Watch ‘Stranger Things’ Cast Being Stunned by Will Byers Twist During Table Read

Stranger Things fans were left shocked at the end of Volume 1 of Season 5 when Will Byers displayed a dramatic new power.

The episode, titled “Sorcerer,” shows the battle against Vecna and the creatures of the Upside Down reaching a terrifying point. Just as the Demogorgons are about to kill Mike, Lucas, and Robin, Will suddenly uses powers we didn’t know he had.

He sees through the Demogorgons’ eyes and stops them, even snapping their limbs to save his friends. The final shot of Volume 1 shows Will wiping a nosebleed, staring with the same intensity we’ve often seen from Eleven.

A video shared on X captured the cast’s reactions to the twist, showing their surprise and excitement at the development.

Watch the cast of Stranger Things react to THAT Will Byers plot twist at the table read. pic.twitter.com/7m9Yab2A8M

— Netflix (@netflix) December 4, 2025

According to Variety, the showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer confirmed that Will’s new abilities are different from Eleven’s. “Will is siphoning his power directly from Vecna,” Ross Duffer said. “Vecna and Eleven have similar powers because the abilities come from within, but Will’s powers are different. His expression of his powers is like puppeteering.”

In the episode, Vecna calls the children “perfect vessels” and tells Will, “And you, Will, you were the first. And you broke so easily. You showed me what was possible, what I could achieve.” Despite Vecna’s confidence, Will remembers important moments from his life—his friendship with Mike, time with Joyce, and building Castle Byers with Jonathan. These memories give him the courage to fight back using the powers he channels from Vecna.

The Duffer brothers explained that Will’s powers are linked to the Upside Down’s hive mind. “Will needs to be near the hive mind to use Vecna’s powers,” they said. “If he’s close to a Demogorgon, he can use them, but the further he is, the weaker the powers get. At a certain distance, he can’t tap into them at all.”

This twist gives Will a surprising new role in the story. While Eleven and Vecna can use their powers freely, Will’s abilities depend on the creatures around him. It sets up an intriguing dynamic for the rest of Season 5, as fans now wonder how far Will can go with these new powers and what challenges he will face.

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