In Stranger Things, Vecna does not kill Will because Will is more valuable to him alive as a conduit and “vessel” than as a simple victim. Vecna underestimates Will’s inner strength and sees him as a tool rather than a real threat.
In Season 1 and 2
- When Will is first taken in 1983, he is used as an initial subject to establish a lasting psychic and physical link between a human mind and the Upside Down, which makes him useful as a host and spy rather than a target to be killed.
- This bond lets Vecna and the Upside Down track, influence, and torment Will over the next seasons, so killing him would destroy a uniquely effective connection into the human world.
Vecna’s Plan and Arrogance
- Later explanations and commentary emphasize that Vecna’s choice not to finish Will off also comes from arrogance: he views Will as weak, malleable, and controllable, assuming he can always exploit him instead of fearing him as an opponent.
- This misjudgment becomes important once Will begins to understand and push back against that connection, turning what Vecna thought was his asset into a liability for him.
Will as a “Vessel”
- Season 5 material frames Will as the prototype for Vecna’s broader plan: Will showed Vecna that children could serve as “perfect vessels,” so Vecna wants to use him one last time as an informant and component of his world‑reshaping scheme.
- Because of this, Vecna keeps Will alive not out of mercy but because he intends to harness Will’s connection and potential powers in service of his final design, only planning to discard him once that purpose is fulfilled.
