Do El and Will Share the Same Powers? Stranger Things Creators Weigh In

Stranger Things season 5 is turning the power rankings on their head, and the Duffers just cleared up the big question: how Will’s new abilities stack up against Eleven’s. Short version: Will is not Eleven 2.0. He’s something else entirely.

What the Duffers are actually saying

In a new chat with Variety, the brothers laid out that Will’s power isn’t inside him the way Eleven’s is. Instead, Will acts like a conduit for Vecna. Think of it less as superpowers and more as a very creepy remote control. Ross Duffer described it as Will channeling Vecna’s ability set — the power itself belongs to Vecna — while Matt Duffer put a finer point on it:

He taps into the hive mind, and then he can manipulate anything within the hive.

The rules (so far)

• External, not innate: Eleven’s powers come from her; Will’s are borrowed through his link to Vecna’s hive mind.
• Range matters: If Will isn’t close enough to the hive mind, he can’t access or use any of it.
• No Upside Down, no powers: The Duffers say this connection exists because Will was taken there. Without that, none of this happens.
• Puppeteer energy: When he does connect, he can manipulate creatures plugged into the hive.
• This has been brewing: The brothers have talked about giving Will powers since basically forever, and we even saw a darker, unintentional version of it in season 2 when he was tied to Vecna’s influence.

Episode 4 is the game-changer

The season 5 episode 4 climax is where it all clicks. Vecna literally lifts Will into the air and sneers, "You broke so easily. You showed me what was possible." That mind game snaps Will into something new. By reaching back into personal memories, he cracks open the connection and takes the wheel: Demogorgons freeze, he puppets them telepathically, sees through their eyes, and then ends them by snapping their limbs. And yes, the button on the scene is Will wiping a nosebleed. The Eleven echo is not subtle.

Making the moment land

Because Will’s turning point is so internal, the Duffers added flashbacks to make the emotional shift readable on screen. Instead of face-replacing or de-aging, they brought back the younger actors to play those memories. Matt Duffer was blunt about why: "It would’ve been extremely expensive, and also look creepy." Fair. The brothers say the whole arc is meant to reflect Will’s growth and self-acceptance, not just level him up for spectacle.

So no, Will didn’t just wake up with matching powers. He’s plugged into Vecna’s network, with all the strength and all the limits that come with it. As season 5 ramps up, expect that proximity rule — and how close Will is willing to get — to matter a lot.