine.[18]
Will struggling to hold the door
Joyce signaled for Derek to start sending the kids through and one by one, they came down, with help until the group noticed a leak from the pipes, which made Robin go with the children in case the others are caught. Mike and Will struggled to contain the leak, with Will attempting to wrap it with his jacket, but still directed children seeing Mr. Whatsit to the hole in the floor until one of the children saw them and called an officer, Mike alerting that they were discovered, and Lucas taking the children and helping Derek block the door, but eventually got through, with two more children going down but were caught by Private Chapman and escorted outside where, while Joyce attempted to reason with the person in command, Will felt his neck-sense and had a vision, seeing a Demogorgon run toward the MAC-Z gate in the Upside Down and collapsed, telling his mother that they were here, before seeing the Demo create a gate through Pam's. Mike guided them to safety, avoiding gunfire and Demos, but when flamethrowing soldiers burned the Demo alive, Will collapsed, yelling and twitching as he felt its pain as Joyce attempted to comfort him, dragging him away from the fighting and behind a jeep. Will saw as the Demos chased Robin and Murray and cornering Lucas and attacking him.[18]
Vecna taunting Will
Will and Mike discovering a D&D set
Will and Jonathan building Castle Byers
Once the mindless rampage died down, Vecna lifted Will and pulled him toward the viny figure and in a deep, guttural voice, he asked the boy if he could see the children and told him he chose children to reshape his world because they were feeble, naive, untelligent, easily manipulated, making them "the perfect vessels", and touching his face, told Will he was the first and "broke so easily", saying some minds do not belong in this world, but in his, before dropping him and walking through the gate. He then saw a Demo run toward Robin, one digging down to Lucas, and one leaping at Mike, before having a powerful flashback while simultaneously remembering Robin's heart-to-heart, recollecting when they were both children, Mike asking Will if he wanted to be friends, swinging together, finding a Dungeons & Dragons supplement and having their first session together, Will drawing a rainbow ship and showing it to Joyce, who was astounded and drawing Castle Byers, building it with Jonathan and running around in his "Will the Wise" attire and enjoying himself, embracing his past and love for Mike instead of hiding and stopped resisting the hive mind as a victim, allowing him to finally channel Vecna's powers and, with solid white eyes, froze each of the Demogorgons and lifted them into the air, seeing Mike, Robin and Lucas through Demo-vision before simultaneously snapping their limbs and necks like Vecna did Chrissy or Max. Will fell to his knees, and as his nose bled, he wiped it, just as his eyes rolled to normal as Mike and Joyce were astonished by what had just happened.[18]
Aftermath & a new plan
Will with Joyce and Mike after seeing his powers.
Joyce helped him up and embraced him, and how he killed those Demogorgons when Mike ran and hugged him saying he really was a sorcerer and was proud that he finally was able to use his powers, but Will told them Vecna has the children, including the ones Robin, Murray and Lucas took as well as some from the barracks, saying that he has all twelve "vessels", blaming himself for not acting sooner. The three were interrupted by the approaching helicopters and went to RadioShack to get to the tunnels, back to the Squawk, with Will helping his hurt mother walk. While walking back, they found an injured Lucas and while rendering him first-aid, they lifted his shirt and saw a deep, bleeding gash across his chest and Will, holding down on the wound, attempted to comfort him, saying that he did all he could to protect the children and complimented his swing against the Demo, revealing his powers and that he snapped and killed them. Continuing walking, they talked about it and "Will the Wise" being sorcerer rather than a wizard and told them that it was unlikely that the Demos would come back as Vecna had all the kids he needed and that his powers, which he explained where through the hive mind, would not be potent unless he was near the Upside Down or the hive mind and further explained why he kidnapped the kids and Mike hoping the theory about everything ending on the day it all started was wrong.[19]
They made it back to the hatch, but before climbing up, Joyce wondered if they could have Will somehow access the hive mind and his powers again, that he could use it against Vecna, being optimistic that it could work as Vecna chose him because he underestimated him, which Joyce said she never would again. In the Squawk, joined by Robin, Erica and Murray, Joyce went over the plan; they get Will close to the hive mind, accesses the powers through the hive mind, instead of pursuing the Demo, he would pursue Vecna himself, and Joyce asked if there were any questions, everyone was still astonished by Will using his powers to kill the Demos but Joyce asked them all to focus and said they could use Dustin's telemetry tag to locate Nancy, Jonathan, Dustin and Steve but everyone just ate food, much to Joyce's dismay. Erica and Lucas suddenly had ideas, but Erica went first, saying they could recruit Scott Clarke, who had extensive knowledge in physics, saying that he was the best one for the job of creating a new tracker they all agreed could create a new tracker but would take too long, where Lucas proposed they could electrocute and heat the dead Demogorgons by exposing them to the Squawk tower but both siblings started insulting each other's plans until Joyce said they would try both.[19]
Will and Robin then cut a pipe with cable cutters and drill a pumpkin, and while attaching the wires to metal poles fitted into the drill holes, working on top of the building, Robin thanked Will for saving her life, he corrected her, saying he should thank her. When Robin was confused by that, Will said telling him about her first crush and experiences in her life and that it was very helpful, which surprised Robin, who joked that her mother should hear that. Will asked Robin after realizing and accepting herself, if after that is when she started dating Vickie, which Robin said she did not because she was not brave enough to tell her, as accepting herself was different from others accepting her, but eventually did tell someone of her sexual orientation. Once they had set everything up and as Robin climbed down from the top, Will asked her who she told, and to his surprise, said it was Steve, her "once sworn enemy". When Robin increased the power, the electricity successfully flowed through the wires to the pumpkins, but Will asked Robin why him and Robin said that even though he was a "bonkers choice", she explained that they had just been drugged with "truth serum" by the [[Ozerov|evil Russians and compared the serum to "liquid courage on steroids", but that regardless, coming out to Steve, revealing it to Steve was immensely relieving, saying it encouraged her to pursue Vickie and that if she didn't, she probably would not be talking to Will about it, saying he was the third person who knew and had hoped to tell others if they did win and Will jokingly asked if she had any truth serum left. Before they could continue, they noticed the pumpkins catching fire and burning, which Robin put out with an extinguisher.[19]
However, as they all prepared for the test, they realized that the cables were not long enough to reach the ground and that they needed to electrocute the Demogorgon on the top of the radio building. Will and Mike attached the ropes to the back of the Squawk van and told Joyce to drive very slow. Him, Mike, Robin and Lucas then helped push the dead Demo onto the top using brooms, with help from the ropes and the van, hammering the rods with cables attached through the creature's leg and shoulder. Will got down and sat on the gravel, ready to enter the hive mind and his powers. Joyce told him, if anything happens, he aborts and Lucas assured him that if it did, they would increase the voltage and burn the particles which would "unplug" Will from the hive mind. Before starting, Will thanked Joyce for trusting him, who told him to kill the "bastard". Will entered his mind and, as Robin gradually increased the voltage, his pupils suddenly dilated and saw through the eyes of the temporarily revived Demo beneath the Squawk radio tower before seeing the same red lair where Vecna kidnapped the children, seeing Derek and through the eyes of him, and Will, while in the trance, told them that he Derek and that he was with the other children but could not see Holly, whom Max was with but were hunted by Vecna. Will knew she and Max were in Vecna's house and as he began infiltrating his mind and when he began choking Max, but through the hive mind, slowly loosened his grip and snapped his lower leg, as he stood up with his eyes turning white. He then twisted his neck to face Max and told her through Vecna, "Max! If you... can hear me, you need to run" and yelled for her to run before Vecna regained control, telling Will to get out. As his nose bled, he yelled in pain and tried to keep control over him but was ejected from his mind, and hurled into the air before landing unconscious as they increased the voltage, which forced the Demo to expel the particles and tried to wake him, but to no avail.[19]
November 6
The next day, morning of November 6, while still unconscious, Will was rested on a couch, his eyes moving side to side while Joyce sat by him, waiting for him to wake. In his mind, he woke up in the Hawkins Public Library, the same place he was stuck in the Upside Down all those years ago and was held to a wall by vines, when Vecna appearing as Mr. Whatsit came and asked if he remembered the place before changing to Vecna. Will, struggling to move asked if Holly and Max escaped and sarcastically asked if his leg slowed him down. Vecna then reminded him that he was the who made Will a part of the hive mind and was his spy and builder, revealing that Will was the one unconsciously controlling the vines, tunneling through Hawkins every night he slept, creating the Hawkins Tunnel System and spreading the Upside Down which shocked Will and ran his hand down his face, saying that Will had power but not his own, and that his own are far stronger and that his vessels will realize his world. Will retorted that he plan will fail because Holly had escaped his grasp before Vecna countered that he will find them, with Will's help as his spy and reached his large, deformed, viney hand, advising him not to resist, as it will be more painful. Vecna then forced terrible visions upon him and Will struggled, bleeding from his eyes.
While trapped in his mind, Eleven, Hopper and a newcomer, Kali had arrived to the Squawk and El asked how long he was unconscious and entered the void, but struggled to reach him. While they were filling the bath for El, Joyce and Hopper sat beside him.
Will had a vision flickering between a Demo running fast in the woods and Max's room and a comatose Max. El entered the bath and found Will in the void resting on his bed, but was quickly shown in the Upside Down, restrained in the library. As Will's eyes kept bleeding more, El found him, using her powers to rip the vines, freeing him. Upon waking up, Will panicked before El calmed and hugged him, saying that she was there to bring him back, but Will told her he failed in stopping Vecna from seeing Max, telling her he knows where she is and sent Demos after her in Hawkins. Will immediately woke up as El exited the bath and all urgently went to the hospital to save Max while Joyce and Will, stayed behind as he rested in the cabin. While they waited, Will contemplated on what Vecna said to him before Joyce told him that Max was safe and that she got out, thanks to him and reassured him everything would be okay, but Will questioned for how long it would be, because that day was November 6, the day everything started and why Vecna chose him, because he was weak and never stood a chance. Will continued, saying he spied and built for him and that the tunnels was his doing, using his hive mind connection to make the vines tunnel all around Hawkins, blaming himself for all the deaths caused by it and that, if he could do all that, 12 more kids would make a more devastating impact. Joyce stopped him, saying that nothing was his fault and tried to comfort him by saying that one of his vessels escaped, which gave them a chance to defeat him and that it was not over, not by a long shot. Will cried, saying she was wrong and that it was his fault, with Joyce cradling him.
Shortly after, Will and Joyce drove over to the Squawk, where Will, upon seeing Max sitting in a wheelchair, immediately ran over to in joy and embraced her, Max playfully commenting that she left him alone for a second and he became a sorcerer, but Will said it was more than a second and that he was not a sorcerer.
Operation Beanstalk & the end
Will walked as Lucas explained the Squawk to Max and everyone gathered in a room, with Dustin drawing a diagram of Hawkins and the Upside Down, correcting the previous assumption that it was not another dimension, but a bridge between Hawkins and The Abyss, a wormhole that warped space-time, extremely unstable but secured by Exotic matter, which they found in the middle, above the Hawkins lab in the Upside Down, Clark commenting it a "realm of pure chaos and evil", which Will, Mike and Erica said it was D&D, Dustin further explaining that the Abyss was the true home of the Demogorgons, Demobats, The Mind Flayer and vines and everything else that moved to the Upside Down, the place where Eleven banished Henry and that when Eleven was ordered by Brenner to make remote contact, she did not cause a tear in the fabric of space-time, rather she opened a wormhole that Henry and his army had been using it to cross right back into Hawkins and while he was presumed to have been healing after Nancy injured him, he had escaped into the Abyss and why every crawl failed and why El could not find him in the bath. When Hopper asked why Vecna kept taking children there, Will explained that he was using the children, whose minds were weaker and more easily influenced, to channel his thoughts and powers through him to amplify his own abilities and that he would do the same with those kids. Max explained that Vecna would move the two worlds, as Holly told her that the children would help him draw the worlds together to merge and remake his world, Will expanding upon it that he had been causing rifts, weakening the fabric between the Abyss and the Upside Down. Steve wondered how long the merging would take, Mike added if they had any time left, they would have to get 2000 ft above the Upside Down, find a way into the Abyss, free Holly and the others and kill Vecna before the worlds merge.
