[Spoiler]’s New Powers in Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1 Ending Explained

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 wraps up with a jaw-dropper that flips the power dynamics in Hawkins, and it’s all on one key character.

After years of being the squad’s emotional anchor and the Upside Down’s unlucky target, Will Byers finally steps into a role that’s both dangerous and shocking.

What powers does Will have in Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1’s ending and how?

The big mid-season finale, titled “Sorcerer,” shows fans that Will now has powers almost identical to Vecna’s. In one scene, he freezes three Demogorgons in their tracks, each one attacking Mike, Lucas, and Robin in different parts of Hawkins.

Similar to Vecna, Will snaps the monsters’ limbs with the same brutal technique we’ve seen before. Once it’s over, he returns to normal.

One small detail ties it all together. Will’s nose starts bleeding right after. Longtime fans know that it’s psychic overload. However, the show hints that Will didn’t have such powers but was able to exercise them after connecting to Vecna’s psychic network.

Since Henry Creel was Brenner’s original test subject, Will copying his abilities makes it pretty clear he’s drawing power from their long-standing mental connection.

Earlier this season, Will came clean about the fact that his connection to Vecna and the Upside Down never went away. The closer he gets to Hawkins, the stronger it gets, making him able to sense Vecna.

Since everything in the Upside Down runs on Vecna’s hive-mind system, Will’s link works like a two-way walkie-talkie. Vecna used to peek through him, but now the tables have turned. Will can read the signals, understand what Vecna sees, and use that to his advantage against the villlan.

Mike accidentally mentioned this earlier in the season when he joked that Will was a “sorcerer.” At the time, it sounded like friendly encouragement, but now it seems to make perfect sense.

Robin also pointed out that Will might be acting like a receiver, which finally made him confront all those visions he kept running from. Once he stopped, he was able to access the hive mind and use Vecna-level powers, ultimately saving the squad.