Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
The Witcher season 4 ending
Fantasy Shows The Witcher season 5 release date speculation, story, and everything we know about the final season so far
Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Sadie Sink as Max, Noah Schnapp as Will, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things season 5 Netflix views are behind season 4, with no real chance of overtaking
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things season 5 reviews, cast, plot, and everything else you need to know about the final season of the Netflix show
Will Byers and Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Supernatural Shows Where is the Mind Flayer? What is Vecna really planning with the Abyss, and 6 other questions I need answered in the Stranger Things season 5 finale
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, David Harbour as Hopper and Linnea Berthelsen as Kali in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things season 5 part 2 ending explained: who dies, what is the Upside Down, and how does it set up the finale
Stranger Things
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things' Conformity Gate continues with its wildest theory yet, and it's all about Balatro for some reason
Winona Ryder as Joyce and Noah Schnapp as Will in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things season 5 finale explained: who dies, does it set up a spin-off and what happens to Eleven?
Finn Wolfhard as Mike and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows The Duffer brothers say they know what really happened to Eleven after the Stranger Things season 5 finale
Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Sadie Sink as Max, Noah Schnapp as Will, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things creators say the finale's last few scenes were inspired by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Sadie Sink as Max, Noah Schnapp as Will, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows I love Stranger Things, but I can't help feeling short-changed by season 5's lacklustre finale
Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Movies Stranger Things nearly saw Vecna switch sides until the Duffer Brothers changed their minds
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
Millie Bobby Brown as Enola Holmes in Netflix's 2026 teaser
Netflix Sorry Stranger Things' Conformity Gate truthers, Netflix's big announcement was a 2026 trailer
(L to R) Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, and Noah Schnapp as Will Byers in Stranger Things 5.
Supernatural Shows Stranger Things season 5 finale won't deliver Game of Thrones-level carnage: "We're not trying to upset anyone"
Will, Mike, and Joyce in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things season 5 release schedule: when is episode 8 and Volume 2 on Netflix?
  1. Entertainment
  2. TV
  3. Sci-Fi Shows
  4. Stranger Things

Stranger Things season 5 trailer has fans convinced that Will Byers will be the one to defeat Vecna in a wild full circle moment

News
By Lauren Milici published 30 October 2025

Stranger Things season 5 hits Netflix on Thanksgiving

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Will and Vecna face off in the new trailer for Stranger Things 5
(Image credit: Netflix)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
0
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

The latest trailer for Stranger Things season 5 has arrived, and fans are convinced that Will Byers will be the one to beat Vecna...rather than his adoptive, super-powered sister Eleven.

There are two key factors in this new fan theory: what Vecna says to Will in the trailer, and the show's overall history with Dungeons and Dragons. In the clip, Vecna (Jamie Campbell-Bower) grabs Will and says: "William, you are going to help me. One... last... time." When was the first time? Well, when the Mind Flayer possessed him in season 2 and used him as a way to infiltrate Hawkins. This is all but outwardly stated in season 4, which is when we actually meet Vecna, but he's been here the entire time. Vecna needs Will, because the two share a strange internal link. In one of the final scenes in the Stranger Things 4 finale, Will tells the gang that he could feel Vecna was still alive – badly hurt, but still alive.

"Will is 100% beating Vecna, I don’t care what anyone says, he probably has powers or something," one fan wrote. A few other commenters agreed, and this would explain Will's weird connection to Vecna.

You may like
  • Will (Noah Schnapp) and Robin (Maya Hawke) in Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 First Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 clip features a new plan to take down Vecna
  • Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, David Harbour as Hopper and Linnea Berthelsen as Kali in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 Stranger Things season 5 part 2 ending explained: who dies, what is the Upside Down, and how does it set up the finale
  • Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel in Stranger Things season 5 Stranger Things season 5 originally included a scene where Hopper and Joyce discussed their connection to Vecna

The other factor is that Will is the Wizard of Mike, Dustin, and Lucas's various Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. As one fan pointed out, 'Wish' is the strongest spell that a Wizard can cast. "Wishing that a villain were dead might propel you forward in time to a period when that villain is no longer alive, effectively removing you from the game," the fan explained.

There is also the overall trope that, because Will has been a victim of Vecna since season 1, it only makes sense for him to become the hero in season 5. “Because the story really began with Will and his disappearance, it felt, in order to go full circle, it needed to really end with him in so many ways," co-creator Matt Duffer told Entertainment Weekly.

