Unanswered Questions and Theories on ST Volume 2
There are soooo many character-based questions left hanging after Volume 2 of ST5. A huge chunk of these episodes is devoted to explaining the origin and structure of the Upside Down, but I think there’s still one massive question the show hasn’t really answered:
Why did Will go missing on November 6, 1983?
In episode 7, the group talks through the wormhole theory that Hawkins and the Abyss are connected via the Upside Down. And this connection is supposedly stabilized by exotic matter created at Hawkins Lab.
Now, it's been established that wormholes are extremely unstable and the “exotic matter” explanation feels… extremely hand-wavy. I know I’m not alone in feeling unsatisfied by Dustin’s “it was created by science” explanation in episode 6. It strips away a lot of the eldritch mystery of the Upside Down and doesn’t really hold up under scrutiny.
Did Brenner create exotic matter after Eleven made contact with Henry in the Abyss? If the government understood that the exotic matter was essential to stabilizing the Upside Down, why do we later see evidence of the soldiers actively disturbing it at Hawkins Lab? Even the characters themselves made comments that something feels missing, like there’s another piece to the puzzle that would make all of this actually make sense.
And, as usual, I think that missing piece is Will.
The show suggests the Upside Down was created the moment Eleven psychically connected with Henry while he was in the Abyss. But then… why was Will taken that same day?
From Holly’s memories, we see that Henry stalks his victims days before taking them. It’s a consistent pattern. But that pattern completely breaks with Will if Henry’s connection to Hawkins didn’t begin until Eleven intervened. Will is taken immediately. Henry needs Will for some purpose the day the Upside Down is created.
We also know that the 12 missing children were taken to serve as vessels for Henry’s power, to amplify it so he could merge Hawkins and the Abyss. Henry tells the children they have untapped abilities of their own, implying their powers already exist and that he siphons them like the Mind Flayer did with Eleven in season 3.
So, if Henry targets children because of their powers... what about Will?
Henry reveals to Will that he had been 'the Builder' of the tunnels back in season 2, connecting to the Hive Mind and using the vines to create the tunnels under Hawkins. However, it seems unlikely that this is the only purpose Will has served Henry throughout the years. If Will were only useful as a one-time tool and the occasional spy, there’d be little reason to keep him alive (especially now that Will is actively working against him).
Which brings me back to the theory I want to double down on: Will shaped the Upside Down.
At the very least, I think Will’s powers are being used to maintain the stability of the wormhole between Hawkins and the Abyss (which is why he was taken Nov 6th, to keep the connection between worlds stable).
There’s a scene where Max talks about Henry’s fear of certain memories, and it begins and ends with a shot that aligns Will’s head with the exotic energy in the diagrams of the wormhole. That framing feels like foreshadowing, suggesting that the exotic energy wasn’t created by scientists, but by Will.
His powers are what keep the connection open. And the lingering shots of him studying the whiteboard, his face in focus with the diagrams before him, make it feel like he’s starting to realize it too.
So if Will is the Builder of the Upside Down, does that mean he has to die to sever the connection?
Maybe. I could see the show pulling a temporary death, just long enough to break the link. But I refuse to believe in a world without Will Byers!
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