The more I think about Stranger Things, the more it feels impossible to ignore how closely it mirrors Harry Potter especially when it comes to Will Byers. At this point, Will isn’t just “the kid who went missing in season one.” He’s something darker, something more dangerous.
He’s a Horcrux.
In Harry Potter, Voldemort survives by splitting his soul and hiding pieces of himself inside objects and unknowingly, inside Harry. In Stranger Things, Vecna doesn’t split his soul, but he does something eerily similar. He connects himself to Will. He uses him as an anchor, a doorway, a living extension of his power.
And just like Harry, Will never fully escapes it.
The Curse That Never Leaves
Harry touches his forehead when Voldemort is near. Will touches the back of his neck.
Both are physical reactions, not memories. Their bodies recognize evil before their minds do. The pain isn’t symbolic, it’s a signal. A reminder that the villain is still alive and still connected to them.
The scariest part? If that connection works the same way as a Horcrux, then killing Vecna might mean killing Will too.
Harry had to “die” to destroy the piece of Voldemort inside him. Will may be facing the same impossible choice.
Will as a Sorcerer and a Horcrux
Will’s Dungeons & Dragons sorcerer character isn’t just a fun nod to fantasy it’s subtle foreshadowing of his true connection to the Upside Down.
In D&D, a sorcerer has innate power they don’t fully control, and in the show, Will has latent sensitivity to Vecna’s influence that mirrors this. He doesn’t wield this power like a wizard; instead, it manifests as pain, visions, and an unbreakable link to Vecna, making him a living Horcrux of sorts. Just as Harry carries the piece of Voldemort’s soul within him, Will carries Vecna’s reach a connection that is external, dangerous, and unavoidable. The sorcerer isn’t the source of Will’s struggle, but a reflection of the extraordinary burden he secretly bears.
Vecna, Voldemort, and the God Complex
Vecna wants twelve children to help him build a new world. Voldemort builds an army to rule the existing one. Different strategies, same belief: they see themselves as above humanity.
Voldemort creates seven Horcruxes to protect himself from death. Vecna spreads his consciousness through other people especially children with power. Both turn others into tools. Both believe emotion is weakness. Both think love is irrelevant and both are wrong.
Two Worlds Beneath One
The Upside Down functions the same way the Wizarding World does.
It exists underneath the normal world. It’s hidden, dangerous, and only visible to those who know how to see it. The rules are different. Time behaves differently. Adults deny it. Institutions ignore it. The truth lives with the kids.
Both stories argue that reality is layered and the most important battles happen where most people aren’t looking.
Will and Harry: Reluctant Chosen Ones
Neither Harry nor Will asks to be special.
Harry just wants to belong. Will just wants his childhood back.
They’re sensitive, emotional, artistic, and constantly underestimated. They survive things they shouldn’t. And instead of being celebrated for it, they carry the weight quietly. Trauma doesn’t turn them into heroes it isolates them.
Being “chosen” isn’t a gift. It’s a burden.
Friendship Is the Real Magic
What ultimately separates the heroes from the villains isn’t power it’s connection.
The Party mirrors the Golden Trio in the most important way: they refuse to let each other go. They choose loyalty over fear. Love over control. Togetherness over dominance.
Voldemort can’t love. Vecna rejects humanity. That’s why they lose.
Harry survives because his mother loved him. Will survives because his friends refuse to stop fighting for him even when it hurts.
At the heart of both Stranger Things and Harry Potter is the same truth: being chosen isn’t about power it’s about connection. Harry and Will survive not because they’re stronger than Voldemort or Vecna, but because they are surrounded by people who love them, who fight for them, who refuse to let them face the darkness alone.
The villains try to isolate, control, and dominate. The heroes gather, protect, and endure. And in that difference lies the ultimate message: the world isn’t saved by magic or manipulation it’s saved by friendship, loyalty, and the courage to care when caring is dangerous.
Will may be a Horcrux. Harry may carry the scar. Both remind us that the greatest magic isn’t in spells or powers it’s in refusing to face the darkness alone. Sometimes, surviving is the bravest form of victory.