Ross Duffer says that Noah Schnapp’s character Will is going to “tie the whole series together” during the final season of Stranger Things.
In an interview with Variety, The Duffers explained that they embarked on the gamble with the intention of readying Schnapp for the challenges awaiting his character in the fifth season. “Will really takes center stage again in 5,” says Ross. “This emotional arc for him is what we feel is going to hopefully tie the whole series together. Will is used to being the young one, the introverted one, the one that’s being protected. So part of his journey, it’s not just sexuality — it’s Will coming into his own as a young man.”
Despite his missing sparks the events of the series, Will spent much of Season 1 bedridden in the Upside Down. Seasons 2 and 3 saw Will struggle to connect with his friends after his rescue, owing in large part to how much they had been through together while attempting to save him. Will battled in Season 4 not only with the idea of being an outsider, but also with his own sexuality, which was mostly centered on his unrequited emotions for Finn Wolfhard’s Mike Wheeler.
Schnapp had been scheduled to film Season 5 during the summer, but production was put on hold due to a SAG-AFTRA strike.
Stranger Things Season 5 will release in 2025.