It's also worth noting that the trailer uses the Queen song 'Who Wants to Live Forever,' which was written for the 1986 fantasy-adventure film Highlander. In the world of Highlander, beings known as immortals can quite literally feel when another one of their kind is nearby. This special ability is known as 'The Buzz,' and the strength of the sensation depends on the power of the immortal nearby. As we previously posited, Highlander could be a clue: Will his internal connection to Vecna be the key to beating him once and for all? We'll just have to wait and see.

Stranger Things seasons 1-4 are streaming now on Netflix. While we wait for Stranger Things season 5 to premiere on November 26, check out our picks of the best Netflix shows for some viewing inspiration.

CATEGORIES
Netflix Streaming Services
Lauren Milici
Lauren Milici
Social Links Navigation
Senior Entertainment Writer

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Will (Noah Schnapp) and Robin (Maya Hawke) in Stranger Things season 5 volume 1
Sci-Fi Shows First Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 clip features a new plan to take down Vecna
 
 
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, David Harbour as Hopper and Linnea Berthelsen as Kali in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things season 5 part 2 ending explained: who dies, what is the Upside Down, and how does it set up the finale
 
 
Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Movies Stranger Things season 5 originally included a scene where Hopper and Joyce discussed their connection to Vecna
 
 
Will Byers and Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Supernatural Shows Where is the Mind Flayer? What is Vecna really planning with the Abyss, and 6 other questions I need answered in the Stranger Things season 5 finale
 
 
Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Movies Stranger Things nearly saw Vecna switch sides until the Duffer Brothers changed their minds
 
 
Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows Vecna star Jamie Campbell Bower thinks his Stranger Things season 5 fate is "the ending the show deserves"
 
 
Latest in Sci Fi Shows
Ed Warren banishing a demon in The Conjuring: Last Rites
Sci-Fi Shows The Last of Us season 3 adds Lanterns and The Conjuring stars to cast
 
 
Sam Witwer as Darth Maul in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord
Star Wars TV Shows Animated spin-off Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is the franchise's first "cops and robbers" story
 
 
Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka in Pluribus
Sci-Fi Shows Vince Gilligan initially planned for the Pluribus cast to be naked, but "we're not working for HBO"
 
 
The main cast of Firefly, from left to right: Adam Baldwin as Jayne; Jewel Staite as Kaylee; Ron Glass as Book; Sean Maher as Simon; Morena Baccarin as Inara; Nathan Fillion as Mal; Gina Torres as Zoe; Alan Tudyk as Wash, and Summer Glau as River.
Sci-Fi Shows 24 years after it was canceled, Firefly is back – this time as an animated series
 
 
Doctor Who Maureen O'Brien
Sci-Fi Shows Lost Doctor Who episodes, featuring the early Dalek appearances, have been found after 60 years - and they will air soon
 
 
Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Sadie Sink as Max, Noah Schnapp as Will, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things season 5 Netflix views are behind season 4, with no real chance of overtaking
 
 
Latest in News
Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot
Action Games Death Stranding 2's PC port brings a harder difficulty mode, new live-action scenes, and much more, Hideo Kojima teases
 
 
Zendaya and Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home
Superhero Movies Zendaya has seen a "good amount" of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and "feels very good about it"
 
 
Macduff running from a monster during the upcoming PS5 game, Crimson Desert.
RPGs Crimson Desert finally gets a PS5 showcase, but not everyone is abandoning their Cyberpunk 2077 launch fears just yet
 
 
Wolf in Sekiro: No Defeat
Anime Movies Sekiro: No Defeat trailer is everything I could possibly want from a Sekiro anime
 
 
Dune 2 review
Sci-Fi Movies Dune 3 character posters reveal the first look at Robert Pattinson's shapeshifting villain
 
 
Nvidia DLSS 5 version of Grace from Resident Evil Requiem
Games Bethesda says Nvidia's new DLSS 5 AI filter "will all be under our artists' control, and totally optional for players"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot
    1
    Death Stranding 2's PC port brings a harder difficulty mode, new live-action scenes, and much more, Hideo Kojima teases
  2. 2
    Crimson Desert finally gets a PS5 showcase, but not everyone is abandoning their Cyberpunk 2077 launch fears just yet
  3. 3
    Zendaya has seen a "good amount" of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and "feels very good about it"
  4. 4
    Dune 3 character posters reveal the first look at Robert Pattinson's shapeshifting villain
  5. 5
    Sekiro: No Defeat trailer is everything I could possibly want from a Sekiro anime

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...