Hopper presented his simple plan of using a military chopper to fly up to and through the rift and do what they need to and fly back down. Numerous flaws were pointed out as there was no one qualified among themselves to fly the chopper and that it would not fit through the rift. Everyone started arguing with one another before Steve yelled that they do not need a "magic bean", which frightened some and caught everyone's attention and devised, using a flashlight and slinky that they could wait until the Abyss was close enough for them to get through one of the rifts, as the Squawk tower would push through, opening a rift for them to climb up using the tower's ladders and El would meditate and enter Vecna mind and ambush him. They agreed that it was the best plan, but El said she could not reach into his mind, but Nancy proposed that she could use the Sensory deprivation tank in the lab, Max would guide El through his mind and Kali would follow her as backup, all within the time they have. Dustin added a "cherry on top", saying that they would detonate a bomb near the exotic matter, collapsing the entire Upside Down, taking everything with it and preventing Vecna from ever reaching their world.
As everyone prepared, Will sat, looking at Dustin's diagram when Max and Vickie came in, Max commenting that it gave her a headache trying to understand all of it but joked that since she got a C- in physics, she'd trust the nerds. Vickie asked if the plan would work, which they all hoped would and Max said she wished she was not stuck in Hawkins, but Will comforted her, saying that El and Kali would need her help in there and that he was useless, but Max suggested that he could go into the Abyss, but Will said it would be too risky as he would be in the heart of the hive mind, as his spying almost got Max killed, but Max said he saved her and that she was used to the risk. Will asked how she survived in his mind all that time and Max said it was luck, that she had found a cave as part of an old memory of his and that he was terrified of it and that, despite all his scars, he was still human.
Later, as everyone loaded the Big Buy van, Will approached Joyce and said that he didn't tell her everything that morning. The two sat down and Will explained that when Vecna attacked him, he weakens him by turning their own mind against him and used his fears against him, but Will said he used his happiest memories from his childhood, which was how he accessed his powers in the MAC-Z, against the Demos, and Will tried the same on Vecna but he found a way past it and showed him the most awful things. Joyce said it was not real and that it was all tricks and lies but Will said it was not and that it came from Will, that Vecna saw everything, his thoughts, memories, and secrets and that Max told him a way to beat Vecna, but one that required Joyce to know his greatest fear, but suddenly, Mike interrupted that Hop needed them to hurry, but as Mike walked away, Will told him that he and everyone needed to hear it as well.
Will gathered everyone and told them he had not told anyone this because he did not want for him to be seen differently but that the truth was that he was different and pretended that he was not because he did not want to be, but instead like his friends, such as playing D&D late at night, the smell in Mike's basement and biking to Melvald's for malted milkshakes, getting lost in the woods and arguing about what to rent at Family Video before settling on Holy Grail for the "millionth time", Milk Duds in popcorn with extra butter, and drinking Coke with Pop Rocks, bike races and trading comics and NASA and Steve Martin and Lucky Charms and everything else. Jonathan and Robin quietly understood what was happening before Will tearfully came out, saying "I don't like girls. I mean I do. Just not like you guys do.", saying he had a crush on someone and that he was their Tammy and that by Tammy, it was never about him but always about Will and that Vecna showed him what would happen if he told everyone the truth and that he would be alienated and misunderstood by everyone and that everyone drifted apart more and more until he was all alone and began crying, but Joyce comforted him, fiercely saying that what he saw will never ever happen and that he would never lose her, and Jonathan, Lucas, Dustin, Mike and Eleven joined in, saying he'd never lose them, sharing a group hug, and Robin joked that Will didn't need truth serum before Max told Will he'd need to hug her, which he did, Max telling him to imagine her hugging him really tight before finally looking at Eleven and telling her that he knew she was strong enough to defeat Vecna and if he retreated that they needed to prepare to fight him there too and said he needed to be there to show him he is no longer afraid of Vecna.
Mike apologizing to Will on the Squawk
Ready to end it, they all drove to the MAC-Z, with Hopper firing at the soldiers as a firefight occurred, with Nancy shooting at the MPs and finally driving through the MAC-Z gate. The Big Buy truck made a stop at the Hawkins Lab, where Eleven, Hopper and Kali got off to face Vecna in his mind and they all soon arrived at the Upside Down version of the Squawk tower where Jonathan told them to use the ladders to climb and use platforms to rest. After Will reached one of the platforms, Mike gave him a drink and they both caught their breath before Mike broke the silence and apologized, not for what he said at the Squawk but for not being there for Will before he came out, blaming himself for being self-absorbed and called himself an idiot but Will reassured him that he didn't have to be sorry and that he was not an idiot and he did not understand his feelings for very long and that it needed to happen the way it did, by finding his own way and was glad Mike was still with him and that he thought they could still be friends. Mike refused this and instead said they were best friends and they continued to climb up.
Will and the others looking up to the rift
Will taking in the beauty of the Abyss
The Hawkins group finding Vecna's lair
They all reached the top of the Squawk but they realized that the top-most part of the tower, the needle, did not align with the rift and Dustin radioed Hopper for El to hurry up but the end of the needle broke off and bent the rest of it, shaking the tower. The needle snapped in half and fell, destroying the railing and causing Steve to hang by a ledge before Jonathan pulled him back up, just as El interrupted and stopped the Abyss from further moving down. One by one, everyone went through the rift and all looked out to the horizon astonishment of the Abyss' environment. They began walking toward Vecna's lair and, while walking, Dustin talked about the hive mind working in the Abyss as well and if Vecna died, all the organisms connected to it would too, but also talked about the possibility that El did not yet kill Vecna despite stopping the spell and could still be fighting him. Seeing a worried Mike, Will comforted him that El had been training for this and she had help and remained optimistic that El would kill her if not dead already. They found a large, black tree-like organism and Will said it was his lair, where the children were and all proceeded to go there.
Will seeing a flickering vision of the cave entrance
Will taking control of Vecna's arm roots
While walking, Will saw Mike trying to convince Nancy to give him a firearm, but was instead given a flare gun before his vision flickered between reality, the lair and the sight of the cave entrance but Mike snapped him out of it and asked him what was wrong before telling him it was Vecna and that he was alive. Suddenly, he dropped onto his knees, yelling in anguish as he saw Vecna entering the cave and seeing Holly, but Joyce asked him what he saw where he responded that he was in the cave and found the children. Mike asked him about Eleven, Kali or Max and he said they were all alone before Robin asked him if he could defeat him with powers, which he said he could try. The rest of the group went on while Joyce stayed with him to help him in any way possible.
He saw as Vecna chased them, all the way into an underground mine area and that he walked until Holly ambushed him, cutting him a few times on the face before subduing and knocking her out before witnessing a young Henry Creel as a boy scout encountering a man with a handgun and shot his hand, which Will felt on his own hand, telling Joyce he was in a memory now and scared. He saw him stone the man to death before opening the briefcase and witnessing a fragment of the Upside Down or the Abyss before the fragment dissolved and fused with his hand, as Will began screaming in pain, the dying man told young Henry the piece will consume him and all else before he telekinetically imploded his eyes. Will told Vecna it was never him or his fault and that he was just a kid like himself and that the Mind Flayer used him, calling him a vessel before Vecna told him it showed him the truth about humankind and that they never controlled one another but instead joined it, becoming one.
Will watching with the others as a dying Vecna gurgled
The tree's "branches" began falling and revealed itself as a giant, arachnid-like creature and chased the group until Eleven and the group killed it, while during the duel between Eleven and Vecna, as Vecna's roots extended to her face, Will took control and stopped it before twisting it off, telling him he was not afraid before Vecna was impaled through the chest. As everyone entered the creature and began freeing the children, Vecna began gurgling blood and as he was dying, Joyce told him, "You fucked with the wrong family." before hacking and beheading him with her ax and watched as the person who caused endless suffering finally died and the whole conflict ended.
Will walking with Mary.
Will trying to get to Eleven
Afterward, everyone, including the children, climbed down the tower and got onto the truck, with Will walking beside Mary and departed with Hopper and Murray following, with Lucas and Dustin celebrating in the truck and the children talking to one another, while Will sat beside Joyce, relieved that it was all finally over until they passed through the MAC-Z gate and road spikes disabled both vehicles. The military police immediately held everyone at gunpoint and got them out of the truck, but could not find El until everyone saw her in the Upside Down, just feet away from the Rightside Up. Mike, Will and others attempted to stop her and yelled for her to stop but were prevented from doing so by the MPs, and as the bomb near the exotic matter detonated, a large flash of blue light blinded everyone but as the Upside Down began collapsing, Eleven vanished, along with it. After everyone opened their eyes, the entire Upside Down, along with the MAC-Z gate and Eleven, perished.
1989
May 27
Graduation
Free from Vecna and the Abyss' influence, Hawkins had became a more vibrant town quietly healing from years of tragedy and trauma, with the Hawkins Public Library's reconstruction almost complete, and in the town square, a small monument, containing a list of the fallen during the "Great Earthquake" had been erected. Will, Joyce and Jonathan, now living in the cabin with Hopper, just about have their photo of Will in his graduation uniform with his parents, but were interrupted by a phone call from Karen, who said she couldn't find Mike. Will, Max, Lucas walked to their seats in the graduation ceremony, Will sitting in the front row, with guests and parents sitting to the side on benches and Dustin, on the stage. After everyone had quieted down, the principal, Mr. Higgins, spoke, welcoming everyone to the graduation for the class of '89, just as Mike arrived, before introducing valedictorian Dustin Henderson, who took the mic, as Will stood up and gave him a thumbs up.
Dustin spoke, saying he wanted a normal childhood, which was stolen from him and his friends but reflected that, over the past six years, there was as much good as there was bad before talking about D&D, which Will whooped at and explained that there were two types of chaos alignments, Chaotic Evil, which brought anarchy, destruction, war and Chaotic Good, which can bring innovation and change, which the school needed because everyone was divided into the jocks, nerds, freaks and in the chaos, those barriers broke down, and in so doing, he made new friends, even those who were never meant to be his friends, which he also saw happened with others and that, when people get to know others who are different, they would begin to know more of themselves. They change. They grow, and he was a better person because of them. The speech turned when he began to say he was worried that, as the chaos had ended, principal Higgins and "every square like him", a comment that shocked everyone, would do their "damnedest" to reinforce order, which Dustin did not want, saying he looked "pretty hypocritical" in his graduation gowns, jokingly saying they all looked like Roman senators and that it was not who any of them were and unzipped it, revealing his Hellfire Lives! shirt, which roused everyone as he said "Screw it. Screw the school. Screw the system. Screw conformity. Screw everyone and everything trying to hold you back and tear us apart because this, this is our year!", which caused everyone to stand up and cheer and clap for him in excitement as he dropped the mic and flipped the principal off and confetti was released as the high school graduates began throwing their hats in the air.
After his speech, his friends ran towards him and embraced him, applauding his wild speech before Stacey, the very same who turned Dustin down at the Snow Ball of '84, praising his speech and inviting them, but Mike proposed an even better alternative; a session of D&D.
Wrapping up the campaign
Will speaking the incantation aloud
Later, at night, Mike, Will, Lucas, Max and Dustin had a session and played D&D, Mike narrating, "A hushed quiet falls over the town. Frightened villagers watch from the rooftops and alleyways, wondering, how will this all end? The sound of boots echo across the square as Strahd von Zarovich strides up to Dustin the Bard. The vampire lord lunges. Plunging its fangs into his throat. Onlookers gasp as his body collapses. His lute clatters across the cobblestone, letting out a final mournful note. A lone hero remains, Will the Wise, Barovia's last and only hope."
