Since the show has a terrible tendency to waste big character deaths, Stranger Things season 5 needs to buck this trend by keeping Will Byers alive in the Netflix hit’s final outing. Although it is easy to forget since he is often left on the sidelines of the show’s story, Will Byers is technically at the center of the Stranger Things universe. The story of Stranger Things started with his mysterious disappearance, he is the character with a psychic connection to the show’s main villain, and he has been the one holding the show’s central friend group together over the years.
As such, it would make sense if the story of Stranger Things all ended with Will, too. Already, there are plenty of clues that imply Will dies in Stranger Things season 5, and the fact that the series is fond of a heroic sacrifice from a beloved fan favorite only adds to the likelihood that this will occur. However, Stranger Things has proven over the years that the show struggles to give major deaths (like those of Bob, Dr. Brenner, and Barb) the dramatic weight that they deserve, which is one of the numerous reasons that Will should live. Since Stranger Things season 5 is unlikely to make his death work, the show owes his story a more meaningful ending.
Stranger Things 5 Is Likely To Kill Will
Even before viewers met Eleven, Will was the original focus of Stranger Things since the opening scenes of the show’s pilot. Will almost died in seasons 1 and 2 and, since it has been shown that he is linked to the Stranger Things villain, Vecna, he could reasonably be doomed by the villain’s defeat. As such, it looks likely that Will could end up dead before Stranger Things season 5 wraps up. He is not only the character who the show’s story began with, but he is also the only one who could be hurt (rather than saved) by Vecna’s death. Taking Vecna down for good might not harm Will, but the rest of the Stranger Things gang aren’t connected to the villain the way Will has been since the series began.
Stranger Things Needs Will Byers
However, just because Will’s death would make sense in terms of plot mechanics doesn’t mean it is the right call for Stranger Things season 5 in terms of character dynamics. Will is the smartest and most sensitive of the Stranger Things kids and the one who holds the group together, as well as the character who comes up with a lot of practical plans for fighting villains. Notably, he’s the only one who understands in the Stranger Things season 4 finale that Vecna wants Eleven left hopeless, an insight that could save the entire group in the next season as it stops them from unwittingly playing into the villain’s plans.
Stranger Things Hasn’t Explored Will’s Story
Although much has been made of Will’s sexual orientation, viewers are yet to even get explicit on-screen confirmation that Will Byers is gay, let alone any exploration of how this impacts him outside of teenage angst (that is similar to that which his fellow outcast friends experience). Stranger Things has spent more screen time on Steve Harrington’s redemption arc than Will’s coming out story and, while the 1980s was an extremely challenging time to be gay in America, it is still striking that a series as optimistic as Stranger Things hasn’t delved into Will’s experience. Robin was able to come out to Steve in the same season that she was introduced, while Will suffers in silence.
Moreover, Will’s story has been disproportionately tragic in comparison to Dustin, Lucas, or Mike’s Stranger Things plots (all of which featured lows, but also corresponding highs unlike Will’s constant stream of new traumas). Will Byers, like too many LGBTQ+ characters, has a story that is primarily defined by his struggles and affords him few shots at happiness. Even the goofiness of Stranger Things season 4’s Argyle road trip was heartbreaking for Will, who was unable to communicate his feelings for Mike in one of the season's saddest scenes. After four seasons of tragedy throughout his formative years, killing off Will would be a slap in the face for viewers hoping to see him overcome his hardships.
How Stranger Things Should Handle Will
Stranger Things season 5 should use Will’s connection to Vecna to allow the character to help Eleven as Max did in season 4, giving the perpetually put-upon hero a chance to become a more proactive cast member. Giving Will the Wise a chance to utilize his skills as opposed to waiting on the sidelines for other characters to act would make up for Will’s lack of agency in earlier outings and would make use of his well-established abilities as a Dungeons and Dragons player. Stranger Things had a fake-out death problem until season 4, but the reception of Eddie Munson’s demise implies that the show has finally worked out how to make a dramatic moment impactful.
Stranger Things 5 Should Play To Will’s Strengths
Eddie’s death, while tragic, worked because the scene gave the supporting star a chance to show off his powers against an insurmountable evil. Eddie wasn’t able to single-handedly defeat Vecna, but he could take his love of rock music and turn it into a defiant last stand that helped save the lives of his friends and temporarily take down the villain. Will, meanwhile, has years of experience setting up Dungeons and Dragons games, and his season 3 subplot even centered around him continuing to love the tabletop RPG after his friends had seemingly outgrown the game. The best way to give Will the scene he has deserved for years is to lean into this.
Using Eddie’s tragic Stranger Things death as a blueprint, season 5 should give Will a scene where he uses his expertise to take on Vecna. Hopper and Eleven can do a lot with brute force, but neither of the show’s heroes is a master strategist. Will is, and there is a reason his diorama in season 4 was dedicated to Alan Turing. The sensitive LGBTQ+ hero of Stranger Things is a thoughtful hero who uses his intelligence to protect his friends from their enemies, and season 5 should foreground this instead of killing him off for shock value in an ill-considered death scene.