WILL BYERS
Age: 17
Status: Human - Echo sensitive
Affiliation: The Party
Residence: Wheeler House, Hawkins
Pronouns: He/Him
⭐️ OVERVIEW
Will Byers has always been a lover. After being abducted into the Upside Down, it became clear that he can also be a fighter. He fought for his friends, he fought for his family, but above all, he fought to live. The whole town seemed to know Will was different long before he did. Now it’s true in more ways than one. He’s walking the line between being terrified to share with his loved ones while feeling an increased longing to tell the truth about who he is.
🧠 PERSONALITY
Will is a compassionate, creative, and resourceful person. He can be insecure, withdrawn, and evasive when it seems like someone is getting too close to the secrets that he’d rather stay hidden. He’s perceptive when it comes to other people but often uncomfortable when the focus is shifted to him. Will is dedicated to what he cares about including his family, friends, and art.
🔥 CURRENT ARC (ECHOES)
Will is torn between acknowledging who he is and continuing to hide. Historically, hiding has worked for him. However, the Echoes seem to be getting stronger and more common every time he turns around. With everything else going on, it feels self-centered to turn the focus onto himself. Besides Jane, he’s the one that has the most experience with being connected to the Upside Down. He doesn’t have all the answers, but he knows all too well what it feels like to be disconnected from reality and scared of your own body. To feel trapped. Hunted. He’ll do anything he can to help his town survive this.
🔮 ECHO TIE
Will is highly Echo sensitive. He sometimes sees others’ memories in dreams or visions, most notably a memory of Jane’s mother. His connection to the hive mind never feels far away. He’s experienced vivid nightmares of Eddie’s death, and he feels what Billy feels, especially heightened if they are physically close to one another. He once got stuck in a loop for what felt like hours, reliving the fight he and Mike had over D&D and his subsequent destruction of Castle Byers.
🧩 RELATIONSHIPS
MIKE WHEELER
Mike was Will’s first best friend. Throughout their friendship, Mike has always looked out for him and protected him, showing him care and gentleness in a way that felt rare for adolescent boys. The natural leader and heart of the party, Will’s admiration for him has always been present. Although it may change shape over the years, Will values their friendship more than anything. He makes a point of being there to support if Mike needs him while also standing back and letting him shine when he doesn’t. Mike is one of his favorite people, and no matter what happens, Will can’t see that changing.
EL / JANE HOPPER
Ever since she moved in with the Byers, Will has viewed Jane as a sister. Sometimes, people have even mistaken them for twins upon hearing that they’re siblings. She’d saved his life when she was just a kid before they’d even met. Although he’s experienced some jealousy of her regarding her close relationship with Mike in the past, he eventually learned how to deal with it in a healthy way. He makes it a point to introduce her to all of his favorites and classics. Jane has been through the most out of all of them, but she’s unfailingly kind and selfless. Will wants to protect her from experiencing any more pain.
LUCAS SINCLAIR
Lucas was the next friend Will made when he was little. Lucas, Mike, and him were like three peas in a pod for quite some time. Will appreciates Lucas’ practical nature and thinks that he probably has the most emotional intelligence out of the original four of the party. Lucas is a grounding presence, but he’s not afraid of taking a risk when the situation seems to call for it. Will admires his bravery and ingenuity, and he thinks it’s really sweet how open Lucas is with his love for Max. Will can always be found in the crowd for Lucas’ basketball games.
DUSTIN HENDERSON
When Dustin moved to Hawkins, he was like the last puzzle piece that he, Mike, and Lucas didn’t even realize they were missing. Will was immediately struck by how incredibly cool Dustin was. He’d go off on sizable monologues about whatever topic had most recently and thoroughly interested him. He’s always admired Dustin’s confidence and they’ve bonded over the fact that neither of their dads are around, but they’re super close with their moms. Dustin’s easily one of the smartest people he knows, and Will wouldn’t be surprised if he became a renowned professional in whichever field he chose.