Lucas suggested he cast Meteor Swarm, but could not as the suppression stone prevented him from using magic, but Max suggested he could just whack it with his staff, which dealt only 6 HP, leaving them at a halt, which enraged Max, calling it bullshit. As Will rolled, Dustin reminded them they could summon the mage from Abbey of St. Markovia when at their lowest depth. Will hurriedly pulled out his binder, finding the incantation to summon her, reading, "Oh, mage! Arise and end our fall from darkened paths and secrets deep. Come forth and help your promise keep." Nothing immediately happened but suddenly, a purple light began to shine through the mist, growing brighter and brighter, revealing itself a portal and out of this portal stepped the mage of St. Markovia, holding out her hands and beaming a powerful light forward, as Mike shone a flashlight in their faces as everyone cheered loudly in exhilaration and celebration as Strahd let out a piercing shrill as his body shriveled, turning to ash, as Mike crumbled to the floor and Will and Max shared a high ten. The misty gloom shrouding the village of Barovia evaporated, met with tears from the townsfolk and in honor of their courage and bravery, they were given medals and 1000 gold pieces (gp) each, Mike putting gold chest and spilled gold figures and, now wealthy and honorable, they lived out the rest of their lives in comfort and happiness as they all held their pieces in the center while humming and vocalizing an "Aaaaah!" sound after which, Mike said "The End."
The Party packing up
Max could not believe that "comfort and happiness" was the end, calling it trite and expecting more of him. Mike said it was all true and that happiness could be found in many places, narrating the stories for each adventurer; the Knight and the Zoomer retire from battle, settling down in a small village, with every passing day, their love growing stronger. The bard, craving knowledge, made his way to the Mage's Guild of Enclave, spending his days in their vast library, however, as deeply studious as the bard was, he still made time for the occasional adventure. Finally, Will the Wise traveled far and long to the bustling city of Vallaki, overwhelming at first, quite different from the village where he spent his youth, eventually finding his place there, and with that, deep happiness and acceptance, as Will silently nodded, each story moving everyone to tears.
Will asked what became of the storyteller, which Mike tells, he kept writing stories, those inspired by his friends, one day hoping their tales of grand adventure would spread far and wide across the land, so all can know of their immense bravery, but, there was a story he could never tell, the story of the mage, "or at least not the real story". Mike, using his narration and analogy, suggested that when the Upside Down collapsed, she used the last of her energy and vanished. They all realized El couldn't use her powers due to the sonic devices hindering them and that a dying Kali projected Eleven to make everyone, including her friends think she was dead, to protect them and herself from the military, and that El, using temporary invisibility, escaped and that the mage they all saw die was an illusion. When Max asked where she went, Mike said no one knew, but that Mike liked to think of El being far away, in a beautiful land, safe from the military, a place to call home and of peace and happiness. Max asked if it was just a theory and Will asking how to know if it was true, when Mike responded that they don't, but that they can choose to believe. Will, Max, Lucas, Dustin and Mike all tearfully said that they believe before Karen interrupted their emotional moment, saying their lasagna was getting cold. Everyone began hesitantly putting each of their binders into the shelf, marking the end of their childhood and all going home.
A new future
Sometime later, Will sat in a bar, when a familiar patron sat down beside him, chatted him up and had an intimate and possibly romantic, conversation with him.
Will and a patron having an intimate conversation
Personality and traits
Will is soft-spoken, amicable, sweet, and honest. Like his friends, he is exceedingly intelligent for his age, having an enthusiasm for science and being a member of their school's AV club. He also displays a lot of the same interests as his friends, such as Dungeons & Dragons, comics like the X-Men, and films like Ghostbusters. He is also creative, having a passion for art and writing stories. However, his interests and social status resulted in him being bullied. This, along with his father's prior poor treatment of him, most likely led to feelings of alienation.
After his ordeal with the Upside Down, Will became even more alienated due to his peers labeling him "Zombie Boy" (due to the cover story conceived to conceal what actually happened to him). Additionally, he had grown frustrated with everyone's sensitive treatment towards him, especially with his mother and brother's overprotectiveness. Following his possession by the Mind Flayer, Will developed an aversion to heat and became increasingly distressed by his connection with the entity. The connection also caused him to experience physical pain whenever the vines and biological matter originating from the Upside Down were burned. As Will's mind was gradually taken over, he began to experience memory loss and was manipulated into aiding the Mind Flayer. Eventually, the Mind Flayer's influence over Will was so great, he was able to speak through him and control his body. After the Mind Flayer was exorcised from his body, Will seemingly returned to his usual self with no visible adverse effects.
One of Will's most notable traits is how he often put other people before himself. This was implied by his actions during the Dungeons & Dragons campaign on November 6, 1983, were he decided to attack the Demogorgon to help the party instead of playing it safe. Also, Joyce recounted a story of how when he was younger, Will gave away his toy truck to a saddened girl in order to make her feel better, even though they wouldn't be able to afford another one. This side of his personality is also displayed somewhat during the Snow Ball, where he reluctantly accepted a girl's invitation to dance. This is also possibly one of the reasons he waited to tell his family and friends about his visions, so he wouldn't worry them.
Will also had a profound sense of responsibility, drawing a picture of Bob as a superhero to commemorate his sacrifice to save everyone. Will is also responsible enough to focus on ways in dealing with the threats from the Upside Down and dealing with personal issues amongst his friends. He has a typical boy mindset when it comes to girls doing boyish activities. When the boys spy on Max (believing her to be the infamous MadMax at the Arcade), Will is skeptical, saying girls don't play video games. When Dustin talks about meeting his girlfriend at Science Camp, Will, bewildered, says, "Girls go to Science Camp?"
In 1985, Will was shown to have longed to be with his friends, mostly stemming from the trauma he had endured in the past two years from being trapped in the Upside Down to being possessed by the Mind Flayer. As a result, Will would dress in clothes too young for him or would be interested in playing D&D, despite his friends' disinterest. This is mostly because Will is trying to return to his childhood after being affected by the Upside Down for two years. However, his friends' disinterest and maturity, disheartened Will as he started feeling left out amongst his friends. When Will tried to play to a D&D campaign with Mike and Lucas after they had problems with their girlfriends, their boredom finally caused Will to snap at his friends. After being told by Mike that they're grown up now, Will broke down in tears as he realized that he can't bring back the childhood he lost while destroying Castle Byers during his breakdown. However, as Will helped his friends when they were all nearly killed by the Mind Flayer's avatar, Will started to become mature and three months later, he finally let go some of his childhood interests by giving D&D manuals to Lucas's little sister, Erica. Will was very upset about leaving Hawkins and cried as he said goodbye to his friends and as Jonathan drove him away.
In 1986, Will started to act more mature and even said a few curse words like his friends normally do. However, like Eleven, Will struggled to adapt to his new home and school while having trouble making new friends. Will also tried his best to help Eleven as she became a target of bullying. Will had even begun discovering his sexual orientation where he developed romantic feelings for Mike, but had trouble with dealing with them as he knew Mike was in love with Eleven and only saw Will as a friend. Will was even shown to be extremely - and almost unreasonably - selfless, as he managed his love for Mike as well as their friendship, giving Mike advice about his relationship with Eleven. However, Mike's unwavering attention towards Eleven and his scarce attentiveness towards Will still seemed to be an important source of pain and misery for Will in terms of not only their friendship, but also his unrequited feelings for him. In a coded love confession to Mike, he revealed that he feels like a mistake due to his alienation and sexual orientation, but that Mike made him feel better for being different. When Jonathan later comforted him and told him how much he loved him, knowing about his struggle with his sexuality, Will broke down in tears and embraced his brother, happy that someone close to him accepted him for who he was.
In 1987, Will was committed to helping his friends and family protect Hawkins from the Upside Down while the entire town was placed under military quarantine. However, Will was constantly frustrated with his mother's overprotectiveness as she did not allow him to help during crawl missions. After Mike's sister, Holly was kidnapped by Vecna, Will was determined to save her as he did not want her to go through the same experiences he went through when he was first taken into the Upside Down four years ago. His determination to rescue Holly caused him to disobey his mother and stand up to her, calling her out on her overly cautious approach towards the threat Vecna posed, declaring they can't afford to "play it safe" anymore.
In addition, after discovering Robin Buckley to be a lesbian, Will found a kindred spirit in her, seeking her advice on how to deal with his own sexuality. Due to his friendship with Robin, Will was able to start accepting himself for who he was and not be afraid of his connection to the hive mind, which caused to him unlock psychic powers of his own. Yet, after being kidnapped and tortured by Vecna who revealed his involvement of creating the Hawkins Tunnel System and played on his fears of being rejected because of his sexuality, Will became depressed, scared, and guilt-ridden, blaming himself for all of the horrors his loved ones had endured since his disappearance. However, after a pep talk with Max who revealed Vecna's own fears, Will was inspired to finally reveal his sexuality to his friends and family, along with confessing how scared he is of being alone and rejected just for being different. Upon being reassured and accepted for who he is by all of those close to him, Will gained the courage to confront Vecna, which allowed him to use his powers against him and give El an opening to deliver the killing blow to their adversary.
Eighteen months later, after Vecna's death and the Upside Down's destruction, Will had moved on from his tragedies and found peace while graduating high school with his friends. No longer controlled by his fears of rejection and loneliness, Will became confident and happy with himself where he chose to honor El by believing in her survival and remembering everything she did for him.
Powers and abilities
Former Powers
- Hive-Mind connection: After his rescue from the Upside Down, Will developed "True Sight", and began seeing visions of the Upside Down. Dr. Owens originally believed Will's episodes were related to post-traumatic stress disorder. Will's experiences were not only real, but were signs of an approaching threat. After being possessed by the Mind Flayer, Will acquired "now-memories", and was able to see what the entity saw. Will appeared to have no control over his abilities. He experienced visions at seemingly random intervals. His now-memories were more of a side effect of the Mind Flayer's possession. While Will lost these abilities when the Mind Flayer was expelled from his body, he was still able to sense the creature's presence. In 1987, Will was able to connect to the hive mind and siphon Vecna's powers, giving him the ability to utilize limited Telekinesis to kill 3 demogorgons. However, Will's ability to do this required proximity to either Vecna or Mind Flayer particles. Will's strongest use of his powers was to restrain Vecna so that Eleven could fatally wound him. After the defeat of Vecna and the Upside Down being destroyed, it is unknown whether these powers remain, or if Will has any connection to the Hive-Mind anymore.
- Neck-Sense: A side-effect that lingered following his possession by the Mind Flayer, Will could sense activity in the Upside Down's hive mind, experiencing a strange sensation in the back of his neck. He compared the sensation to that of a rollercoaster drop, only much colder and scarier. In 1985, Will's neck-sense alerted him to the presence of the revived Mind Flayer. Upon returning to Hawkins in 1986, he experienced the sensation once again, suggesting distance to be a key factor in his experiences. In 1987, Will felt the same feeling as Derek Turnbow passed him by at Hawkins Elementary School, making him realize that Derek is Vecna's next victim.
- Now-Memories: Following his possession by the Mind Flayer, Will acquired the ability to see what the creature could see, as well as feel what he could feel. Will was able to use this ability to spy on the Mind Flayer, allowing Will to know of the tunnels beneath Hawkins. Will also knew the Mind Flayer's weakness. Mike compared this ability to "True Sight" from Dungeons & Dragons, described by Dustin as "the power to see into the Ethereal Plane." Will would be in both the regular world and the alternate dimension simultaneously. Will could not control these visions, and experienced them unpredictably. The visions happened more and more frequently until the Mind Flayer took control of Will's body. However, this ability was a double-edged sword, because it allowed the Mind Flayer to spy through Will as well. After Vecna was revealed to be the mastermind behind all the entities of the Upside Down, Will felt Vecna's presence in Hawkins. He was able to feel his physical pain and anger, and his plans to kill everyone. As a result, in 1987, this ability got stronger as he began to see strange visions directly through the eyes of the Demogorgons, and felt the pain they felt. The strange visions were a result of Will tapping into the hive mind: not only could he see through Demogorgons' eyes, but also Vecna's, as he was targeting his next victims such as Holly Wheeler and Derek Turnbow. When Will started purposefully channeling his powers, he was able to see through Derek's eyes while he was held captive in Camazotz and connected to the hive mind. When Vecna experienced the memory of his infection by the Mind Flayer, Will could sense his emotions, saw the memory alongside Vecna and was able to speak directly to him.
