Will Byers

**William "Will" Byers** is a main character in *Stranger Things*, having a recurring role in the first season before being promoted to the main cast from the second season onward. He is the youngest son of Joyce Byers, the brother to Jonathan Byers, the boyfriend of Stephanie Mayfield, and the best friend of Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Eleven and Max Mayfield. He is portrayed by Noah Schnapp.

Will was a shy, artistic boy from Hawkins, Indiana who loved to play *Dungeons & Dragons* with his three best friends, Mike, Lucas and Dustin. However, Will's life would turn upside-down on November 6, 1983; while cycling home from his friends' latest *D&D* campaign, Will crossed paths with a humanoid predator hailing from an alternate dimension. Will tried his best to escape, but the creature cornered him, transporting him to its home dimension. For a week, Will evaded the creature while his family and friends desperately searched for him; he found a way to communicate with his mother Joyce across dimensions by manipulating electricity. Will was eventually captured by the creature and taken to the other dimension's version of the public library, while he was strung up and attached to a mysterious alien vine. Joyce and the local chief of police, Jim Hopper, travelled into the alternate dimension via an interdimensional gateway at Hawkins National Laboratory, and finally managed to locate Will. He was taken to hospital to recover, where he reunited with his family and friends. Although Will returned to his old life in Hawkins, his time in "The Upside Down" had left a mark on his psyche; he began to experience visions of the two worlds flickering in and out of existence.

By the fall of 1984, Joyce had started taking Will to Hawkins Lab to be examined by Dr. Sam Owens, who dismissed Will's visions as a consequence of trauma. However, his visions proved to be of a much stranger and more sinister nature. Will began to see a gigantic spider-like creature looming in the skies of the Upside Down, and despite his best efforts to resist, became possessed by the entity. The creature, which Will's friends dubbed the "Mind Flayer", exploited its connection to Will to manipulate Owens and the scientists at Hawkins Lab, resulting in many deaths and casualties at the facility. With the help of Joyce, Jonathan, and Mike's sister, Nancy, the portion of the creature that inhabited Will was driven out of his body, disappearing into the night. A month later, a recovered Will attended the Snow Ball at Hawkins Middle School with his friends.

By the summer of 1985, many members of the Party were in romantic relationships. Mike had become involved with Eleven, Lucas with Max, and Dustin with a girl from Utah that he met at summer camp. Will was the only member of the Party to not be in a romantic relationship, and with the attention of his friends in short supply, he struggled to feel accepted, or valued. He attempted to organise new *Dungeons & Dragons* campaigns, but grew upset and angry when he saw his friends were clearly losing interest. To make matters worse, Will sensed that the Mind Flayer's presence still lingered in Hawkins, and discovered that Max's stepbrother Billywas now being used at its puppet. Putting his feelings behind him, he joined his friends in once again defeating the Mind Flayer. Three months later, Will and his family moved out of Hawkins, and he tearfully departed from his friends.

In the spring of 1986, still as quiet as ever, Will lived in California with his mom, brother, Jonathan, and Eleven. Eleven thought that Will had been acting a bit weird and believed he might have a crush. Will stood by Eleven's side at their new school, where she endured daily bullying by the popular kids. During Mike's stay in California, Eleven is taken away by the police after an incident. Jonathan, Argyle, Mike and Will all go on a road trip to find Eleven, after being chased away from their home by the military. During their trip, Will indirectly reveals his romantic feelings for Mike, to which Mike remains oblivious. After finding Eleven, the road trip continues to reach Hawkins, where Will states that he can feel Vecna, and warns Mike of Vecna's motives.