Is Will Actually Going To Be The Villain In Stranger Things Season 2?

stranger things season 2 will byers
(Image credit: Photo courtesy of Netflix)

Stranger Things was one of the most unexpected TV hits of 2016, and its upcoming second season is one of the most highly-anticipated TV events of 2017. The monstrous Demogorgon was seemingly destroyed at the end of Season 1, which meant that there was a big opening for the villain of Season 2. The trailer points at another monster menacing Hawkins, but it also indicates that Will isn't entirely in control of his own actions, which has led many of us to speculate that he's going to be revealed as the big villain. Executive producer Shawn Levy has weighed in on the theory, saying this:

I can neither confirm or deny that theory. All I'm going to say... between the end of season 1 and what we've seen in the trailers, clearly Will is not right. Stuff happens to him and stuff is happening to him and he is very much at the center of season 2.

All things considered, most fans probably aren't too surprised that Will is having some problems in Season 2. The final scene of the Season 1 finale featured Will secretly vomiting up a slug in a bathroom and then flashing to the Upside Down. It wasn't clear if the flash was Will flashing back to his horrible experiences or if he was really popping between his home and the Upside Down, but it was obvious that something was very much not right with the poor kid. Shawn Levy's comments to Nerdist point to Will's experiences in Season 1 affecting Season 2 in some big ways.

While the Demogorgon was obviously the big monster of Season 1, it definitely wasn't the only nasty creature in the Upside Down. Given that Eleven will be returning to the action of Stranger Things somehow, we can be sure that there are still portals between the two worlds that can let people and things through. Eleven may not be the only entity coming out of the Upside Down in Season 2.

At this point, it's possible that Will's experiences in that awful place have given him a connection that will allow him to warn his pals that something is coming; it's also possible that he's being controlled by something that didn't let him go when he was pulled out of the Upside Down at the end of the first season. Who knows? Maybe he brought a parasite back with him, and it was that parasite that was causing him to vomit up a slug. If that slug somehow grows up to become the monster that we've seen menacing Hawkins in Season 2 footage, then Will could have played a role in unleashing a monster, even if he didn't do so intentionally.

We can only wait and see. Season 2 will premiere on Netflix on Friday, October 27 at 12:01 a.m. PT. Check out our Netflix premiere schedule for your other streaming dates, and don't forget to take a look at our fall TV premiere guide for what you can watch while we wait for more Stranger Things.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).