- Limited Telekinesis: In 1987, charged with the memories of his loved ones, Will was capable of tapping into the hive mind and channeling Vecna's powers, able to restrain and kill three Demogorgons, two of which were close by and one of which he viewed through its eyes elsewhere. Will's eyes turned white during this display of power and he was left with a nosebleed. During the final battle, Will was able to telekinetically restrain Vecna from a distance and break off his left arm, giving Eleven the chance to fatally impale him. In every instance of this ability, he was only shown control of creatures in direct relation of the Hive Mind and never used his abilities on unrelated matter.
- Possession: In 1987, Will was able to use his powers to take control of Vecna, stop him from attacking Max and Holly by snapping his leg, and even speak through him for Max and Holly to escape. This only proved temporary as Vecna's strength managed to not only force Will out of his mind but also trap him in an illusion of the Upside Down version of the Hawkins Public Library, where Vecna had connected Will to the hive mind.
- Superhuman Strength: At the last stages of his possession, Will was briefly granted superhuman strength by the Mind Flayer, much like the Flayed. He was able to break out of Joyce's restraints and choke her during the attempt to use heat to force the Mind Flayer out of Will. This bout of strength was accompanied by an unknown black substance coursing through his body, making his veins appear black under the skin.
Abilities
- Expert Artist: Will's drawings were exceedingly detailed and remarkable, especially considering his age. Will could explain complex events (which he could not describe verbally) through his drawings. When Will was unable to talk about the shadow monster, his drawings were used to show Joyce and Hopper about the growing tunnel network beneath Hawkins and also used to determine Hopper's location when he was trapped in the tunnels. He was also able to paint very clearly, the lair behind the the Upside Down wall, pillars, children, in red.
- Evasion: As noted by his brother, Will is talented at hiding. This is possibly the reason why he survived in the Upside Down for so long.
- Firearms: As shown in "The Vanishing of Will Byers", Will knows how to load and use a gun, a skill he most likely learned from his father. However, he would more closely rely on his developing psychic abilities.
- Morse Code: Will knew Morse code, as shown in "The Mind Flayer" where he managed to signal the Mind Flayer's weaknesses.
Relationships
Familial
Will had a deep and affectionate relationship with his mother. Unlike Lonnie, she encouraged Will's artistic abilities, choices, and interests. Although she was quite busy due to the demands of work, Joyce repeatedly made time for her son, such as making him costumes to play in. She got off early and bought tickets for them to see Poltergeist, despite her initial reluctance for Will to see it. She also tried her best to understand Dungeons & Dragons, despite not knowing much, but Will nonetheless appreciated the effort. Early on during his disappearance, Joyce was aware of the homophobic commentary made towards her son and ignored it nonetheless.
While he was trapped in the Upside Down in 1983, Will repeatedly tried to contact her, putting himself at risk of being found by the Demogorgon. Joyce was determined to find him and even entered the Upside Down to save him. She refused to believe he was dead after Will's fake corpse was found in the quarry. When Will was found, she sobbed that she loved him more than anything in this world and was overjoyed when he woke up. A month later, Joyce's relationship with Will has remained strong. She listened and tried to understand Will's campaign as the family ate Christmas dinner.
By 1984, Joyce had become overprotective of Will. She dropped him off and picked him up. She made sure where he is at all times. Will was frustrated by her reluctance to let go out on his own. When Will experienced another episode and tearfully said that he just "wanted it to be over", Joyce promised him she will never let anything bad happen to him again. Joyce was dismayed when Will started suffering from memory loss and berated the doctors for failing to treat him. Eventually, Joyce realized that her son had the Shadow Monster inside of him. She realized that heat was the means to force the Shadow Monster out of Will. She exposed Will to extreme heat, which successfully drove the monster out of him. A month later, she taught Will to dance in preparation of the Snow Ball. While Will attended the Snow Ball, Joyce sat outside with Hopper. She told Hopper that Will wanted some space so she gave him "a few feet".
By 1985, her overprotectiveness of Will has subsided. When Joyce said goodbye to Jonathan as he left for work (rubbing off a smooch mark from Nancy, who secretly spent the night with him), Will showed his disgust. Joyce told Will that one day he will fall in love and understand. While with Hopper and Alexei, Joyce called Karen on a payphone to check up on Will. When Alexei explained to her, Hopper, and Murray that the Russian's are building a gate to the Upside Down under the Starcourt Mall, Joyce wanted to go back to Hawkins, because she believed the children to be in danger.
When the kids were being sent away to the safety of Murray's warehouse, Joyce told Will to listen to his brother. Will expressed his worry about her safety, causing Joyce to tearfully hug Will. She told him she would be fine, much to Will's discomfort as Joyce was squeezing him too tight. After closing the Gate (and losing Hopper in the process), Joyce found Will (along with The Party) unharmed outside the mall. She and Will ran towards each other and tearfully embraced.
Lonnie openly abused Will, and was unsupportive of his unmasculine interests. As a result, they weren't very close. Will tried his best to have a good relationship with Lonnie, attending baseball games and other activities with him, even though Will had no interest in these things. Will got little to nothing back from Lonnie. Lonnie even made derogatory remarks towards Will, including homophobic slurs. This behavior was possibly a factor in Lonnie and Joyce's divorce. When Will disappeared and a supposed body was found in the quarry, Lonnie returned to Hawkins. Lonnie purportedly came for Will's funeral and to help Joyce's mental state. After Will's funeral, Joyce discovered a lawyers' advertisement in Lonnie's luggage. Joyce realized that Lonnie came merely for the money that Lonnie thought could be obtained by suing the owners of the quarry. Joyce realized that Lonnie never really cared for Will and threw him out of the house. It is implied this event was the final straw for the family as a whole and that contact with Lonnie ended.
Jonathan is Will's older brother by four years. Due to their father's absence, Jonathan became a role model and a substitute father for Will. Both brothers share artistic inclinations, with Will specifically having an interest in art and Jonathan having an interest in photography and film. After Lonnie failed to take Will to a baseball game, Jonathan gave Will a mixtape with what would become Will's favorite song, The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go". When they heard Joyce arguing on the phone with Lonnie, Jonathan shut his bedroom door. Will asked if their father wasn't coming, and Jonathan asked if Will even liked baseball. Will said he didn't but tried to say it was fun to go with their father sometimes. Jonathan than asked if Lonnie did what Will wanted to do, such as the arcade. Jonathan said that Will shouldn't be forced to like things because people tell him to, especially not their father. Jonathan then asked if Will legitimately liked The Clash, and Will happily confirmed so. The brothers turned up the volume on Jonathan's stereo and began jamming together. In 1982, the day Lonnie left the Byers' home permanently, Jonathan and Will built Castle Byers together, using Will's drawings as blueprints. Jonathan found Will struggling to hammer funny, and the two continued to built the fort even after it began raining and got sick afterwards.
In 1983, Jonathan had picked up an extra shift and failed to make sure Will got home safe, causing Will to be abducted by the Demogorgon. When Joyce and Hopper finally rescued Will from the Upside Down, Jonathan reunited with his brother at the hospital. When a weak Will finally awoke, Jonathan and Joyce tearfully greeted him. Will asked where he was, and Jonathan told him he was finally home. Will pointed to his bandaged hand and asked if was alright, and Jonathan told him it was just a small cut, laughing that Will was concerned over something so silly. A month later, Jonathan picked up Will from the Wheeler home, and allowed Will to open his present from Nancy and Steve, a new camera. At home, Jonathan used the camera to take pictures of Will looking at Christmas presents. The boys spent Christmas Eve with their mother by eating dinner.
A year later, in 1984, Jonathan has become protective of Will, but not nearly as much as his mother. When talking to Will in his bedroom, he noticed Will drawing himself as "Zombie Boy". Concerned, Jonathan attempted to get Will to open up, but a frustrated Will said that he's grown sick of everyone becoming so attentive of him, saying it makes him feel more like a freak. Jonathan told him he wasn't, and Will reaffirmed that he was. After a moment, Jonathan agreed that Will was a freak, catching Will off guard. But Jonathan said that he shouldn't be like everyone else and being a freak is a best since Jonathan himself is a freak. Will asked if that was because he didn't have friends, causing Jonathan to chuckle awkwardly and say he had friends. Will asked then why does he always hang out with him, causing Jonathan to say that his brother is his best friend, and he'd rather hang out with "Zombie Boy" than some "boring nobody". He asked Will who he'd rather hang out with: Kenny Rogers or David Bowie. When Will reacted to Kenny Rogers in disgust, Jonathan reaffirmed his statement, saying that nobody normal ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world. Will said that some people like Kenny Rogers. Bob interrupted them and said that he loved Kenny Rogers, causing the brothers to laugh when Bob left the room. On Halloween, when driving Will to the Wheelers, Jonathan complained to Will that he didn't get what their mother saw in Bob. Will defended Bob, saying that he didn't treat him different than everyone else, noting how lame it was he couldn't go trick-or-treating alone. Jonathan jokingly asked if he was lame, and Will said that he wasn't, but it wasn't like Nancy was watching Mike. Arriving at the Wheelers, Jonathan stopped Will and told him that if he didn't get in any trouble and got back to Mike's by 9:00, Jonathan would allow him to go trick-or-treating alone. Will happily agreed, high-fiving his brother, and Jonathan, impersonating Bob as Dracula, told him that "he hoped it doesn't suck". After leaving town to assist Nancy in taking down Hawkins Lab, Jonathan returned to find his house in disarray, and realized that Will was at Hawkins Lab. Arriving there, he rescued his brother and mother from vicious Demodogs. Back at their home, Jonathan tearfully rubbed his unconscious brother's hair, apologizing for not being there for him. In the Byers' shed, when interrogating Will, Jonathan attempted to regain his brother's memories by emotionally recollecting the time they built Castle Byers and the first time he showed him The Clash by playing it on his radio. At Hopper's cabin, Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy attempted to get the Mind Flayer out of Will by overheating him and tying him down. Will's cries of pain proved to get to Jonathan, who hugged Nancy and turned away as tears streamed down his face. When the plan appeared to not be working, Jonathan began turning off the radiators, much to Joyce's protest. Jonathan yelled that she was killing him, but after Nancy pointed out that it was working since the Mind Flayer was beginning to exit Will's body through his throat. After the plan succeeded, Joyce and Jonathan hugged a disoriented yet once again normal Will. A month later, Jonathan video-recorded Will practicing to slow dance with his mother in their living room. Will asked if he always had to record everything, and Jonathan smugly said that he only recorded the "good stuff". Jonathan chaperoned Will at the Snow Ball while he took photos for students.
In 1985, Jonathan left for work while Joyce rubbed a kiss mark from Nancy (who secretly spent the night and snuck out of Jonathan's bedroom window). Will expressed his disgust while Joyce said it would be different when he fell in love. When Nancy discovered Mrs. Driscoll's behavior in the hospital was near identical to Will's the year prior, she called Jonathan and asked if Will was safe, alarming Jonathan. The couple reunited with their siblings and friends at the Wheeler home. Will scolded Jonathan for not being with Nancy, but Jonathan bluntly said that he was here now and that's what was important. While the kids battle the Mind Flayer, Joyce told Will to listen to his brother. In October, Will and Jonathan silently drove together as they (and Joyce with Eleven) moved out of Hawkins, with Will crying in silence.
