After the first batch of Stranger Things 5 episodes, there are a lot of theories circulating. From the real truth about the Upside Down to the fate of our heroes trapped there, fans have far more questions right now than answers. One theory in particular revolves around the possibility that Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) may lose something near and dear to him after taking over Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) abilities and borrowing them for his own.

Will Byers Might Lose an Eye By the End of ‘Stranger Things’

Image via Netflix

There’s been a major theory regarding Will Byers that has been wandering around the internet lately. It appears that Stranger Things 5 may be gearing up to pull a Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the eleventh hour by removing at least one of Will’s eyes before the series comes to a close. Indeed, the show may have been foreshadowing this twist for quite some time. As far back as Season 2, Mr. Clarke (Randy Havens) taught his students about Phineas Gage, a man who survived an incident in which an iron rod was shoved through his skull. It was a statistical impossibility, and yet, his survival was miraculous. However, what’s especially important to note about Gage was that, although he walked away from the injury, his personality was drastically altered as a result. It’s easy to see how Will fits into this.

The fifth and final season begins with a flashback to the first, splicing Will’s survival in the Upside Down (which we had seen previously) with his abduction by the Demogorgon at Vecna’s beck and call. This is the event that connects him on an otherworldly level to Henry Creel; it’s ultimately what gives Will the ability to tap into Vecna’s powers at the end of Vol. 1. While Season 2 already sees that personality shift in Will due to being possessed by the Mind Flayer (and some have speculated that he may still be changing inwardly in ways that suggest he is still not fully his own), Stranger Things never pursued the missing eye possibility any further, at least until now.

Throughout Season 5, there have been various shots where Will is only seen with one eye. Everything from door frames to bursting piping to the sides of parked cars obscures one of his eyes in favor of the other. It’s a curious shot composition that, when juxtaposed with Mr. Clarke’s words from the second season — the last time that Will was actually pivotal to the plot — implies more than just interesting framing decisions. Maybe the Duffer Brothers have been layering in this foreshadowing all along. Maybe Will has survived Vecna in Volume 1 because he’ll face the monster again in the future and leave with a different battle scar.

What Does the “Eye of Vecna” Reveal About Will’s Possible Fate in ‘Stranger Things’?

Image via Netflix

Now, this could all be simple imagery meant to simply highlight Will’s new powers and his ability to see through Vecna’s sight. It may be that these cinematographic compositions were purely meant to lead to the reveal that Will can not only see through Vecna and his minions, but also utilize his powers as well. However, it could also be referencing something more sinister. In being able to see through Vecna’s eyes (and those of the eyeless Demogorgons as well), Will gives our heroes an edge in the battle against the Upside Down. So, just as Vecna and Demogorgon are both terms that come from Dungeons & Dragons, there’s also an “Eye of Vecna” that may be important to Will’s future.

In D&D, the Eye of Vecna is a powerful artifact that can only be used if one removes one’s own eye beforehand, replacing it with Vecna’s. This grants the user incredible powers, which certainly translates to what we saw in “Chapter 4: Sorcerer.” But while Will can already use Vecna’s powers by tapping into the dark lord’s mind, there’s no doubt that Henry/One will soon catch on. It’s possible that, in a twist of D&D lore, the Duffers could have Vecna take revenge on Will by removing his eye and therefore his power to spy on the overlord’s happenings in the Upside Down. This would be a reversal of the way the Eye of Vecna usually works, but it could flip the script just enough to keep things interesting. It would also be a huge blow to everyone involved.

‘Stranger Things 5’ Has a Lot To Address Before the Finale

Will Byers has been an interesting character in that he was incredibly pivotal early on in the show, only to fall to the wayside in the third and fourth seasons. Season 5 appears to be rectifying that by elevating his importance in the narrative and directly tying his abduction back in Season 1 to the events of the final batch of episodes. In coming full circle, it has chosen to retroactively shift the audience’s perception of events — such as the construction of Castle Byers, which was explained quite differently by Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) early on in the show — leading us to believe that there may be something darker at play here with Will’s powers than many have come to expect. If that’s the case, losing an eye or two may be the least of his worries.

Of course, there are still plenty of other ideas and plotlines that need to be resolved in the next batch of Stranger Things episodes before the finale. How will Max (Sadie Sink) get out of Vecna’s own personal Camazotz? Will Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) be able to convince her sister to help her in the fight against the Upside Down? Will the Wheelers pull through? And that’s not to mention all that we still don’t understand regarding the creation of the Upside Down and the role of the Mind Flayer in that alternate dimension. But whatever happens next in the Netflix original saga, we know that this will be the end of the story as it was meant to be told — we can only hope that all of our favorite characters make it out alive.

Stranger Things 5 Vol. 1 is available for streaming on Netflix, with Vol. 2 premiering December 25 before the series finale on December 31.