While Stranger Things had a number of key characters over the course of its run, one of its most important characters in season 1 was Will Byers, as he was the one trapped in the Upside Down. Fast forward to season 5, and Will once again became an important character in the fight against Vecna, but there was still a problem with his story and his ending that couldn’t be fixed, and now Stranger Things has managed to fix both.
This is thanks to Netflix’s new spinoff series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, which takes place in the past between seasons 2 and 3. Due to its timeframe, the show had an opportunity to not only address and fix a key issue with Will’s story, but also put a few elements in place that improve Will’s ending arc in season 5, and that’s partly due to the addition of a brand new character named Nikki.
Nikki Baxter is the newest addition to the Stranger Things franchise, and soon after she starts school in Hawkins, she ends up almost being captured by a strange and deadly new creature. From that point on, we start to see her learn about the other characters’ stories, and once she learns about Will’s story, she instantly becomes a source of empowerment for him.
If you’ve watched Will’s journey from the first season to the last, it’s really a tale of two bookends, as he is relegated largely to the background during the seasons in between. Even when he gets a spotlight, it’s mostly about protecting him and him processing his internal fears. Tales From ’85 and Nikki’s introduction change this immensely, and they start to push Will towards not only facing his fears but also growing beyond them, and you start to see this dynamic form in a major way during episode 3.
Nikki is the person who turns the phrase zombie boy from an insult to a badge of honor for Will, and she’s also the one who talks to him about his inner strength. Nikki puts Will’s journey into perspective in a way no one else ever really does until the fifth season, and that’s how impressive it is that he’s survived all of the things he’s been through and still taken on and thrived in the ordinary life challenges of going to high school.
That leads to a great moment where Nikki gives Will a hammer from a carnival, and this comes into play later when the group is almost eaten by a grotesque monster. Will initially runs away while saying “not again”, and you think he’s left his friends in fear. That all changes when he returns with the hammer Nikki gave him, and he’s able to free the group and help them run off the monster.
When the fight is over, Nikki tells Will, “I told you you were a rockstar”, and that dynamic only continues as the series moves forward. We even see Nikki later make him a custom weapon that utilizes a part of the broken hammer, and it’s a weapon fit for a hero who has conquered so much in his young life.
This was the sort of character development that Will never received in the series until right at the very end, but having this additional insight only makes his ending arc even better, and as a longtime fan of the series, it’s amazing that he got some overdue spotlight.
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is now streaming on Netflix.
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