How does Will have powers in Stranger Things season 5?

Netflix’s Stranger Things season 5 wastes no time reminding fans why Will Byers has always been the emotional core of the franchise. The fifth and final season, created by the Duffer Brothers with producers Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen, returns viewers to Hawkins in the fall of 1987, where Vecna’s grip tightens, the military closes in, and the group faces its most dangerous fight yet. With the anniversary of Will’s original disappearance approaching, the first four episodes re-center the story around the boy who vanished on November 6, 1983, and the twist that he now plays a far bigger role in the battle ahead.

Volume 1 introduces a darker, more fractured Hawkins, a military standoff, the return of Eight, and a pulse-pounding finale that changes everything fans thought they knew. But the biggest revelation arrives in the final moments of Episode 4, leaving viewers stunned: Will Byers has powers.

Will Byers’ powers: Hawkins’ secret weapon

At the end of Stranger Things season 5 volume 1, Will Byers emerges as one of the season’s biggest surprises: he has powers, and not just any powers, he can tap into Vecna’s hive mind and control the creatures of the Upside Down. Unlike Eleven, whose telekinesis and psychic abilities are innate, Will’s powers are proximity-based and derived from his connection to Vecna. Essentially, Will becomes a conduit for the hive mind, able to see through the Demogorgons’ eyes, manipulate their movements, and even use them to protect his friends.

This power was hinted at as far back as Season 2, when Will briefly shared a psychic link with Vecna, but in Season 5, it fully manifests. Memories from his past, from moments of joy, fear, and connection with his friends and family, serve as the emotional trigger for him to unlock these abilities. Once he accepts himself and his identity, his confidence allows him to channel the hive mind effectively, turning what was once a terrifying connection into a tool for heroism.

According to the interview with Netflix Tudum, Noah Schnapp described filming Will’s first major showcase of power in Episode 4 as an unforgettable experience: 

“It was scary, honestly, because I've never really worked face to face with Vecna… I could really feel a part of it, because it’s not CGI and so much of it is Jamie Campbell Bower in a real costume and hours of makeup.”

The Duffer Brothers have been planning Will’s arc for years, explaining the reasoning behind the powers in their interview with Variety:

“We’ve been talking about Will having powers for as long as I can really remember,” Ross Duffer said. 

Matt Duffer also explained it further and stated that they always had intentions of giving him powers:

"He had a dark version of it in Season 2, he was connected to Vecna. He could see what he saw, but he didn’t realize that at the time he was able to tap into it in a way and use it against Vecna. That’s something he doesn’t learn till this season. It took us a while to build there, but it was something we always intended to do." 

Will’s powers not only elevate him as a character but also shift the stakes of Stranger Things season 5. For the first time, a long-time victim of the Upside Down becomes its greatest adversary, giving the group a chance to fight back against Vecna in ways no one expected.

Recap of Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1

Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 opens with the group reunited in Hawkins as the military storms the town hunting Eleven. Meanwhile, Vecna, physically rebuilt after Season 4, has grown stronger, and children across Hawkins are being dragged into the Upside Down.

In the season’s opening flashback, viewers finally see what truly happened to young Will the night he vanished, setting the tone for a full-circle final season. As the threat escalates, Karen and Ted Wheeler narrowly survive a monster attack, Holly Wheeler is revealed to be a key target for Vecna’s twisted plan, and Dustin struggles with grief as he tries to keep hope alive.

Elsewhere, Eleven and Hopper discover that Eight, last seen in Season 2, has been held captive by military forces inside the Upside Down. This return closes one of the show’s longest-standing loose threads while expanding Eleven’s emotional arc.

The climax comes in Episode 4, titled Sorcerer, a massive battle sequence involving soldiers, Demogorgons, and the core cast. Robin and Murray attempt to rescue trapped schoolchildren, Joyce and Mike face Vecna directly, and chaos erupts as the military realizes too late how outmatched they are.

Vecna nearly annihilates the group before Will’s transformation stops the onslaught. The final shot of Volume 1, Will wiping a familiar nosebleed and staring into the distance, signals that the series is heading toward a showdown centered squarely on him.

With Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 already streaming, fans won’t have to wait long for the rest of the story. Volume 2 arrives December 25, 2025, followed by the series finale in Volume 3 on December 31.