Did Will Byers Unintentionally Create the Upside Down in Stranger Things?

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Summary

  • Will Byers’ connection to the Upside Down and Vecna may hold the key to explaining Season 5 of Stranger Things.
  • The Upside Down is stuck on the day Will vanished, possibly due to his influence, creating a frozen version of Hawkins.
  • Will Byers and Vecna share similarities that could help the heroes defeat evil and restore peace in the Rightside Up.

Fans of “Stranger Things” often wonder if the Upside Down, particularly its Hawkins counterpart, is unique to that town or if it extends beyond other parts of the world. If there’s another Upside Down somewhere else, a question many ask is how it was originally created. Some viewers speculate that it may be connected to the disappearance of young Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) in 1983.

Instead of Barb Holland (played by Shannon Purser), who perished following her abduction by a Demogorgon, Will Byers managed to endure an entire week within the Upside Down on his own. Although viewers of Stranger Things are still waiting for further details about what transpired when he disappeared into another dimension, it’s been hinted that Will put up a valiant struggle against the monsters chasing him. Many fans speculate that Will Byers might have possessed powers that enabled his survival, and some even wonder if these potential abilities could have granted him the capacity to create a mirror image of Hawkins within the Upside Down.

The Upside Down Is Stuck on the Day Will Byers Vanished

In the seventh episode of Stranger Things season 4, titled “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab,” Nancy Wheeler (played by Natalia Dyer) tries to retrieve the guns she had stashed in her room. Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) and Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) are equally puzzled when they find that everything in Nancy’s room appears as it was in the past. Assuming this strange version is just a parallel dimension of their hometown, Hawkins, the group makes this deduction. However, they later discover that their assumption was incorrect.

When I can’t seem to locate my concealed firearms, I meticulously scan my room, noticing items out of place – such as the vintage flashcards from season 1, a reminder of Steve Harrington’s (Joe Keery) visit. Yet, it was my diary that served as the definitive clue, frozen in time. Despite being filled with entries, the last one I penned was dated years ago, on November 6, 1983 – the day Will went missing and the gate mysteriously opened, suggesting a temporal standstill.

Several individuals began wondering why Upside Down Hawkins remained fixed on the day when Will vanished. Some speculate that young Will was subconsciously searching for something familiar while attempting to hide and survive from interdimensional creatures. Essentially, whether he meant to or not, he seemed to have manipulated reality, crafting a version of Hawkins that was as familiar to him as the back of his hand. Since Will wasn’t saved until several days after, it’s plausible that the Upside Down’s Hawkins remains static on the day he created this alternate world.

The Upside Down Also Has a Place Called Dimension X

If Will could have crafted an alternate reality akin to the Upside Down, which was introduced in Stranger Things season 4, it implies that Jamie Campbell Bower’s character, Vecna, has a profound association with this parallel world. This otherworldly realm or dimension where Vecna resides seems to have been linked to him well before the storyline of the main series unfolded. These connections were further explored in an article published by GQ, which delves into the plot of the official stage play set within the Stranger Things universe titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

Previously residing in Nevada, an enigmatic event caused Henry Creel (Raphael Luce), formerly known as Vecna, to become trapped in Dimension X. His stay there transformed his blood, allowing the Mindflayer to exert control over him. As a result, Henry or Vecna became the Mindflayer’s highest-ranking officer, which Dustin refers to as its “five-star general.” In the series, it appears that Vecna commands creatures from other dimensions. However, the prequel reveals that this is actually reversed, and the Mindflayer has been utilizing Vecna as a crucial element in his malevolent schemes, with Vecna serving as the Mindflayer’s pawn rather than the commander of its forces.

001’s Flashback From 1979 Shows Dimension X, Not the Upside Down

On September 8, 1979, an unfortunate event was depicted in Stranger Things season 4, episode 7, titled “Chapter Seven: The Hawkins Lab Massacre.” Following his brutal killing of test subjects, 001 aimed to eliminate Eleven too, but she managed to resist. In a surprising turn of events, Eleven subdued him and transported him into an alternate dimension – what the prequel would later name Dimension X. Unlike the Upside Down seen in earlier seasons, this dimension boasts an orange sky and is devoid of life except for peculiar creatures and the Mindflayer.

It’s been made clear that the Upside Down viewers have been familiar with since the first season of Stranger Things is essentially a mirror image of Hawkins, including its buildings and contents. However, there are significant contrasts: it lacks the ominous crawling vines, dangerous creatures, and an eternally gloomy, twilight sky that characterize this alternate dimension. This is likely where Will was exerting control during his recent disappearance.

In “Stranger Things” season 5, telling apart the Upside Down and Dimension X is crucial to the storyline. While Vecna appears to be residing in the Upside Down within the Creel house, he’s much more active and powerful in Dimension X. During “Stranger Things” season 4, episode 4, titled “Chapter Four: Dear Billy,” Max Mayfield (played by Sadie Sink) unexpectedly enters Vecna’s sanctuary, Dimension X, which seems to be off-limits to most characters. This suggests that Max wasn’t meant to be there at all. Fans might infer that if Will could manipulate reality in the Upside Down, then Vecna can do the same in Dimension X, making it his personal domain for play and control.

The Similarities Between Will Byers and Vecna Could Help the Heroes

It’s been subtly suggested that Will Byers may possess powers similar to those of Eleven and the other lab children. The role these abilities will play in the story or how they’ll be explained is still unknown. However, it’s interesting to note that Will’s situation seems unique among the victims, as he undergoes an experience akin to young Henry Creel, being trapped in another dimension and eventually gaining control over it.

In the world of Stranger Things, it’s not just Eleven and Vecna who are at odds; Will could hold the key to defeating Vecna due to their shared history and similarities. By leveraging Will as a secret weapon, the show’s heroes may uncover the means to vanquish the darkness enshrouding their town and restore harmony in the Upside Down.

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2025-03-09 20:28