As we are counting days before Netflix drops Volume Two, it is important to remember that Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 wasted no time reminding us that Will Byers was never just the boy who vanished. He is currently, at this very moment, the very key that ties Hawkins, the Upside Down, and Vecna together in ways we didn’t fully understand.
And as we know, the new season leans heavily into that connection, quietly turning Will into something that looks eerily similar to Vecna’s own version of a ‘Horcrux.’ It’s not spelled out with neon signs, but every moment in Part 1 nudges us toward the same realization. It is confirmed that Will isn’t just linked to Vecna, but he is also carrying a piece of him.
Will’s visions reveal a deeper bond
In the very beginning of the first episode of Volume 1, we revisit the nightmare that started it all, with young Will trapped in the Upside Down and brought face-to-face with Vecna long before anyone knew Henry Creel existed. From there, we see how Part 1 builds a pattern through Will’s visions. He sees through Holly’s eyes, Derrick’s eyes, and even Vecna’s own, as the show layers these moments the same way Harry Potter slowly revealed that Harry’s mind wasn’t exactly his own. And as viewers, we understand the implication immediately, and this connection isn’t random. It’s intimate, dangerous, and absolutely central to how this story ends.
But Will’s evolving abilities aren’t the only shake-up, because Hawkins is now under full government lockdown, sealed beneath what the gang jokingly calls a giant metal band-aid. It’s holding the Upside Down back (for now), but the strain is obvious.
The return of Eight, who was one of the most divisive characters in the series, throws another wrench into the season. Whether the government plans to use her and Eleven as weapons or something even darker, Part 1 makes it clear there is a larger agenda at play that we will get to witness at a bigger scale this Christmas Eve.
Vecna’s blind spot and the terrifying question part 2 must answer
And then there’s the cave, which is apparently Vecna’s one blind spot. For someone who strides through memories and dimensions with ease, the fact that he refuses to approach this one place says everything. The Upside Down-style walls, the sense of buried trauma, and the unanswered questions surrounding Henry’s past. It all feels like the nerve center of whatever final plan Vecna is hiding.
With Part 2 on the way, Stranger Things has set the stage for a finale that might demand the unthinkable for all of us. Because if Will truly carries a piece of Vecna’s soul, the question becomes painfully clear: how do you defeat a monster without destroying the kid who’s been fighting him the longest? As we see, Part 1 doesn’t give us the answer, but it makes sure we’re terrified to find out.
