One of the biggest questions leading into Stranger Things‘ final season is why did Vecna take Will in Season 1? Out of every child in Hawkins, Vecna chose the kindest, gentlest boy to torture in the Upside Down. Not only that, but Will wasn’t the only child out and about in Hawkins on the night he was missing. Lucas and Dustin were heading home as well. So what made Will so special in Vecna’s eyes?

Stranger Things gives a half-answer to this in Season 5, Episode 4, “Sorcerer,” when Will and Vecna reunite once again. While what Vecna tells Will gives some context to their fated bond, there are clearly still some things left unsaid that will probably be answered in the second volume of the fifth season. The way Stranger Things is heading in its final episodes strongly implies that Will didn’t go missing by coincidence, and there’s something deeper about him that makes him more special than every other kid in town. And it might be answered by a wild theory that makes Eleven the culprit behind Will’s trauma.

Why Did Vecna Choose Will in Season 1?

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In Season 5, Episode 4, Vecna interrupts the Party’s game plan to rescue the children he was stalking and take them out of Hawkins to safety. After sending numerous demogorgons to kill the military at the Hawkins base, terrorizing the town, the children and the rescuers, Vecna appears out of the open portal. He holds Will in front of him, explaining that he chose children to reshape the world because of their weakness in body and mind. According to Vecna, Will showed that they are the perfect vessels. Will’s sensitivity and feeling out of place among his peers was proof to Vecna that he didn’t belong in this world, but in Vecna’s mind.

The fact that Vecna made a point to say that Will broke very easily and that children are perfect vessels for his plan strongly suggests that Will has already been acting as a vessel all along. Considering Will was once a spy-host for the Mind Flayer in Season 2, and can strongly sense and control the demogorgons, Will might have been unknowingly giving Vecna more power all this time.

Much like how Dr. Brenner used a young Henry Creel to give other test subjects telepathic abilities, Henry is now doing the same to Will and several other children, but to his own advantage. To Vecna, it’s karmic justice for the abuse he suffered as a child. This would explain why Vecna tells Will in Season 5’s premiere cold open flashback: “We are going to do such beautiful things together, William.”

Vecna fully believes he can persuade Will to join his side because of their shared similarities as children. They were both quiet, creative, imaginative, and felt like outsiders. Will could’ve been specifically chosen because he reminded Henry of his younger self. But that would also require Vecna to intensely spy on Will for at least some months to understand the child. Vecna’s powers weren’t as strong in Season 1 as they are now, and he never appeared to Will as an invisible friend as he did to Holly and Derek. It might be possible that someone else caused Vecna and Will to meet.

Did Eleven Lead Vecna to Will by Accident?

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But there’s another theory circulating around the Stranger Things fandom that questions if Vecna finding Will was purely a coincidence, and someone else led him to the child. Recently, the Duffer Brothers have confirmed that demogorgons are not telepathic. This means that whatever or whoever opened the front door to the Byers residence in the series premiere wasn’t the demogorgon, but a person with telepathic powers. The only people known in the Stranger Things world who have those powers are Eleven and Vecna.

The theory (which is only one of many still open in Stranger Things) claims that Eleven was the one who opened the door after escaping Hawkins Lab. She could’ve been looking for a place to hide, but sensed the demogorgon nearby and ran away when she got scared. A more sinister theory suggests that she gave Will to the demogorgon as bait because she was Vecna’s original target. Eleven being so cruel is strongly against her nature, but it aligns with her belief in Season 1 that she was a monster and Vecna’s future statement that she “opened the door” for him.

It would definitely be wild if Eleven inadvertently helped Vecna take Will captive to save herself. It would basically mean that Will was chosen because he was the closest child nearby who somewhat resembled Eleven. There was a scene in Season 1 where a witness said Eleven could’ve been Will if he shaved his head. Some of these things might be coming back around in Season 5 for a startling revelation.

Stranger Things Season 5, Vol. 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Vol. 2 premieres December 25, and the series finale premieres December 31.