Did Will Byers Create the Upside Down Hawkins in Stranger Things?

Fans of Stranger Things have always been curious about the existence of the Upside Down, mainly its Hawkins counterpart. Does the Upside Down version of the human dimension only exist in Hawkins or does it extend to other parts of the world? Whether there is another Upside Down elsewhere, the question on most people’s minds is how it was created in the first place. Some fans suggest it has something to do with a young Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and his disappearance in 1983.

Unlike Barbara “Barb” Holland (Shannon Purser) who died after being abducted by a Demogorgon, Will survived a whole week in the Upside Down on his own. Although Stranger Things fans have yet to see how things went down the other dimension when he went missing, it has been implied that Will did his best to run and hide from the monsters after him. Many fans also assume Will Byers had powers that allowed him to stay alive. Could these potential powers have possibly given him the ability to create a version of Hawkins in the Upside Down?

How Will Stranger Things Season 5 Explain Will’s Vanishing and Connection to Vecna?

Will’s connection to the Upside Down and Vecna need to be explained in Stranger Things season 5. But the Duffers have hinted a lot already.

The Upside Down Is Stuck on the Day Will Byers Vanished

In Stranger Things season 4, episode 7, “Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab,” Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) attempts to get the guns she hid in her room. Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke), and Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) are just as lost as Nancy is when she realizes that everything in her room is how it looked in the past. Since the Upside Down is a replica of Hawkins, the group assumes it’s merely a version of their small town set in a different dimension. However, it turns out that wasn’t the case.

When Nancy can’t find her hidden firearms, she scans her room, seeing everything that is no longer supposed to be there, including the old flashcards she had in season 1 when Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) visited her. However, the item that confirmed her suspicions that everything was frozen in time was her diary. Although it’s supposed to be full of entries, the last one she made was dated years ago, on November 6, 1983 — the day Will went missing and the gate opened.

Many people started questioning why Upside Down Hawkins was stuck on the day that Will disappeared. Some theorize that a young Will was seeking something familiar while trying to hide and survive from the interdimensional monsters. So, whether or not he did it consciously, he ended up bending reality, creating a version of Hawkins that he knew like the palm of his hand. Since Will wasn’t rescued until a few days later, it would make sense that the Hawkins they see in the Upside Down is still frozen on the day he made it.

The Upside Down Also Has a Place Called Dimension X

If Will potentially created the Upside Down version of Hawkins, what does that say about the domain of Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower)? Stranger Things season 4 showed the audience a new side of the Upside Down that had never been explored. This space or dimension that Vecna uses as his home base has been connected to him long before the events of the main series. This connection was examined in an article by GQ that details the plot of the official stage play set in the Stranger Things universe known as Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

When the Creel family still lived in Nevada, a mysterious incident led to Henry Creel (Raphael Luce), Vecna’s old identity, getting lost in Dimension X. His time there altered his blood and enabled the forces of the Mindflayer to control him, making Henry or Vecna what Dustin calls the “Mindflayer’s five-star general.” In the series, it seems like Vecna controls the creatures in the other dimension. However, the prequel explains that it’s the other way around, and the Mindflayer has been using Vecna as the key to his nefarious plans.

001’s Flashback From 1979 Shows Dimension X, Not the Upside Down

A tragedy dated September 8, 1979, was detailed in Stranger Things, season 4, episode 7, “Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab.” After 001 ruthlessly murders the test subjects, he attempts to kill Eleven as well, but fails. Eleven overpowers him and sends him off to a different dimension. Again, this is what the prequel would eventually call Dimension X. This space is entirely different from the Upside Down shown in previous seasons. The sky is orange, and there is nothing but barren land, odd creatures, and the Mindflayer.

As established, the Upside Down that the audience has seen since Stranger Things season 1 is a replica of Hawkins, from the buildings down to the objects found inside these infrastructures. The distinct differences between the two dimensions are the lack of crawling vines, deadly monsters, and a perpetually dark, night-like sky. This is the dimension that Will most likely had control over during the week he was gone.

Distinguishing between the Upside Down and Dimension X is integral to Stranger Things season 5. Although Vecna is seen resting in the Creel house on the Upside Down, he’s far more active in Dimension X. In Stranger Things season 4, episode 4, “Chapter Four: Dear Billy,” he’s surprised when Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) finds her way into his sanctuary, Dimension X. It’s implied that Max wasn’t even supposed to be there. Fans can deduce that if Will could bend reality in the Upside Down, then Vecna could do the same in Dimension X. Consider this dimension as his personal playground.

The Similarities Between Will Byers and Vecna Could Help the Heroes

It’s already been heavily hinted that Will Byers has powers, just like Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the other kids from the lab. How this plot point will play into the story or get explained down the line remains to be seen. However, it is odd that Will’s case is unique compared to other victims. He even goes through the same experience as a young Henry Creel, getting lost in another dimension which eventually gets bent to his will.

Although the two characters constantly being pitted against each other are Vecna and Eleven, Will has more potential to defeat Vecna because of their shared experiences and similarities. By using Will as the group’s trump card, the heroes of Stranger Things will find a way to defeat the evil that looms over their small town and regain peace in the Rightside Up.

Stranger Things

Stranger Things is a horror and supernatural franchise that was originally a popular show on Netflix. The viral success of the television program cause it to have its very own mobile game, Stranger Things 3: The Game, where you play one of 12 characters in a SNES-like version of Hawkins.