Spoiler warning for information below.

Deadline has reported that one major Stranger Things twist may have been right in front of fans’ eyes, as Noah Schnapp (Abe, Bridge Of Spies) noted it was teased in the marketing. Schnapp’s character Will Byers was positioned above Millie Bobbie Brown’s (Enola Holmes, Damsel) Eleven on the promotional poster for the final season, tipping off that he would acquire powers. 

“It’s always supposed to kind of feel the vibe of the season and give an essence of where everyone’s characters stand in that era and chapter of our story. So yeah, you can see a strength in him on there. And obviously, they didn’t want to spoil it with any blood or anything, but as close as you can get. Everything is very intentional that we do.” via Deadline.

According to Deadline, in the last episode of volume one of the final season, Will’s friends seem to be goners as Demogorgons wreak havoc in Hawkins. They seem to be about to finish off some of Will’s closest friends until they freeze mid-air before their bones begin to snap in a Vecna-esque manner. By the end of the episode, it is clear that Will has harnessed his connection to the Upside Down and to Vecna. 

Schnapp had previously spoken further about his character. “I think people mistake fear for weakness. Will has had a lot of fear through the years, because of what he’s had to endure,” Schnapp stated, “but that doesn’t mean he’s weak. He’s pushed through that and come out stronger, and he does it scared every time. He always comes back, and he never crumbles. So that is his strength, and I think he shows that in the end, that he is stronger than we all think.” via Deadline.

One of the series creators Matt Duffer (Hidden, Wayward Pines) explained the rationale behind Will’s character. “When we first started talking about Season 5, we started talking about Will. He was a little bit more out of the picture in Season 4, but he’s a central character. He’s the character who kicked it all off, and a lot of this season was about going full circle and going back to the beginning, which raised questions about how he vanished and whatnot.” via Deadline.

“But more than that, this was about Will’s journey in terms of finding out really who he was, and coming to terms with that,” added Duffer. “So we liked the idea of tying that into some of the more supernatural elements, that in order to become his most powerful self, he had to also really come to terms with who he is.” 

Deadline has reported that the first four episodes of Stranger Things season five are now streaming on Netflix, but fans will have to wait for Christmas Day until the next instalment, then til New Year’s Eve to see the series’ ultimate conclusion.