MAX MAYFIELD
Max zoomed into their lives right around the time he was possessed by the Mind Flayer, so Will didn’t get a chance to get to know her very well right away. Then they hit that stage where everyone was getting into dating, and Will really had no idea how he was supposed to interact with girls. Over time, she and Will grew a bit closer, and he finds her tendency to tell things as she sees them to be pretty refreshing. There’s no bullshitting Max. She’s one of the best examples he’s seen of being unapologetically herself. Whether or not she’s dating Lucas, Will considers her to be a valued member of the party.
NANCY WHEELER
It definitely felt a little weird when Nancy went from simply being Mike’s older sister to taking on the dual role of being Jonathan’s first girlfriend. Still, anyone could see how happy she made him, and that was all Will really wanted for his big brother. Nancy’s another person Will looks up to because of how dynamic Nancy is as a person. She can shoot an interdimensional monster and turn around to ace a Chemistry test and edit a piece for the next day’s school newspaper. Will admires her ability to keep a cool head no matter how scary the circumstances might be.
EDDIE MUNSON
You ever have those people where you’re not sure if you want to be with them or be them? Anyway, Will thinks everything about this guy is pretty cool. He really admires how confident Eddie seems in knowing exactly who he is and not seeming to feel a need to hide or conform or anything. The only problem? He keeps having nightmares where Eddie dies. He hasn’t mentioned it yet because he doesn’t want to be an alarmist, but every time he has this particular nightmare, it’s the same scene. No matter how hard Dustin sobs or how loud he screams, Eddie is just… Gone.
BILLY HARGROVE
A connection Will would really rather not have if he’s being honest. Feeling what Billy feels is inconvenient at best, agonizing at worst. It makes it difficult to hold a grudge against him when he has insights about Billy that he never had before. That doesn’t absolve Billy of his crimes, but they’re the only two people who know what it’s like to be possessed by the Mind Flayer. Safe to say it’s complicated.
JIM HOPPER
The guy who helped save his life and actually stuck around afterward even when he had no obligation to. The will they/won’t they bit with his mom is a little weird, and even if they do ever make it official, it’s not like he’ll be calling Hop dad. Still, if Jonathan’s the closest thing Will’s had to a proper dad, then Hopper’s the second closest. It’s nice to see how he is with Jane because he actually chose to be her dad rather than having the choice forced upon him. He’s no nonsense and gruff, but he’d walk through fire for anyone he cares about, and it shows.
JOYCE BYERS
If there’s one thing he knows about his mom, it’s that she never gives up. She will always find him. She can be scatterbrained and hyper, but you’ll never find someone that works as hard as her. Okay, she and Jonathan are tied. Will’s mom has always supported and encouraged him and got after Lonnie anytime he tried to make Will feel small. After he was taken into the Upside Down, she became a bit overprotective. However, she does allow him to live his life for the most part. She taught him unconditional love, and he’s pretty sure no one on the planet loves him as much as she does except maybe…
JONATHAN BYERS
His big brother. His first best friend. The “man of the house” after Lonnie left that didn’t get disappointed in Will when he wasn’t interested in “things a regular boy should like”. Jonathan protected him from everything he was able to. He knows Jonathan had taken a few hits that should have been Will’s before Lonnie finally left them alone. Will has looked up to Jonathan for as long as he’s been able to look up. Jonathan always shows him the coolest music and makes the best mixtapes. More than that, Will knows he can trust Jonathan with anything.
🕳️ ECHO INCIDENTS INVOLVING WILL
Will has experienced other peoples’ memories in dreams or visions, notably a memory of Jane’s mom. He has had vivid nightmares of Eddie’s death. He is linked to Billy and can feel what he feels. His connection to the hive mind remains, and he can tell that things are starting to stir again but has no idea what they’re going to do about it this time.
🎣 BIG HOOK
He’s had vivid nightmares of Eddie’s death on several occasions. He’s psychically connected to Billy. He is very Echo sensitive and his connection to Vecna and the hive mind will likely continue to grow. Now it’s just a matter of whether or not he will be able to remain in control.
