There’s famously one Stranger Things character who has never once caught a break over the show’s four seasons so far, and that’s Will Byers.
Noah Schnapp’s shy teen hero has been trapped in the Upside Down, possessed by the Mind Flayer, and lately, ignored by his friends — including Mike, who he probably has a crush on. But this fan theory ponders what would happen if things got even worse for Will, and he became the latest target of Vecna.
As introduced in season four, Vecna is the latest arch-villain to escape from the Upside Down that likes to terrify Hawkins teens to the point of death. As everyone knows by now, though, his dark spell can be undone if someone hears their favorite song. Well, this heartbreaking theory suggests that if Will got Vecna’d, his friends might fail to save him as they don’t pay him enough attention to know what his favorite song is.
As reposted by @beefbeefbyers on Twitter, Tumblr user demobatman pitched a plotline that sees everyone trying to save Will from Vecna “with the wrong song.” The idea goes that Mike and co. would think that The Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?”, which was used to connect to Will in the Upside Down in season one, would still be his favorite song…. Not realizing that it’s become “the anthem of his sorrow and trauma.”
The fan suggested that only Jonathan would know Will’s new favorite song is “Boys Don’t Cry” by The Cure, as teased by the poster on his bedroom wall. Read the full theory via this here tweet:
This storyline pitch is pretty compelling, as it definitely seems like the sort of tragedy that could befall Will next, not to mention quite rightly bringing to light just how much Will’s friends overlook him and calling them out on it. Especially Mike, who hasn’t been the best buddy as of late. Not that the only way to do this is to victimize Will further, of course. A more fulfilling way of addressing the issue might be to have Will finally come out and admit his feelings to Mike.
We’ll find out what’s really next up for Will when Stranger Things 4 volume two arrives on Netflix this July 1.