Credit: NetflixFor the past few weeks, fans of Stranger Things have certainly been excited with all of the news coming out regarding the fifth season of the show. Now, Netflix has confirmed that the original and highly controversial look of one of their leads will be no longer.
Netflix is currently filming season five of Stranger Things, which will be the final chapter of the Hawkins love story to the Upside Down. Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things tells the story of what happened after a telekinetic girl, Eleven, broke out of the Hawkins Lab after being held captive in an experiment that would clone one human’s powers (Henry Creel/Vecna/001) into many others.
The story has followed Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Jim Hopper (David Harbour), Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery), Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson), Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke), and Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) for multiple seasons — but now, one of those characters has been unveiled with a change.
Will Byers started off the series by getting lost in the Upside Down, and since then, he has been able to connect with Vecna and feel his presence and thoughts. Since season one, Byers has been a crucial role in the franchise and has had a signature look. For four seasons, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) has rocked the iconic bowl cut. While it looked good when Byers was a child, Will is much older now, and the bowl needs to go.
Show creator Ross Duffer shared a photo of Noah on set as Will Byers on the character’s birthday, and aside from Schnapp looking older, we can see that the pin-straight Willy Wonka-looking bowl cut now holds a natural wavy shag. In the second photo, it looks like the hair is cut even further; however, it may just be pushed back due to the pose of lying down.
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Ross has been sharing photos of the cast over the past few weeks, giving fans an insight on filming, which is expected to wrap in December 2024. Knowing that a fifth season will likely not debut until 2025.
Fandom Wire recently shared a plethora of X posts that highlight many fans thanking production for “finally” fixing Noah’s hair by removing the bowl cut. While his original look is now a thing of the past, we have seen all of the characters evolve past their introductory original looks, and now, Will can join the rest of the cast.
The post also shares a possible hint for Will’s future in Stranger Things.
Will’s vanishing sets the stage for Stranger Things in its first season, yet as the series progresses, his presence wanes.
Schnapp’s portrayal reveals the struggle of his character to reconnect with his peers upon emerging from the Upside Down, his harrowing experience haunting him well into the conclusion of Season 4, Part 2. Compounded by his lingering ties to the Upside Down and Vecna, Will Byers remains a pivotal figure, signaling potential significance for Season 5.
Schnapp’s hints at an amplified role for Will in the forthcoming season underscore his centrality to the series’ narrative arc, stating that Stranger Things “started with Will, and it’ll end with Will.” The emergence of a photo featuring Schnapp and a younger actor suggests forthcoming flashbacks, potentially revisiting pivotal moments from Will’s past — especially considering the fact that the actor next to him is covered in dots that actors have when CGI will be involved. We saw this happen with Eleven in season 4, so using a younger actor to CGI the original child-like appearance is nothing new to the series.
This, coupled with Schnapp’s attire mirroring his Season 1 look, suggests a deeper exploration of Will’s earlier struggles, hinting at further challenges ahead for the character in the upcoming season.
Will’s potential return to the past could stem from various factors, though few appear promising. It’s worth noting Max Mayfield’s encounter with resurfaced memories while facing Vecna in Stranger Things Season 4. Considering Will’s link to the Upside Down, he might undergo a comparable ordeal.
On top of that, the Stranger Things account shared the opening script scene for the final season. The verbiage depicts: “Darkness. The sound of cold wind, groaning trees, and a child’s voice singing a familiar song”. If we think back to Will in season 1, there was a song that he often sang, Should I Stay or Should I Go.
👀 #strangerthingsday pic.twitter.com/sREWwbHkdo
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) November 7, 2023
Knowing that Will is set to hold a bigger role in the show, in combination with the photo, the script tease, season 4 ending with Will still feeling Vecna, and the fact that season 4 used a lot of flashbacks to explore the truth of the storyline and what is going on, it seems probable that we will be traveling back to season 1 with Will in the Upside Down.
The Duffer brothers have also revealed that the ending of the story has been set for a long time, so it would have to connect to the origin: “We like to look at each season as kind of its own complete story,” Matt Duffer explained. “We do have a pretty large mythology … and to Netflix’s credit, they pressured us to make sure we had this mythology hammered out. And each season by season, we’re turning the page and revealing a bit more and more. So, we do have a general sense of where we’re going. We’ve known the ending of the show for quite a while.”
While Schnapp will hold a larger role, some fans have called for a boycott, according to News Week.
Following the initial Hamas attack, Schnapp, shared his views on the conflict via Instagram. His statement, “You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism,” caused controversy. He also acknowledged that Hamas does not represent all Palestinians and called for peace from both sides.
As the conflict continued, Schnapp faced criticism for posting a social media video featuring stickers proclaiming “Zionism is Sexy.” The term Zionism encompasses various interpretations politically and historically, but in a contemporary context, it generally signifies support for the state of Israel.
Will ended his story last season knowing that Vecna was close by, while further diving into his deeper feelings for best friend Mike.
While some may have issues with Schnapp, it does not seem that the Duffer brothers are allowing politics to alter their story.
What do you think of Will Byer’s new look?