Will Byers is the catalyst of Stranger Things. His abduction causes every event and leads every different plotline the creators follow. He’s just a kid, and he ends up going through so much that he leaves fans feeling sorry for him. However, he also does some rather questionable things that leave many hating his guts.
The hit Netflix show takes a group of young 13-year-old children and drops them into a multitude of unthinkable situations. Each character is forced to grow up quickly to save their friend who undeniably goes through an unimaginable amount of trauma after being abducted, possessed, and bullied.
Played by Noah Schnapp, Will Byers goes through one of the most interesting character development stories that Netflix has to offer. He is forced to submit to the events around him and watch his friends have the childhood he was never given. However, in his development, he is subjected to many things that leave viewers feeling bad for him, but, he often makes some choices that force people to hate him on some occasions.
Felt Bad: Being Taken To The Upside Down
When you finally see what the upside-down looks like, it is impossible to not feel shocked as well as petrified that someone is stuck in there, let alone a child.
For the main part of the first season, Will Byers is forced to run for his life whilst being hunted by a Demogorgon and countless other dangers within this deadly realm. While many feel sorry for him being trapped there, it’s after that the pity gets stronger. Understandably, his experience has a horrible effect on him, with him still having visions of the upside-down as well as spitting up weird slugs that are still manifesting in his body. It’s impossible to not feel sorry for Will when all this is happening.
Hated Him: Spying On The Group
Although it’s technically not Will who is controlling this power, you still blame him for the Mind Flayers’ power to see through Will.
It is a particularly sly move, even if Will told Mike about being able to see through the Mind Flayers’ eyes. This scene is shocking and surprising in itself, as no one expects the powers to be the other way around too, but, unfortunately, it forces viewers and characters alike to distrust Will. Everyone seems to treat him as an unwilling spy for the Mind Flayer, making it very difficult to not hate him at this point.
Felt Bad: Being Possessed By The Mind Flayer
Poor Will has been through so much at this point. He’s spent weeks in the upside-down only to return and realize that he hasn’t escaped the horrors he just lived in.
It takes a while, but the group eventually realizes that the Mind Flayer has possessed Will through a dream. Watching Will realize that his nightmare is yet to be over is a scene that breaks your heart. His possession forces him to betray his friends, hurt his family, and go against everything he stands for. It is a horrible thing to happen to such an innocent and undeserving kid, which only serves to make fans feel even worse for him.
Hated Him: Not Speaking Out
Will is initially presented as a very quiet and innocent character. However, there were so many times where he needed to tell people what was happening that it ended up harming people when he just stayed quiet about his problems.
It’s understandable that he didn’t speak out as quickly as he should have; he didn’t want to worry his friends or his family and cause them to think the horrors weren’t over. What is frustrating about Will not speaking out is that it ends up causing so many problems. When he hides the fact that he still feels connected to the upside-down, it causes the Mind Flayer to take advantage and wreak havoc on Hawkins, ultimately killing his father figure.
Felt Bad: Always Being The Victim
Poor Will is subjected to so many horrors through no fault of his own that he ends up being treated like the victim by almost everyone.
Although El goes through a lot of trauma in her life, she never comes across as a victim. Will, however, seems to consistently be victimized. First, he is abducted. After that, he experiences horrible dreams and flashes to the upside-down in which Bob tells him to confront these dreams. In doing so, he is then possessed by the Mind Flayer, forcing his loved ones to quite literally burn it out of him.
Hated Him: His Jealousy
Throughout the latter part of season two and season three, Will struggles with his friends growing up before he does. He feels left behind and abandoned by his friends despite his efforts to hang out with them.
It’s the way he does it that deters people from his character. He is jealous of his friends having the childhood that he missed out on and takes it out on them constantly. He tries to force them to play D&D whenever they all meet up, something they just aren’t into anymore, leading Will to shout at them and storm off through no fault of the group—even if they were a little blind to him feeling left out.
Felt Bad: Destroying Castle Byers
This scene saw Will finally accept that he’ll never have the normal childhood he once had. He will never be able to relive what he loved so much, and his life has changed forever. It is the end of his innocence and the destruction of his childish self.
The frustration he displays makes this scene particularly heartbreaking. His frustration with the group and his situation is entirely understandable and leaves you feeling every emotion he feels. What makes this even harder to watch is that this is one of the only times you see Will this upset, you know what that place meant to him and how huge it is that he is destroying one of the only places he felt safe, both in Hawkins and in the upside-down.
Hated Him: Forcing The Group To Play
To expand on the previous point, Will does all he can to both convince and force the group to revert to their childish ways. He ignores the boys’ problems and concerns and puts his selfish perspective on the matter.
Although you do feel bad for him and his display of how desperately he wants the friendship to last, this isn’t the way to go about it. It ends up making Will come off as rather annoying and does have a detrimental effect on the scene of him destroying Castle Byers, as, to some, he comes off as an petulant child having a tantrum.
Felt Bad: Getting The Mind Flayer ‘Burned’ Out Of Him
This scene looks beyond painful for Will. His mother and brother are forced to bind him to a table and use an obscene amount of heat to quite literally burn the Mind Flayer out of him.
You can feel the distress and pain in Will and his family as you see just how horrible this experience must be for everyone involved. This poor child is being essentially tortured by his own family to get something horrifically evil out of him. You feel bad for everyone in the room at that moment, and it is undeniably hard to watch.
Hated Him: Lashing Out At Joyce
During the scene where they are burning the Mind Flayer out of Will, he manages to use the Mind Flayers strength to break out of his restraints and grab his mother by the throat.
This is a shocking scene in which everyone present thankfully jumps to action to stop Will from potentially killing to the woman who almost drove herself crazy trying to find him. Although it wasn’t Will himself doing the strangling, the act of him reaching over and doing this to her visibly hurts Joyce both physically and emotionally. Luckily, she prevails and gets the evil creature out of her son.
