Fans have long debated what truly happened to Will Byers in the Upside Down, and now ‘Stranger Things‘ Season 5 has started to pull back the curtain.
During Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things‘ Day celebration, the first five minutes of the new season premiered, which gave audiences a haunting glimpse into the mystery that started it all: Will’s terrifying connection to the other side.
The Mystery Behind Will Byers’ Disappearance In ‘Stranger Things’
Netflix went all out for the occasion with a virtual global event called the ‘Stranger Things‘ Season 5 Premiere Transmission. Fans who registered through Tudum gained access to an exclusive red carpet experience, featuring cast interviews, surprise appearances, and, most importantly, the first five minutes of the upcoming season. The preview immediately stole all the attention, and for all the right reasons.
The clip opens with the eerie, isolating world that began everything: Will’s time in the Upside Down. In the clip, Will is once again trapped in that decaying mirror of Hawkins. The air hums. The lights flicker. Dust floats in slow motion, and then, out of the silence, we hear it: Will’s voice. It feels like we are instantly getting pulled to Season 1, the very moment when audiences first saw him vanish.
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At the beginning of the clip, we hear a soft hum of ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’, and soon, we get a glimpse of the little Will, aka Noah Schnapp, as a 12-year-old, who is shivering and lying isolated in Castle Byers. Outside, there’s that same eerie sound and visual of Demogorgon. In an instant, we get the adrenaline rush as we see Demogorgon attacking Will and Will firing back a rifle at him. There’s running, jumping from one tree to another, and more, until our little Will finally gives in and becomes unconscious.
The next scene takes us back to Vecna’s den, where Demogorgon is dragging in Will, and soon, we get a glimpse of Vecna. Vecna soon makes his signature move as the vines grapple Will from all sides. Then comes Vecna’s line we’ve been waiting for, “At long last, we can begin,” before forcing a vine in his mouth. That’s not even the worst part, as in the next moment, only we see something moving inside that vine and finally getting inside Will, and he becomes unconscious yet again. Before the clip ends, Vecna says, “You and I, we’re going to do such beautiful things together.”
How Will Survived The Upside Down
While the show only hinted at how Will endured his week in the Upside Down, the ‘Stranger Things‘ comics from Dark Horse finally shed light on the details. In those pages, we see Will’s ordeal through his own eyes. After the Demogorgon pulled him into the parallel dimension, Will realized it resembled something from his favorite game, Dungeons & Dragons. Channeling his alter ego, “Will the Wise,” he fought back, even firing a hunting rifle to scare off the creature.
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In the comic, Will learns how to evade the Demogorgon by hiding and using his imagination as his strongest weapon. He even tries to help others, tragically failing to save Barb but managing to protect Nancy at one point. With no way out, he builds a refuge in Castle Byers’ shadowy version inside the Upside Down, waiting and hoping his family will find him.
The Demogorgon finally captures him, vines wrap around his body, and the Upside Down’s toxic air weakens him. But somehow, he endures and survives. The comics suggest that Will’s love for his family and Joyce’s desperate attempts kept his willpower alive. Of course, Season 4 added a darker layer and hinted that Vecna might’ve kept Will alive for a reason.
This was the first glimpse we got after the trailer of Season 5, and it couldn’t have been a more spine-chilling one. Over the years, Stranger Things has racked up 113 awards and 308 nominations, including multiple Emmys. So, no wonder the fandom lost its mind when Netflix said, “Here’s five minutes.”
Just like the ‘Stranger Things‘ fans, the cast and crew clearly felt the emotion behind these five minutes. Mind blown. Finn Wolfhard, aka Mike Wheeler, said that Mike’s story ends “in the best way possible”. Maybe he finds a new sense of purpose in the final season. Executive producer and director Shawn Levy raised the stakes even higher, calling it “the greatest TV finale” he’s ever seen.
Caleb McLaughlin, however, talked about the pain of carrying forward from Max’s coma after her fight with Vecna. Netflix has confirmed the final release schedule, and as expected, it’s being broken into three parts this time. Volume 1 drops on November 26, Volume 2 follows on December 25, and the finale arrives on December 31. And the final episode will also be shown in select theaters. That means, fans will get to say goodbye to Hawkins on the big screen, popcorn in hand.
