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Why did Vecna take Will Byers? ‘Stranger Things’ fan theory finally seems to have solved old mystery

‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 drops it's penultimate set of episodes on Netflix on Christmas Day

As 'Stranger Things' Season 5 rapidly heads towards releasing its penultimate batch of episodes, a lingering plot hole that has been in existence ever since the Netflix show's debut seasons seems to be finally explained. The impending finale of the nostalgic sci-fi show, which premieres on New Year's Eve, has several narrative threads to conclude by the time the curtain drops forever on Hawkins. The most important among them is the question: Why did Vecna take Will Byers? 

The debut season of 'Stranger Things' kicked off back in 2016 with one startling incident, i.e., the mysterious disappearance of Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp. Although he wasn't the only child who was outdoors that night in Hawkins, coupled with the fact that both Lucas and Dustin were returning home as well, Will's disappearance set several arcs in motion that are nearing their fruition on the show as of now. By the time the fourth episode of season 5, i.e., 'Sorcerer' came about, Will's connection with the Mind Flayer had been all but magnified, as per CBR. 

The answer to the aforementioned question lies in a recent piece of trivia shared by Matt and Ross Duffer. The showrunner duo appeared on an episode of 'The Jimmy Fallon Show' and were tasked with arranging 'Stranger Things' Funko pops in a manner that would reveal the eventual fate of the characters on the show's final season, as per Lad Bible. While the Duffer Brothers did arrange several other characters, intense speculation surrounded one of their stackings, which had Vecna on top, his other side, i.e., Henry, at the bottom, and Will in between the two. 

The placement of the pop figures soon made its way to Reddit, where a screenshot was shared on the 'Stranger Things' subreddit with the caption, "What does this mean 😦!!". One user commented, "Will is a bridge for some reasons that will be explained. Like their birthdays, both being March 22 and November 6’s importance." While another user came up with the theory, "this whole sequence was a planned event to awaken Will's powers. Vecna intended to awaken and kill those demos. He needs will's power to manifest so that when he takes control of will, later on, he will be able to use will's powers." 

In retrospect, the connection between Vecna and Will seems to be justified. While one of Max's flashbacks in season 5 volume one confirmed Will's father, Lonnie Byers, and Henry went to school around the same time, it won't be a stretch to argue that the two of them shared an abusive relationship, especially since the young Henry mirrored many of Will's traits. Will is imaginative, creative, and emotionally vulnerable to a large extent, all of which marked the early years of Henry. Eventually, Henry internalized the trauma that was brought down upon him, and turned into Vecna. Seeing that Will embodies his design of capturing children to work them as vessels, Vecna targeted Henry. All episodes of the show are exclusively available on Netflix.