By 1986, Will was starting to be ignored by Jonathan due to his older brother stressing about college and his relationship with Nancy. When dropping off the kids at the Rink-O-Mania, Jonathan called out to Will, smiling as he told him to have fun. Will flatly said he will as he trudged in, and Jonathan was shown to be somewhat concerned. It was then revealed Jonathan planned to attend community college so he can remain close to Will and his family, instead of attending college with Nancy as he did not want to abandon them. After the pair smoke weed to de-stress, they returned to Rink-O-Mania to find an ambulance attending to Angela's broken nose, with Mike, Will, and El sitting glumly. After being picked up by Jonathan and Argyle, Will was annoyed as Jonathan and Argyle joked about the roller-skating incident as they had been smoking weed. The next morning, Jonathan attempted to coax Will and Mike to go see a showing of Police Academy 3 and not mope around, but Will said it would be better to stay home. Later, the brothers watched television when the doorbell rang with the brothers betting their mom had forgotten something. When Jonathan answered the door, two police officers had arrived to arrest El for attacking Angela. After El's arrest, the brothers attempt to contact their mother, who had flown to Alaska, but their attempts of contact are interrupted by Owen's agents who explained they rescued El and took her away to help her regain her powers and defeat a new evil in Hawkins. The next morning, Jonathan decided to escape from the agents guarding him, Will, and Mike by hailing a ride from Argyle. Later on, when the army invaded the Byers home, Jonathan protected his brother and Mike by shielding them from the gunfire. Throughout the quartet's days of travel, Jonathan and Will worked together to find El's location. In Nevada, Will tearfully told Mike that El will need him and turned away to sob into his hand, something which Jonathan noticed. That night, as the brothers prepared the sensory deprivation tank inside the Surfer Boy Pizza freezer, Will was saddened when observing Mike, El, and Argyle having fun together, Jonathan, noticing, distracted Will by telling him the story of how when they were little, Will had a LEGO figurine named Larry stuck in his nose and Jonathan had to get tweezers to pull him out, causing Will to laugh. Jonathan then began to apologize to Will for not being there for him recently, admitting that his problems have affected their relationship, and told him that he missed how they use to talk more. As Will began to tear up, Jonathan told his brother that he loved him and that no matter what, nothing would change that. Will, through his tears, told him he'll always be there for him, and Jonathan said he knows he is. The two embraced, and Jonathan told Will that things would be okay as Will wept and composed himself. Two days later, after temporarily defeating Vecna, Jonathan and Will returned to Hawkins where they reunited with their friends and worked to rebuild Hopper's cabin before they happily reunited with their mother.
Eleven's first direct interaction with Will took place while she was immersed in her mental void; she found him in Castle Byers, comforting him and telling him to "hold on a little longer" while Joyce and Hopper searched for him.
By the summer of 1985, Will and Eleven had gotten to know each other, and became friends. Will secretly held some animosity towards her due to Mike starting to date her, which interfered with Will's plans to play D&D. When Eleven dumped Mike, Will tried to get Mike to forget about her by playing a D&D campaign. But when Mike's continued to focus on his relationship with Eleven, Will snapped at Mike for wanting to spend time with some "stupid" girl. This caused Mike to angrily lash out and defend Eleven. When Will realized that the Mind Flayer was back, Will doesn't hesitate to work with Eleven to stop the Mind Flayer. After Eleven was bitten and injured by the Mind Flayer, Will helped to treat and help her. He helped save Eleven from the Mind Flayer by throwing fireworks at the creature. After the apparent death of Hopper, Eleven moved in with the Byers, and became Will's stepsister. Will and Eleven moved away from Hawkins in October 1985.
By 1986, El and Will attend high school together as freshmen. Will now addresses El - or Jane Hopper, as she goes by publicly - as his sister or stepsister. Will attempted to comfort El during her period of isolation and being bullied. On the last day of school before spring break, Will supported El when she presented her diorama in front of the class, and nodded his head towards her in reassurance when Angela and her cronies tease her. El grew emotional and hurt by the bullying, and stormed out in tears. Will tried to tell her that it wasn't bad as it seemed, but El yelled that friends don't lie. Will said he wasn't lying and called out to El and she walked to her next class emotionally. At the end of the day, Will walked out to find a crowd gathering around Angela and her friends stepping on El's project, and was visibly saddened when El attempts to use her powers to no avail. As the crowd dissolved, Will fell to the floor and tried to tell El that he'll help fix her project, but El began to cry when she discovered her figurine of Hopper has been snapped in half.
The next day, when Mike arrived in Lenora Hills, Will's excitement fizzled into anger when he caught El lying to Mike that Angela and her cronies were her friends. At the Rink-O-Mania, Will's anger festered as El continued to lie to Mike. When Mike left to get socks at the counter for rollerskating, Will confronted El over her lies. He told her Mike would not be happy when he discovers the truth, but she chose to not tell him. Later on, Will instantly became worried when he saw Angela took El to the center of the rink with one of her friends holding video equipment. Will's attempt to explain to a confused Mike proved to be too late as El was humiliated and ran away in embarrassment. When looking for her, Will admitted to Mike he has been jealous how El had a box full of letters from Mike compared to him. Their search came to an end when they saw El striking Angela in the face with the foot of a rollerskate, cracking her nose open and giving her a concussion. When eating dinner back home, El and Will glared at Jonathan and Argyle as they, in a high state, explained to Joyce and Murray about the incident, and they both glared at Mike when he says that Angela didn't look fine.
The next morning, when police arrived to arrest El, Will tried to cover for her and explaining what happened was an accident, but the officers say that the warrant they had proved otherwise. At the police station, when the secretary asked if Jonathan, Will, and Mike were parents or guardians, Will proclaimed that he and Jonathan were El's brothers and family. Returning home, they were explained by three agents that El had been taken away to regain her powers and defeat a new evil forming in Hawkins. Will was doubtful Owens and his team could contain "anything without El". The next day, he, Mike, and Jonathan decided to hitch a ride from Argyle, find El's location, and drive back to Hawkins to save their friends. While packing and talking to Mike, Will apologized and admits he was being a jerk to Eleven. Nearly a week later, the quartet finally located El in Ruth, Nevada, and witnessed the return of her powers when she took down a shooting helicopter. After Mike and El shared an embrace, Will, looking happy to see her, embraced and cried in her arms. Will pulled away and asked if she was alright as he touched with the locked collar around her neck. El confirmed she's fine as the collar was released from her neck by a dying Dr. Brenner. That night, Will assisted his sister in making a sensory deprivation tank at Surfer Boy Pizza to defeat Vecna, and hoisted her out of the freezer when she begins to hyperventilate.
Two days later, Will and Eleven returned to Hawkins together and reunited with their friends. As they rebuilt Hopper's cabin, Will expressed to Mike his optimism on how Eleven will have another chance of defeating Vecna as he could sense he was still alive.
Non-Familial
Mike is Will's oldest and most trusted friend. They met on the first day of kindergarten at recess. Mike went on the swing next to Will and asked to be his friend, which Will happily agreed to.
In 1983, before the boys departed from the Wheeler home, Will admitted to Mike that his D&D roll was a 7 and that the Demogorgon had got him. When Joyce and Hopper rescued Will, Mike and his friends waited in the hospital, and shook the boys excitedly when Jonathan came to the waiting room to tell them Will was awake. At Will's room, Mike and the others squeezed Will and told him all of the things that happened while he was gone. A month later, the boys have resumed their D&D campaign.
A year later, by 1984, Mike was protective of Will, checking on him after finding him outside alone at the Palace Arcade. He placed his arm around Will and told him he was next on Dig Dug as they headed inside. The next day, when Will is picked up early from school for a doctor's appointment, the boys observed him trudging to Joyce's car from the playground. Mike is concerned about Will since he was unusually quiet, but is noted by Lucas that Will is almost always quiet. On Halloween, Will and Mike join Dustin and Lucas in dressing up as the Ghostbusters crew, meeting at the front with their bikes and greeting each other with the character's names that they're dressed as. That evening, when Will began having another episode and was transported to the Upside Down, Mike found him hiding behind a wall and comforted him. As Dustin, Lucas, and Max observed the pair, Mike told them to continue trick-or-treating without them since he was bored anyway. At the Wheeler home, Mike and Will ate candy as Will attempted to explain his visions to Mike. Mike told him that Eleven would have understood, and believed he was going crazy since he constantly feels like he sees her everywhere. The two bond when they agree if they're both going crazy, they'll "go crazy together". The next day, Will and Mike are introduced to a "pet" that Dustin found in his trash, an amphibian of some kind Dustin named "D'Artagnan", or "Dart" for short. Will began to panic internally since Dart was a creature from the Upside Down that he recognized. In the halls, Will alerted Mike, who stormed in and grabbed the box containing Dart before Dustin, Lucas, and Max could show him to Mr. Clarke. In the A.V. Room, the boys agreed to kill Dart only if he attacked when they opened the box. But opening it caused Dart to mutate limbs, run off, and escape from the A.V. Room. Though they couldn't find Dart (since Dustin hid him in his cap), Mike found Will on the field having another episode, standing still with his eyes fluttering. Joyce, who came to school to find Will, shook him until Will finally woke up, frazzled. After Will missed school, Mike came to the Byers' home and told Joyce he knew that Will was connected to the Shadow Monster. Mike slept on the floor in Will's room, as Will, sweaty and fearful, said that he sees what the Shadow Monster is doing. Mike comforted Will and told him he was like a "Super-Spy". The next morning, when Will saw that Hopper was in danger, he, Mike, Joyce, and Joyce's boyfriend Bob located Hopper in a hole in the field. When agents from Hawkins Lab arrived to exterminate the tentacles from the hole, the fire caused Will to fall and convulse, much to Mike's horror. Taken to Hawkins Lab to be treated, Mike discovered that Will was connected physically to the Shadow Monster, and his memories were beginning to fade; the only people he could recognize out of a crowd was Joyce and Mike, who was relieved. Will's plan that he told Hawkins Lab guards to stop the Mind Flayer is revealed to be a trap, and Mike attempted to warn them, but it was too late. Realizing that Hawkins Lab was beginning to be attacked, Mike grabbed a needle and told Joyce that they needed to make Will fall asleep since they can't trust him anymore. Will screamed at Joyce that he was lying, but was forced to sleep by Joyce when she realized that Will has been possessed. At the Byers' home, in their shed, Joyce, Hopper, Mike, and Jonathan attempt to interrogate Will while also getting in touch with him by recollecting memories. Mike approached Will and tearfully recollected the day they first met, saying it was the "best thing he could ever done". Realizing that Will is using morse code to communicate with his loved ones, Mike and Will's family kept telling Will their memories of him. One month later, Mike and Will attended the Snow Ball together with their friends. When an unnamed girl asked Will if he wanted to dance with her, Mike elbowed a stuttering Will to say yes as they walked to the dance floor.
Six months later, by 1985, Will and Mike's relationship had slowly started to weaken. Due to Eleven returning, Mike had devoted his time to her instead of Will, while Lucas had begun dating Max and Dustin had acquired a long-distance girlfriend named Suzie. Will, meanwhile, desired to play D&D like they used to and harbored jealousy towards Eleven, but initially kept it under wraps. At the newly-built Starcourt Mall, Will and Mike joined Lucas and Max in seeing Day of the Dead. When Will sensed something on the back of his neck, Mike asked if Will was alright, and Will initially lied and said he was fine. The next day, upon Dustin returning home from Camp Know Where, the Party set off to contact Suzie through Dustin's homemade radio, but were ditched by Mike and El right before they could make it to their location. As the quartet watched Mike and El depart, Will commented how "gross" they were. The next day, Will attempted to get Mike and Lucas to play D&D, but they ran off to bike to Starcourt to find an apology gift for El. Will reluctantly joined the boys in finding a gift, asking if they could play D&D soon, but Lucas and Mike annoyingly kept saying no. At the Wheeler home, Will once again attempted to coax his friends in playing a campaign, dismissing their mourning over their breakups with their girlfriends.
The next morning, Will, dawning D&D regalia and playing mythical music, proclaimed that today was a day "free of girls", much to Mike and Lucas' annoyance. Will was invested in the campaign, while Lucas and Mike were incredibly bored. When distracted by a telemarketer, Will attempted to bring back his friends to the game, but Mike smugly explained his moves and told him that Lucas and Mike don't need to play since they would be victorious. Angered, Will ripped off his costume and began packing his things, admitting his defeat. Mike said he was just messing around and attempted to get Will to play again, but an enraged Will yelled at him to forget it and stormed upstairs. In the garage, Mike followed him and told Will that it was a cool campaign but they were not in the mood. Will snapped back and told him that the whole problem was that he and Lucas are never in the mood anymore. Mike denied this, but Will showed his hypocrisy when Will asked where Dustin was since neither he nor Lucas knew. Will said that Mike was destroying everything so he could "swap spit" with a "stupid girl". Mike retaliated by saying that El wasn't stupid and that it wasn't "[his] fault that [Will] didn't like girls", leaving Will speechless. After a moment of silence, Mike breathed in and told Will that while he wasn't trying to be a jerk, Will needed to realize that they weren't kids anymore. Mike asked him if he really thought they were going to spent the rest of their lives playing D&D in his basement, and Will, holding back tears, said that he really did. Mike called out to Will as he biked home in the pouring rain. That evening, Mike and Lucas arrived at the Byers home, banging on the door for forgiveness, with Mike admitting he was being an "asshole". Will, however, was at Castle Byers, mourning how his childhood was snatched from him. Enraged, Will destroyed Castle Byers in a fit of rage, before suddenly getting another tingle on his neck, and realizing that the Mind Flayer has returned. Mike and Lucas, hearing Will, ran to him and asked if he was alright, and Will informed them that their enemy is back.
