Will's powers in Stranger Things 5 explained in full

26 December 2025, 08:46

By Katie Louise Smith

How did Will get powers in Stranger Things? Does he have Vecna's powers or Eleven's? Here's your full breakdown.

Surprise! Will Byers has powers! Well, kind of... Stranger Things 5 dropped the plot twist of all plot twists in episode 4 ('Sorcerer') when Will killed three demogorgons by using similar powers to Vecna and Eleven.

While countless fans had theorised that Will had developed some kind of ability after his time spent in the Upside Down back in season 1, millions of viewers were left stunned when he telekinetically stopped the demos from killing Mike, Lucas and Robin.

The final shot of Volume 1 shows Will wiping his nose in the exact same way as Eleven, as Joyce and Mike look on in complete awe.

But how do Will's powers actually work and are they the same as Eleven's? Or are they more like Vecna's Thankfully, the Duffer brothers have explained the whole thing. Here's your explainer.

• Read more: Stranger Things' Noah Schnapp addresses Will and Mike romance theories

Does Will have powers in Stranger Things?

Does Will Byers have Vecna's powers?

Ok so technically, Will doesn't actually have his own powers. Instead, he has access to the hive mind and everything that exists within it. Demogorgons, demodogs, demobats... all of the above.

Vecna is also part of the hive mind, which means Will is able to tap directly into his powers and channel them. Therefore, Will is actually able to use the powers of 001/Henry/Vecna.

As we see in episode 4, Will is able to manipulate the hive mind and physically stop the demogorgons from attacking Mike, Robin and Lucas. He then draws from Vecna's powers, killing the Demos exactly like Vecna killed his victims in season 4.

How did Will Byers get powers? Why does he have them now?

Well, Will has always had the ability to do this but it's only now that he actually realised that he could do it. And that, in part, is thanks to Robin's words of wisdom and Will's acceptance of himself.

In episode 4, Robin shares a moving story about her sexuality and how she realised that she had to stop trying to find answers in other people and understand that she had all the answers within herself. ("I just needed to stop being so goddamn scared—scared of who I really was. Once I did that, I felt so free.")

After a terrifying confrontation with Vecna, Will finds that strength and truth within himself as he pulls from happy memories from his childhood full of people who love him for who he truly is... his mum Joyce, brother Jonathan and best friend Mike, who he is—per Noah's Schnapp's previous confirmation—in love with.

Explaining more about why Will's powers are manifesting now, Ross Duffer told Variety: "We knew we wanted him to access these powers this season. Then we began talking about why now, and why is he able to do it now. Some of it is mythology-based in terms of the hive mind’s closer than it’s ever been for him. But most of what we were talking about was how has Will changed."

"Throughout the seasons, he’s been a little more fearful than the others," Ross continued. "He hasn’t been a leader. He hasn’t accepted himself in the way that some of our characters have."

"So I think it was really talking about if he really is able to at least start to accept himself for who he is, will that give him the kind of strength that he needs in order to access these powers? That’s really where Episode 4 — and really the arc of the first four episodes — led for him."

How do Will’s powers work? Are they like Eleven's?

While Hawkins lab subjects Eleven, Kali (008) and Henry's powers come from within them, Will's powers do not come from within him.

Will did not have these powers prior to being taken into the Upside Down, and would never have had these powers if Vecna hadn't hooked him into the hive mind.

Will's powers are actually Henry/Vecna's powers and he's just able to channel them.

"He taps into the hive mind, and then he can manipulate anything within the hive," Matt Duffer continued in the same Variety interview. "You’ll see how far he can take it as you continue to watch. But that’s how he’s able to manipulate the monster. So he can’t open a door, because the door is not part of the hive mind."

Matt also confirmed that Will's powers are "proximity based" which means if he is not close to the hive mind, he is unable to access and control it.

In episode 5 ('Shock Jock'), they bring a Demogorgon back to life in order for Will to be able to access the hive mind and track down Vecna. The task is successful, and he manages to save Holly and Max and break one of Vecna's legs before Henry pushes him out and shuts off Will's connection to the hive mind.

Read more about Stranger Things here:

• Stranger Things' Noah Schnapp addresses Will and Mike romance theories
• Stranger Things originally planned to kill off Max permanently in season 4
• Stranger Things 5 theory explains how Eleven, Will and Kali will defeat Vecna
• Here's why Stranger Things 5 recast Holly Wheeler with new actress
• Stranger Things 5 spoilers explain why Henry is scared of the cave

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