Will Byers is believed to sacrifice himself in Stranger Things season 5 through multiple signs.
Stranger Things season 5 marks the end of the series that made Netflix famous. Vecna’s return will force Eleven and her friends to fight, but sacrifice and loss are inevitable. Currently, the most widely speculated outcome for Stranger Things season 5 is the departure of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), as hinted at earlier.
Specifically, according to an analysis by a popular TikTok account named @cinebiettuot, Will Byers shows many signs of sacrificing himself in Stranger Things season 5. This is due to the possibility that Will is a version of the villain Vecna, but he is actually “more important” than that. The theory suggests that from the beginning, Will was chosen by the Mind Flayer entity.
In season 4, Will painted a picture of young warriors attacking a three-headed dragon. These three heads could represent the Mind Flayer entity, Vecna, and Will himself. All three forms are interconnected, with the Mind Flayer controlling both Vecna and Will (instead of Vecna controlling the Mind Flayer, as he believes).
Additionally, all the strange events in Stranger Things have stemmed from the moment Will was taken. From that moment, Will may have been “manipulated” by the Mind Flayer. Ultimately, Eleven will likely have to eliminate her friend to free everyone.
Moreover, there’s another theory that has the Stranger Things fan community buzzing. According to an analysis by the account @jenks.p, Will will lose one eye before “dying” for the greater good.
Season 2 of Stranger Things introduced a character named Phineas Gage, a man who lost one eye after a metal rod pierced his skull. When this character is mentioned in class, the camera often focuses on Will. Then, in season 4, there’s a shot that was “accidentally but intentionally” framed, showing a metal rod blocking Will’s left eye.
By Stranger Things season 5, if you look closely at some of the promotional posters, viewers will notice that Will never appears with both of his eyes fully visible, unlike his friends. One of his eyes is always shaded in darkness, hinting at his potential sacrifice. Additionally, in one poster, one of Vecna’s eyes is also obscured.
Connected to the previous theory, it’s likely that Will will indeed sacrifice one of his eyes in exchange for Vecna’s eye, as an act to pave the way for his friends’ victory. This is also a detail from the game Dungeons & Dragons, which the group often plays, where an item called “Vecna’s Eye” can only be obtained if the player sacrifices one of their eyes.
Stranger Things season 5 will be released in just a few days, wrapping up one of the most explosive franchises Netflix has ever created. The return of the Eleven group will bring a satisfying, but emotional ending with sacrifices that could be seen from afar. The film will be released in two parts, with the first part on November 26 and the second part on Christmas.