Reuniting with El, Max, Nancy, and Jonathan, Will worked with Mike and Lucas to defeat the Mind Flayer, who possessed Max's stepbrother Billy. At Hopper's cabin, when Mike professed that he loved El and couldn't lose her again, causing Will to awkwardly stare down at the floor. Three months later, following the Mind Flayer's defeat, Mike assisted the Byers in packing up their belongings. When Will put his D&D boards in the donation box, Mike noted this to Will, asking if he wanted to join another Party. Will noted that that wasn't possible, causing the two to smile. When talking to Eleven, he told her that she and Will could return to Hawkins for Christmas as he thought it would be fun to open their presents together on Christmas Day. Once the packing is complete, Will and Mike tearfully say goodbye to one another as Will, El, Jonathan, and Joyce departed Hawkins for Lenora Hills, California.
Five months later, in 1986, Will and Mike became distant, with Mike only calling him a few times as opposed to Eleven, who had a box of letters from him. Before Mike's arrival to Lenora Hills for spring break, Will began working hard on a painting he refused to show anyone. At the airport, both Will and El were eager to greet Mike at his gate, with Will bringing the wrapped-up painting with him. Unlike El, however, Will's reunion with Mike was extremely flat, with Mike awkwardly hugging Will. When Mike asked what he was holding, but Will simply said it was a painting he'd been working on. As they leave the airport, Will was surprised to discover El had been lying to Mike about her "friends" (who were actually her bullies). At the Rink-O-Mania, Will grew more annoyed over El's lies and believed they were hurting Mike. When Angela took El to the center of the rink to humiliate her, Will tried to tell Mike that El hasn't been telling the truth, but Mike did not believe him until El got embarrassed in front of the entire rink and ran off. As Mike and Will searched for her, Mike called Will a "douche" for being so rude to El during the whole day and not telling him about her problems earlier. Will finally snapped, saying El had been lying to Mike and he felt he had been a total third wheel all day. Mike was dismissive of this at first, but Will told him that he was not interested in anything he had to say anymore. Mike said that wasn't not true, but Will pointed out his lack of contact with him as opposed to El. Mike said that it was because El is his girlfriend and Will is just his friend, but Will said they used to be best friends. At a loss of words, Mike told Will he should've reached out more and asked why he was the bad guy. Not reaching a conclusion, the two continued to look for El until they witnessed her striking Angela in the face in retaliation for her bullying.
When El was arrested and later taken away by Dr. Owens to regain her powers, Will ranted to a sulking Mike over how the agents believe they can contain the evil in Hawkins without Eleven. He took notice of Mike looking over a letter El gave him, and listened as Mike lamented over how he had yet to say that he loved El. Will comforted his friend and told him that whatever he wanted to say to El, he can say when they find her. As the boys came up with a plan on hitching a ride to Hawkins through Argyle, Mike came to Will's room and thanked him for comforting him while also apologizing for his behavior towards him. Will attempted to say that he deserved it since he was being a jerk to Eleven, but Mike insisted he didn't deserve anything. Much to Will's surprise, Mike said that he had begun to notice how empty Hawkins felt without him and that they would work better if they were a team, or "best friends". The boys smiled as their friendship had been repaired once again. When the doorbell rang, Will grabbed his painting and placed it in his backpack. As the army raided the Byers home, Mike and Will held on to one another as they and Jonathan followed Agent Harmon to escape. After burying Harmon's body in the desert, Mike commented how he struggled to say things at the heat of the moment, and Will said that sometimes it's hard for people to say the things they want to say out of fear of being rejected. In Nevada, Mike grew worried over El not needing him anymore and that he was lucky to have someone like El in his life. Then, Will showed Mike his painting, revealing it to be a large poster of a dragon and knights. Impressed, Mike asked if Will made this, and Will lied and said El had commissioned it for him to draw. Will pointed to a knight that's supposed to be Mike, and told him he's the heart of the group, and without him, the Party would fall apart. Will became emotional as he substituted El for how he truly feels, saying "El" had been lost without Mike and would always need him, no matter how far apart they are. Though Mike had become more motivated and happier, he does not notice Will turning away and crying, unaware that his friend was in love with him. Mike and Will continued to work together, with Will reminding Mike he's the heart when El began to hyperventilate in the Void while fighting Vecna. After returning to Hawkins, two days later, Will alerted Mike of Vecna's survival, saying that he won't stop until he's killed everyone. Mike comforted Will and said they will be able to kill Vecna once and for all.
Will first met Dustin when Dustin's family moved to Hawkins in the fourth grade, and became best friends.
In 1983, when playing Mike's D&D campaign, Dustin insisted that Will cast a protection spell since it was too risky to fireball the Demogorgon, but Will went with Lucas' suggestion to fireball. Dustin was the last person to see Will before he disappeared; both raced each other, with the winner getting a comic of their choosing. As Will beat Dustin, he said he would take his X-Men #134 as he raced off. Dustin, defeated, cursed under his breath. When Joyce and Hopper rescued Will from the Upside Down, Dustin reunited with Will at the hospital and hugged him. Dustin and the others told Will what had happened when he was gone, with Dustin informing him that Jennifer Hayes cried at his fake funeral.
A year later, in 1984, Will grew slightly annoyed how overprotective Dustin became of his well-being. Unlike Mike, Will didn't tell Dustin the visions he was seeing, feeling that Dustin wouldn't understand. However, when Will realized the sounds D'Artagnan were making were similar to the noises he heard in Upside Down, he told Dustin this and his visions, which slightly angered Dustin for not being told earlier. After Will was possessed by the Mind Flayer, he was saved when Dustin and the rest of his friends burn the underground tunnel system. A month later, at the Snow Ball, Will laughed at Dustin's hairstyle.
Six months later, in 1985, Will welcomed Dustin back after the latter returned from Camp Know Where. He was also surprised that Dustin gained a girlfriend named Suzie. However, Will did not believe in her existence but did not tell Dustin, not wanting to hurt his feelings. When Max and Lucas ditched Dustin at Cerebro, Dustin said it looked like it just him and Will. But Will awkwardly said he had to leave as well, and suggested that maybe another day they could start playing D&D again, much to Dustin's annoyance. As Mike and Lucas were trying to deal with problems with their girlfriends, Will did not like them excluding Dustin from their Party and not knowing where he is; while not blaming Dustin for not caring and doing his own thing. However, Will came to Dustin's rescue at Starcourt Mall from the Russians and told him that he, Mike, and Lucas could have used his help in dealing with the Flayed; reconciling with Dustin as they shared a group hug. Will also learned that Suzie did exist and sat in awkward silence as she and Dustin sang "Neverending Story" while being chased by the Mind Flayer. Three months later, Will tearfully said goodbye to Dustin before he and his family moved out of Hawkins.
Five months later, in 1986, it's unknown how much contact Will and Dustin had since Will's move. However, when learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Will grew worried for Dustin's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his friend. Upon returning to Hawkins, Will reunited with Dustin and happily embraced him along with Eleven.
Will had became friends with Lucas at an early age. When Will reunited with the Party, Will hugged Lucas and listens to everything that happened while he was gone. Lucas described their new friend, Eleven to Will.
In 1984, Will did not tell Lucas his visions of the Upside Down as he felt that Lucas would not understand. After Will was possessed by the Mind Flayer, Lucas and the rest of their friends helped save Will by burning the underground tunnel system. A month later at the Snow Ball, Will and Lucas made fun of Dustin's hairstyle.
In 1985, Will was upset that Lucas wanted to spend time with his girlfriend, Max. Will wanted Lucas and Mike to play a D&D campaign with him. Mike and Lucas were more interested in solving their girlfriend's problems, instead of playing D&D. At a sleepover at Mike's house, Will finally snapped and decided to go home, brushing off Lucas's attempts to stop him. Lucas later tried to apologize. However, Will brushed off Lucas's attempts, saying they should be more focused on Billy and the Mind Flayer. Will managed to reconcile with Lucas and the two exchanged smiles after hearing Mike confess his love for Eleven. Later, the two worked together in caring for an injured Eleven and battling the Mind Flayer with fireworks. Three months later, Will said a tearful goodbye to Lucas before moving out of Hawkins.
In 1986, when learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Will grew worried for Lucas's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his friend. Upon returning to Hawkins, Will and Lucas embraced and looked over a comatose Max together.
Will met Max Mayfield when in Mr. Clarke's class in October of 1984. When the rest of his friends became curious about her being "MADMAX", the mysterious video game player who had beaten Dustin's high score on Dig Dug, Will agreed with Mike that she couldn't be "MADMAX", saying that girls didn't play video games. When Dustin and Lucas confirmed their suspicions and Max joined them in trick-or-treating, Will did not seem to mind and allowed her to join the Party so Lucas and Dustin could be happy. After Will became possessed by the Mind Flayer, Max helped the rest of his friends save him from his possession by burning the tunnels, which helped force the Mind Flayer to leave Will's body.
Six months later, in 1985, Will started to grow jealous and annoyed with Lucas spending time with Max, as he did with Mike and Eleven. Will wanted Lucas and Mike to play D&D but was rejected every time. When the Mind Flayer returned to Hawkins, Will and Max worked together with their friends in trying to stop it. When Will found out that Max and Eleven spied on Mike and Lucas, Will was not angry with Max. Will and Max continued to work together in battling the Mind Flayer until his avatar was killed. Three months later, Max, along with the Party, helped El and the Byers pack their belongings. She was the first to be hugged by Will tightly, showing that despite Will's jealousy, he considered Max a best friend.
Five months later, in 1986, it's unknown how much contact Max and Will had with one another since Will's move, especially since Max's depression caused her to cut ties with all of her friends. When learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Will grew worried for Max's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his friend. When Max discovered she was cursed by Vecna, she wrote a goodbye letter to Will, asking Lucas to give it to him if and when he connected with him again. Upon returning to Hawkins, Will is saddened to see Max in a comatose state, but believed that El did the best that she could.
Will first met Robin during his visit to Scoop Ahoy with The Party in the 1985, but had no time to talk with her due to the immediate crisis, or after, as he and his family moved to California.
However, between the spring of 1986, as Will returned to Hawkins and in fall of 1987, the whole group was brought together by the goal of defeating Vecna and the Upside Down, with Will becoming acquainted with Robin, calling her by the name she went by in public, "Rockin' Robin". However, during the events of November, 1987, their relationship became that of a sister-brother dynamic, as they both would frequently form rapports with one another.
Though she may not have been fully aware of Will's past, unlike the rest of the group, especially Joyce, Robin did not treat Will as though he was fragile or like a victim. At the hospital, Will called for Robin and looked for her, but stumbled upon an intimate moment between Robin and her girlfriend, Vickie, reminding him of his own feelings for Mike and accidentally dropped his Coke when they kissed, which possibly reassured him of his feelings, seeing another queer couple. Later, after the crawl, as they could not communicate with Hopper and with Holly missing, Joyce attempted to restore comms and did not allow Will to go through with his plan, saying it was too dangerous, but Robin talked with Will in private and they both agreed waiting for Hopper to pick up was not the best plan, as he would not likely be in zone G1, and even if he was found, that would not save Holly and Robin explained how they could take advantage of his connection to the hive mind and his visions, encouraging his plan, going behind Joyce's back to find Holly. While walking to the school, through the forest, Robin, fearing that Will would share the secret of her relationship with Vickie and asked him not to and Will, more than willing to keep her secret and able to relate, reassured her that it would be safe. The pair arrived at the school and successfully deduced that Derek Turnbow was Vecna's next target.
