William "Will" Byers , [4] [5] portrayed by Noah Schnapp , is a main character in Stranger Things , having a recurring but pivotal role in the first season , before being promoted to the main cast from the second season onward. Will tried his best to escape, but the creature cornered him, transporting him to its home dimension. For a week, Will evaded the creature while his family and friends desperately searched for him; he found a way to communicate with his mother Joyce across dimensions by manipulating electricity.
Will was eventually captured by the creature and taken to the other dimension's version of the public library , where he was strung up and attached to a mysterious alien vine. Joyce and the local chief of police, Jim Hopper , travelled into the alternate dimension via an interdimensional gateway at Hawkins National Laboratory , and finally managed to locate Will.
He was taken to hospital to recover, where he reunited with his family and friends. Although Will returned to his old life in Hawkins, his time in what his friends called "The Upside Down" had left a mark on his psyche; he began to experience visions of the two worlds flickering in and out of existence.
Sam Owens , who dismissed Will's visions as a consequence of trauma. However, his visions proved to be of a much stranger and more sinister nature.
Will began to see a gigantic spider-like creature looming in the skies of the Upside Down, and despite his best efforts to resist, became possessed by the entity. The creature, which Will's friends dubbed the "Mind Flayer", exploited its connection to Will to manipulate Owens and the scientists at Hawkins Lab, resulting in many deaths and casualties at the facility.
