Will’s Biggest Season 5 Scene Took Longer to Write Than Any in Stranger Things History — and Even the Duffer Brothers Are Nervous
Matt and Ross Duffer hint that Will isn’t done stealing the show in Stranger Things 5, teasing a second, game-changing moment that could shake Hawkins all over again.
Warning: Massive Stranger Things season 5 spoilers ahead. If you are not caught up and want to go in clean, back out now.
Vol. 2 throws a kitchen sink at Hawkins: wild stakes, big lore swings, and one character beat the Duffers have clearly been saving. Quick hits before we get to the main event:
- Nancy almost triggered an end-of-the-world scenario
- Dustin finally cracked what the Upside Down actually is
- Max made it back to her physical body
- And Will, at long last, came out to his friends and family to break Vecna’s hold
The scene the Duffers obsessed over
According to Matt and Ross Duffer, Will’s coming out wasn’t just a big moment for the characters; it was the single most painstaking scene to write in the whole five-season run. They told Variety they agonized over getting it right and were especially nervous handing the pages to Noah Schnapp, because the scene had to feel truthful to him.
"We were so concerned about getting it right... we were definitely nervous about how it’s going to go over with everyone. But not as nervous as we were handing it over to [Will Byers actor] Noah [Schnapp]. Because ultimately, it needed to resonate and be truthful for him. We really were writing it to and for Noah. He wrote us sobbing after he read it."
Ross added that this was originally slated for season 4, but all the Vecna groundwork swallowed so much real estate that they pulled it. In hindsight, they’re glad they waited; it let them aim an entire season at this one moment. Vol. 1 showed Will beginning to accept himself, but his secret was still there, and Vecna was poking at it. Early outlines had Will confiding only in Joyce, but the scene just didn’t land until they realized it had to happen in front of everyone, with Joyce still an important part of it.
How it plays in the episode
It all happens in episode 7, officially titled 'The Bridge.' Will gathers the whole crew at The Squawk’s HQ — Joyce, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Eleven, and the rest — and finally says what he’s been holding in since, well, forever. He explains why he always felt a step removed from his D&D buddies, then says it out loud.
"I haven’t told any of you this, because I don’t want you to see me differently. But the truth is, I am. I am different. I don’t like girls. I mean, I do, just not like you guys do."
"Vecna keeps showing me how it goes after I say it. Some of you worry about me. Some of you pull away. I’m alone, and I know none of that has happened and I know Vecna can’t see into the future but he can’t see into our minds, and he knows things, and it felt so real."
Joyce doesn’t let that spiral stand — she cuts in to promise that nightmare version of events is not happening — and Jonathan quickly backs her up. Then the rest of the group chimes in, closing ranks around Will instead of drifting away. It’s simple, it’s direct, and it hits like it’s supposed to.
Stranger Things season 5 Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are streaming now.