Once Joyce found them, she scolded them both, but Will stood up for himself and Robin had some part in defending himself. Searching for benzos to knock out Derek and his family, the two evaded Vickie, which Robin explained she had to stand her up again for reasons she cannot know. Will suggested that "she could always just kiss her again" and when Robin asked if she made out with her fine, Will said that he thought she was and asked how someone would know if they wanted to date which Robin said there would be signals to indicate it. Before entering the tunnels, Robin noticed Will's pining affection for Mike and, in the tunnels, Robin told Will about her crush on Tammy Thompson and the heartbreak that followed, telling him that once she accepted all of herself, she felt extremely relieved and told him to accept every part of himself including his feelings for Mike rather than waiting for him to return those feelings. As the Demogorgons were about to kill Robin, Will took Robin's advice in the tunnels and saved her, killing the Demo.
Will and his friends had a great relationship with their middle school science teacher, Mr. Clarke. He was very willing to help the boys further their interest in science, even purchasing a ham radio for them. When Will went missing, Mr. Clarke joined the search party for Will. Mr. Clarke saw Will as an exceptional student. Mr. Clarke also helped the Party on several occasions in their quest to find Will, although Mr. Clarke was not aware of most of the Party's knowledge.
After Will returned from the Upside Down, Mr. Clarke continued to be supportive of him and the other boys. In 1984, Dustin, Lucas and Max attempted to show Dart to Mr. Clark. Mike and Will prevented the other kids from showing Dart to Mr. Clarke, which kept Mr. Clarke unaware of the Party's knowledge.
In the summer of 1985, he helped Will's mother, Joyce, to figure out why magnets had been failing around town.
Will and Jim Hopper's relationship began during and after Will's disappearance. After Hopper and Joyce find Will entangled by tendrils with a vine forced down his throat, Hopper performs CPR on Will, reviving him and ultimately saving his life.
Following Will's rescue from the Upside Down, Hopper generally treats Will with more kindness and patience than he does the other Party members. Believing Will may be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress, Hopper takes care to be mindful of Will's sensitivity. In cases where Hopper expresses his displeasure with annoyed and stern remarks to others, he has never chastised or raised his voice at Will.
In 1984, Hopper is seen more as a minor father-figure to Will, attending regular visits with Dr. Sam Owens to support both Will and his mother. This is evidenced by Hopper's gentler interaction with Will during these visits, and him telling Joyce to call him first if Will's episodes get any worse. After Will is possessed by the Mind Flayer and Joyce discovers his drawing of the Shadow Monster, Hopper goes to the Byers House to talk to Will about his now-memories, and helps Joyce piece together pieces of the map that Will draws as an interpretation of the now-memories, where he figures out that Will is drawing the tunnel system that is growing underneath Hawkins. When Will begins seizing due to the Hawkins scientists burning the tunnels, Hopper accompanies him, Joyce, Bob, and Mike back to Hawkins Lab. When Dr. Owens and another scientist conduct a test by burning a small tendril that is connected to the "Hive Mind", Will suffers intense pain, and Hopper aggressively intervenes to get the scientist to stop hurting Will through the tendril. When Dr. Owens brings Will to the conference room to examine the images of the map, another scientist continues expressing his annoyance, to which Hopper tells him to shut up to stop breaking Will's concentration. When the "Demadogs" invade the lab, Hopper guides Will, Joyce, and Mike to safety out of the lab.
In 1985, Hopper briefly meets with Will and the rest of the Party at Starcourt Mall before the final battle against the Spider Monster and the Russian invaders.
In 1986, Hopper returns back to Hawkins along with Joyce after being held hostage in Russia.
Will had a close relationship with Bob Newby since he didn't treat him any different after his disappearance, unlike Will's brother and mother who were over-protective of him. He was passive-natured and empathized strongly with Will, providing Will well-intentioned advice to face his fears. Bob's advice resulted in Will's confrontation with the Mind-Flayer and his possession by the Mind Flayer. After Bob's death, Will drew a picture of Bob as a Superhero. Bob and Will ironically shared more similar interests than Will did with his actual father.
Dr. Sam Owens was Will's doctor during 1984 at Hawkins National Laboratory. Dr. Owens oversaw Will's treatment when he had episodes in which he was transported to the Upside Down. Dr. Owens treated Will amiably during the sessions. He theorized that these episodes were caused by post-traumatic stress due to the events of 1983--Will getting kidnapped by the Demogorgon and being trapped in the Upside Down. Dr. Owens urged Joyce and Hopper to trust him so that he could treat Will. However, soon, Dr. Owens realized that these episodes were not just caused by post-traumatic stress when he found out about a form of "hive mind" interconnecting Will with vines from a tunnel system underneath Hawkins. He told Joyce and Hopper that this hive mind was unique. During a meeting with his colleagues, Dr. Owens strongly warned them against burning the tunnels further as that would potentially kill Will, and heatedly shut down the idea of letting Will die. Later, when the Mind Flayer used Will to bring adolescent Demogorgons, or "Demodogs", to the lab, Dr. Owens brought Will, Joyce, Hopper, Mike, and Bob to the CCTV surveillance control room. He guided Bob to help him help restore the power and get Will, Joyce, Hopper, and Mike out of the lab, and even stayed back to help Bob escape as well, although Bob was killed by the Demodogs.
The following year, Dr. Owens arrived at Starcourt Mall with the U.S. Military to shut down the Soviet operation underneath Starcourt Mall after receiving calls from Joyce and Hopper. It is unknown whether he met Will at Starcourt. Dr. Owens also had the Byers family and Eleven relocated to Lenora Hills, California to keep them away from the Upside Down.
In 1986, Dr. Owens took Eleven to the Nina Project to get her powers back. Owens sent his agents Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon to the Byers residence in Lenora to explain the situation in Hawkins to Will, Jonathan, and Mike. He stationed Wallace and Harmon at the house to safeguard Will, Jonathan, and Mike. Will told Mike that although he doesn't distrust Dr. Owens, Owens wasn't able to help Will. The next day, the house was attacked by Lt. Col. Jack Sullivan and the U.S. Military, and during the shootout, Agent Harmon was killed and Agent Wallace was abducted. After a long drive from Lenora Hills to Nevada, Will, Jonathan, Mike, and Argyle arrived at the Nina Project where they rescued Eleven from Sullivan.
James and Troy often bullied Will and his friends. Due to his interests and small stature, they would call him demeaning names. When Will was missing, and presumed dead, they continued making crude remarks about him. Will was surprised to hear that Troy wet himself in front of the entire school while Will was gone.
In 1986, after meeting Will and Jonathan, Argyle had no problems carpooling Will and his sister, Jane to school everyday. Though Will was annoyed with Argyle smoking weed with his brother and his laid-back personality, Will did have a good relationship with him. When Jonathan suggested to Argyle to go smoke some weed after being freaked over Agent Harmon's death, the existence of the Upside Down, and Jane being a former test subject known as Eleven, Will was irritated over this. However, Will did allow Argyle to help him, Jonathan, and Mike to search for Eleven and travel across the country to get to Hawkins, Indiana. After finding and saving Eleven, Will and Argyle worked together in building a sensory deprivation tank for Eleven so she could battle Vecna. Two days later, Will and Argyle traveled to Hawkins together.
Will first met the conspiracy theorist and private investigator Murray Bauman in 1985. Murray worked with Will and his friends to create a plan to shut the gate opened by the Soviet Union under Starcourt Mall, while also evading the Spider Monster, the Mind Flayer's proxy body. Will, the rest of the Party, Jonathan and Nancy were meant to go to Murray's warehouse while Murray, Joyce and Hopper closed the gate, but due to the Spider Monster being led to the mall by a Flayed Billy Hargrove, they were not able to reach the warehouse. After the gate was closed, Murray and Joyce walked out of the mall accompanied by the U.S. Military brought by Dr. Owens, where Will reunited with Joyce.
Will met Murray again the next year in 1986. Murray had arrived at their house in Lenora Hills, California. Will, Mike, Jonathan, Argyle, and Eleven returned home from the Rink-O-Mania to see Murray cooking risotto for them and Joyce. During dinner, Joyce and Murray explained to Will, Jonathan, Argyle, Eleven, and Mike that Joyce has a "conference with the Britannicas" in Alaska. Afterwards, Will and Murray were both witness to a brief but tense altercation between Mike and Eleven. Murray and Joyce left the house early the next morning. Aboard the plane, Joyce expressed concern about leaving Will and Jonathan alone. Murray attempted to extinguish her anxiety, but only made things worse.
In 1983, a Demogorgon was the very creature that sent Will to the Upside Down. Will had to evade this beast for a week until his rescue. Many times he had come dangerously close to death at the monster's hands. When Will was finally captured by the monster, he was taken to its hideout where a vine was forced down his throat, causing him to be mentally linked to the Mind Flayer.
In 1984, a year after Will's rescue from the Upside Down, the Mind Flayer sought Will out as a vessel into the real world as Will had managed to become part of his hive-mind after the Demogorgon captured him. A fragment of the Mind Flayer entered Will's mind, gradually influencing him until it was able to fully subjugate his consciousness. The Mind Flayer's fragment was forcefully removed from Will's mind by his mother, brother, and Nancy via hot surroundings and fire. The time in which Will was bound to the Mind Flayer left him with a connection to the beast that allowed him to sense its presence a year later.
In 1985, the Mind Flayer had returned to Hawkins to get revenge and kill the Party, including Will. He battled the Mind Flayer until it was defeated when the Gate was once again closed.
Acting through a Demogorgon in November 1983, Vecna abducted Will and brought him into the Upside Down to connect him to the Mind Flayer and the rest of the hive mind for their future plans. The two never interacted again ever since until Vecna resurfaced and started placing a fatal curse upon teenagers in Hawking. After learning that a new evil was threatening his hometown, Will, with the help of Jonathan, Argyle and Mike, created a makeshift sensory deprivation tank to help Eleven enhance her abilities and fight Vecna to protect Max from his wrath.
Two days later, Will was saddened to find Max alive but comatose after she was resurrected by Eleven's abilities. While cleaning up Hopper's cabin in the woods, Will confessed to Mike that he believed he had thought to have established a connection with the Mind Flayer back in 1984 but now he realizes that the Mind Flayer was a mere puppet of Vecna, with Will confirming that he had survived the final battle and he swore to destroy the Earth and every one of its inhabitants. With the fate of the world at stake, Will insisted that Vecna must be destroyed and Mike promised they would find the means to kill him permanently.
A year and a half later in November 1987, Vecna slaughtered numerous soldiers and spotted Will nearby. After telekinetically throwing Joyce aside, Vecna brought Will near him and taunted the boy for allowing his time in the Upside Down to break his mind and spirit so easily before confessing his plan to use Holly Wheeler and eleven of her classmates as vessels in the same way he used Will. What Vecna did not anticipate was that Will would ultimately use his connection to the Hive Mind in his favor to annihilate three of Vecna's Demogorgon minions to save his loved ones.
This connection eventually allowed Will to discover the somber origins of Vecna-- back when he was still known as Henry Creel, Vecna found a strange alien stone that contained particles of the Mind Flayer and the creature is responsible for giving him his psychokinetic abilities to begin with as well as for turning him into the vile misanthrope he is today. Despite Will offering compassion for his plight and an offer to make things right by helping him and his loved ones destroy the Flayer, Henry rejected the boy's pleas and adamantly insisted that he joined the entity in its quest for the total annihilation of mankind out of his own volition rather than being controlled by it. Realizing Vecna could not be saved, Will teamed up with Eleven and both of them combined their powers to overwhelm Vecna, partially thanks to their allies weakening the Mind Flayer with their weapons. After mortally wounding Vecna, Will, Eleven and their loved ones freed Holly and the children before everyone gathered around a still-alive Vecna. Revealing her axe, Joyce furiously decapitated the creature responsible for the kidnapping of her youngest son and the deaths of dozens of civilians of Hawkins. With the end of Vecna and the Mind Flayer and the destruction of the Upside Down, all protagonists, including Will, found peace and resumed their normal lives.
