(Credits: Netflix)

The Duffer Brothers caught us off guard in Stranger Things season five, volume one, finale, currently streaming on Netflix, with a Will Byers plot twist we barely thought was possible.

While he was the first person to survive his time in the Upside Down during his season one disappearance, thereafter, he formed a mysterious connection to the shadow dimension, following his rescue by Joyce and Hopper in the Hawkins library. Will’s sixth sense always had something to do with the alternate realm, and Stranger Things didn’t shy away from the teasers.

Although Will went a little passive in the past few seasons, the Duffer brothers ensured he was the showstopper of the final season, and the final moments of volume one are proof enough. Amid the Demogorgon attacks on the MAC-Z, Eleven remains consumed by the happenings in the Upside Down, leaving the rest of the gang to get past this terrifying situation on their own.

However, just when it seems like there’s no way out of this monstrous rampage, Will takes the centre stage, freezing the Demogorgons mid-air with his now-discovered telekinetic powers. That’s right, Will has powers! The episode concludes with Will wiping the blood oozing from his nose, something we have seen Eleven doing all this time. So, does that mean their superpowers are one and the same?

In a recent conversation with Deadline, Noah Schnapp and Milly Bobby Brown set the narrative straight, confirming that their manifestations are distinct even though they do have some similarities. The revelation about Will’s powers comes amid what Schnapp refers to as the character’s “self-acceptance” journey in the first four episodes of the first volume of the final season.

The Duffer brothers explained that when the conversation about Stranger Things season five first began, they started talking about Will. While they agree he took a backseat in season four, none of that changes the fact that he’s the central character of the show who started it all. Considering that the primary goal of the season was to come full circle and return to the start, it was inevitable not to address the questions surrounding his disappearance.

That said, what was equally important was Will’s journey to find out who he really was and come to peace with it. So, the creators resorted to some supernatural elements to explain that to “become his most powerful self, he had to also really come to terms with who he is.” They chose Robin to be the catalyst of this realisation, keeping in mind that she embarked on a similar journey of self-discovery and acceptance in the third instalment.

Speaking of what the audience should keep in mind before heading towards the second volume, Schnapp advised watching out for the similarities between Will and Vecna. He likened the relationship to Harry Potter, and even went back to watch the movies to better understand Harry’s relationship with Voldemort, which he feels is very emotive of what Vecna and Will share.

In a separate conversation with Tudum, Schnapp also recalls texting the Duffer brothers after filming the scene, saying, “You guys don’t understand how grateful I am for this show and this character, and the way you wrote Will for the final season is just something I could have never dreamed of.” In the new season, the creators took special care in formulating an arc in which Will harnesses the connection to use it against Vecna, which brings a full circle since he was the first kid to fall into his clutches.