The Troubling Stranger Things 5 Theory That Has Fans Worried About Will

Contains spoilers for the ending of "Stranger Things 4" 

It's not a massive surprise that "Stranger Things 4" Volume 2 ends in a bit of a downer. After all, the show has been fond of teasing horrifying future developments and killing off beloved characters during its season endgames. Still, few could have expected the absolute carnage Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) unleashes upon the world after claiming Max (Sadie Sink) as his fourth victim. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is able to bring Max back — well, sort of — just in time to stop Vecna's portals from spreading further than Hawkins, but the price both the town and Max pay is horrifying. 

The season ends in the revelation that the Upside Down has managed to enter the real world after all, teasing a massive confrontation for the final season. While the possibility of Vecna and his Mind Flayer particle construct unleashing the full powers of their realm upon Hawkins is a chilling one, some fans have far more pressing concerns about the long-suffering Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). Let's take a look at the troubling "Stranger Things 5" theory that has fans worried about Will.

At the end of "Stranger Things 4", Will can be seen holding his neck in a very familiar way, and some fans are getting worried that Will is once again going to get possessed by Vecna. Among the theories the incredibly appropriately named user u/StrangerWill posted on Reddit was their belief that Vecna is looking to claim him as his vessel to become a human again. 

Other fans have also considered this. "What if Will is a phylactery for Vecna seeing as how the mindflayer was inside Will at one point and also that slug he coughed up in earlier seasons," u/No_Brother_2201 posited that some of Vecna's influence might still linger within Will. Meanwhile, u/Pewp-dawg took things even further, speculating that the ending of "Stranger Things 5" might tie into the very start of the show in a way that, unfortunately, would be bad news for Will. "I believe Will the wise will make an ultimate sacrifice to save his party. I think it'll come back to the very start of the series where Will messed up the dice roll, but this time he'll do it properly," they wrote.

Elsewhere, fans have also recognized the possibility of more trouble on Will's personal horizon. "IF WILL gets possessed by vecna again Imma lose it," @zainashawli wrote on Twitter. On the other hand, @simonemalec opted for a more optimistic take on Will's eventual fate. "The moment will touched his neck i knew season 5 is gonna be his season," they wrote. "It started with will, it's gonna end with will."