Appearances
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*Can be seen via flashback/manipulating electricity
Comics
| The Other Side appearances | |||
| Issue 1 | Issue 2 | Issue 3 | Issue 4 |
Video games
| Video game appearances | ||||||||||||
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Family tree
note: family trees are only visible on desktop.
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 Jonathan Byers |  Will Byers |  Daughter | |||||||||||||||||||
Memorable Quotes
Will:
- "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go."
- "I'll take your X-Men 134!"
- ”I am different.”
Will to his mother:
- "Sometimes the bad guys are smart too."
- "It's like home, but it's so dark... It's so dark and empty!"
- "[Referring to the Mind Flayer] He likes it cold."
Will to the Mind Flayer:
- "Go away!"
Will to Mike:
- "That's my friend....Mike."
- "Crazy together."
Will & Mike: Following the Mind Flayer's possession of Will-
- Will: "At first, I felt it on the back of my head. I didn't know it was there. Now, I feel it, I feel it all the time."
- Mike: "Maybe...maybe that's good."
- Will: "Good?"
- Mike: "Just think about it Will. You're like a spy now, a super-spy. If you know what he thinks, maybe that's how we can stop him."
- Will: "You think so?"
- Mike: "Yeah...I really do."
- Will: "What if...what if he figures out we're spying on him? What if he spies back?"
- Mike: "We won't let him."
After Will has an episode-
- Mike: "Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy."
- Will: "Me too."
- Mike: "Hey, well, if we're both going crazy, then we'll go crazy together, right?"
- Will: "Yeah, crazy together."
Will & his mother: After learning the shadow monster's exploitation-
- Will: "I am sorry. [Referring to the Mind Flayer] He made me do it."
- Joyce: "Who? Who made you do what?"
- Will: "I told you, they upset him. They shouldn't have done that. They shouldn't have upset him."
Gallery
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For this subject's gallery, see Will Byers/Gallery. |
Trivia
Sexuality
Throughout the series, Will was implied to be gay until it was finally stated on-screen during the final season. Though it was in the fourth season that his sexual orientation became heavily hinted at, to which Noah Schnapp himself stated in an interview after the season’s full release that Will is indeed gay and was in love with Mike.[20]
In the original Montauk script, Will was described as having "sexual identity issues", with his clothing being ridiculed by bullies and himself realizing that he is "different" than his peers.
In "The Vanishing of Will Byers", Joyce mentioned to Hopper how Lonnie used to say Will was "queer" and called him a "f--". When Hopper asked if he was, Joyce avoided the subject, and emphasized that what he "[was] missing!".
In "Holly, Jolly" and "The Body", Troy and James specifically mocked Will's alleged sexuality, with Troy saying Will probably got killed by "some other queer" and that he was in "fairyland now, all happy and gay".
In "The Flea and the Acrobat", the boys took notice of their classmate Jennifer Hayes crying at Will's funeral, to which they promise each other to make sure once they rescue Will from the Upside Down to tell him about her reaction to his "death". Later on, in "The Upside Down", the boys visit Will in hospital and tell him about Jennifer's outburst, but Will seems uninterested.
In "The Mind Flayer", while Joyce and the others attempt to break Will free from the Mind Flayer's control, she mentions how an eight-year-old Will made a drawing of a "rainbow ship".
In "The Gate", while Will attended the Snow Ball with his friends, an unnamed girl approached him and asked if he would like to dance. Will stuttered and hesitated, with it wasn't until Mike elbowed him that he said yes. The two were then seen dancing happily, albeit awkwardly.
In "Suzie, Do You Copy?", when Jonathan left for work with a kiss mark from Nancy on his cheek, Will commented on how gross it was. Joyce said he wasn't going to think it would be gross when he fell in love, but Will rejected the concept. Will also said it was gross how Mike and El were head over heels for each other, spending most of their time together privately away from the rest of the party.
In "The Case of the Missing Lifeguard", when Will and Mike argue, Will tells Mike he is ruining the Party so he can "swap spit" with a "stupid girl". Mike retaliates, saying, "It's not my fault you don't like girls!" (though Mike most likely said it as if he feels his friend isn't interested in looking for a girlfriend yet rather than being aware of his friend's sexual orientation), leaving Will speechless.
In "The Hellfire Club", Eleven writes to Mike, describing how Will is working hard on a painting he refuses to show to anyone; El wonders if the painting could be for a girl. Will's project in Ms. Gracey's class relates to the influential British scientist and mathematician Dr. Alan Turing, who was infamously convicted and stripped of his position due to his sexuality. Later, a girl attempts to play footsie with him, only for him to awkwardly pull his foot away.
In "Vecna's Curse", the painting he had been working on is revealed to be for Mike, but he hesitated in giving it to him when he arrived in Lenora Hills due to their awkward reunion at the airport. At the Rink-O-Mania, Will admits to Mike he's annoyed with their lack of communication since their move compared to El. Mike says it's because El is his girlfriend, and Will asks what they are. Mike emphasizes that they're friends, but Will says that they used to be best friends.
In "Dear Billy", Mike apologizes to Will for acting cold towards him, saying Hawkins is not the same without him; Will reacts strongly to this. Before they leave, Will places the painting for Mike in his backpack.
In "The Nina Project", Mike describes his hesitation when speaking to El. Will replies by saying sometimes, people experience difficulty expressing how they feel, out of fear for how their loved ones may react.
In "Papa", when Will shows Mike his painting, an impressed Mike asks if he drew it. Will lies and says El commissioned it for him, which catches the eye of Jonathan. Will emotionally tells Mike how when someone is different, they feel like a mistake, substituting El for how Will feels. When Mike looks away, Will turns to the window and sobs into his hand quietly.
In "The Piggyback", Jonathan, having observed the former interaction, has a heart-to-heart with Will, telling him that he'll always be his brother and always be there for him, no matter what or who he is, causing Will to cry in Jonathan's arms.
In "The Crawl", as he is about to drink his Diet Coke at the hospital after checking on Max, Will secretly spies on Robin Buckley and Vickie Dunne as they share an intimate moment kissing each other at a private room, as if he envies them for being able to express their love in a way he cannot, before he accidentally drops his drink and runs away to not reveal his presence due to alerting them.
In "Sorcerer", Robin witnesses Will's obvious feelings for Mike and offers him advice based on her own experiences.
In "The Bridge", Will comes out as gay to his family and friends and confesses that he had a crush on Mike. Everyone expresses their support for him.
In ''The Rightside up", the epilogue shows Will in a bar having an intimate conversation with someone, after Mike tells that he will go to a city to find himself.
General
- In early development, Will was named Benny.[21] The name was presumably repurposed for the character of Benny Hammond.
- There are some inconsistencies concerning Will's date of birth. In a video posted to the show's official Instagram account, his birthday was shown to be August 28, 1971. However, in "The Mind Flayer", Joyce reminds a possessed Will that his birthday is March 22, 1971. Despite this, the fourth season takes place during March 22, 1986, and Will's birthday was never mentioned.
- According to the Duffer Brothers, they themselves forgot that Will's birthday was on March 22. In debating whether to change it or leave the implications of the goof alone, one of the solutions they suggested would be to once again retcon Will's birthday to May 22, since it can easily be edited into previous scenes via "Frankenbiting".[22]
- In "The Vanishing of Will Byers", Will tells Mike that the Demogorgon captured his character in Dungeons & Dragons, foreshadowing his abduction.
- The comic that Will won from the race with Dustin was X-Men #134. In this issue of the comic, the telepathic mutant Jean Grey uses her powers to pin Mastermind to a wall, putting him in a coma. This is similar to how Eleven ultimately stopped the Demogorgon, by pinning it to the wall and making it disintegrate.
- In the original pilot script, he wanted Dustin's Uncanny X-Men #269. This would have been an anachronism, as that issue was released on October 10, 1990.
- Confusingly, a set photo of Noah Schnapp as Will Byers was used as the official Netflix thumbnail for "The Vanishing of Will Byers", rather than a still from the episode. In the photo, Will stands outside the Byers shed, observing a strange light emanating from inside.
- In July 2025, the thumbnail for the episode was changed to a still of Joyce speaking on the phone.
- The password for Castle Byers was "Radagast", the name of a wizard from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series.
- One of Will's favorite songs, The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go", alludes to the events of the first season - "If I go, there will be trouble. And if I stay, it will be double".
- Will and Billy Hargrove are the only main characters to share the same first name, though they each use different nicknames for themselves. Interestingly, they both parallel each other as victims of possession by the Mind Flayer.
- In "The Body", Joyce mentions at the morgue that Will has a birthmark on his right arm.
- In "The Body", Dustin states that Will once fell off of his bike and broke his finger.
- In the first season, his Dungeons & Dragons character was a wizard named Will the Wise.[23] In the second season, his character was changed to a cleric.
- So far, he is the only Party member to have his D&D player character explicitly named on-screen.
- In an early outline, Will was originally going to have killed Bob in "Will the Wise" as a result of the Mind Flayer's manipulation.[24]
- Since the second season, Will is shown to possess certain psychic abilities known as True Sight. This is likely a reference to the Stephen King character, Danny Torrance, who possessed similar psychic abilities known as "the shining" in the novel and film of the same name.
- Stranger Things 3 is the only season of the series in which Will appears in every episode.
- In "The Case of the Missing Lifeguard", Will became the first character in the show to utter the word "Fuck"; when he destroys Castle Byers in a blind rage, he curses loudly (though the subtitles miss this utterance). He would soon be followed by Billy, who says the word in "The Sauna Test". The third and last character to say “fuck” would be Joyce in “The Rightside Up.
- Between the first three seasons, Will had only cursed twice throughout the whole show; the word "Fuck" in "The Case of the Missing Lifeguard", and when he repeats El's phrase - "She said she dumped your ass" - in "The Flayed". This changed in the fourth season with him regularly dropping curses.
- In the Hawkins Middle School Yearbook, it is stated that his career goal is to be a comic book artist and his favorite subject is Art. His hobbies are drawing and going to the movies. When he is not studying he is reading comics and playing D&D. The extracurricular activities he did in school were the AV Club and the Science Fair. He was also one of the designers of the yearbook.
References
- ↑ ‘Stranger Things’ Star Noah Schnapp on Doja Cat, Season 5, and Will’s Sexuality: ‘He Is Gay and He Does Love Mike’ (EXCLUSIVE) on Variety.com
- ↑ "The Weirdo on Maple Street"
- ↑ Will did clinically die and his heart was restarted by Hopper and Joyce performing CPR on him.
- ↑ "MADMAX"
- ↑ "The Spy"
- ↑ "The Mind Flayer"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "The Vanishing of Will Byers"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "The Upside Down"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab"
- ↑ "Holly, Jolly"
- ↑ "The Body"
- ↑ Stranger Things: The Other Side
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "The Bathtub"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 "The Crawl"
- ↑ Stranger Things Winter Special One-Shot
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler"
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "The Turnbow Trap"
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 "Sorcerer"
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 "Shock Jock"
- ↑ 'Stranger Things' Star Noah Schnapp on Doja Cat, Season 5, and Will's Sexuality: 'He Is Gay and He Does Love Mike'
- ↑ "'STRANGER THINGS' Duffer Brothers Have Proof THEY DIDN'T STEAL THE SHOW!!!" TMZ. April 6, 2018
- ↑ "'Stranger Things' Creators Answer Burning Questions About Eleven's Origins, Will's Sexuality (and Birthday!) and More Ahead of Volume 2" Variety. June 2, 2022.
- ↑ "Behind The Scenes Of Stranger Things - Lully Of Truth 293"
- ↑ Beyond Stranger Things: Episode 7
Canon hierarchy
- ↑ Information from Stranger Things: The Other Side, a Tier 3 source, conflicts with what's presented in the main series.
- In The Other Side, Will witnesses an apparition of Eleven while walking in the woods of the Upside Down, apparently seeing her from across dimensions; this 'apparition' phenomenon does not appear anywhere outside this comic, making it difficult to reconcile with the main series. The Other Side also depicts the painted alphabet wall as being visible to Will, despite the fourth season's revelation that the Upside Down is physically 'frozen' on the date November 6, 1983, before Joyce painted the letters on the wall.
External Links
- Will Byers at TMNTPedia
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