When Will Byers collapsed in the ruins of the MAC-Z military base in Hawkins, Indiana, viewers didn’t just see a boy in pain—they saw the birth of something terrifyingly new. In the season finale of Stranger Things 5, Volume 1, Vecna, the ancient entity once known as Henry Creel, didn’t just attack. He transformed. Through a brutal, intimate process called ‘flaying,’ Vecna physically rewrote Will’s biology, unlocking dormant Upside Down powers that had been simmering since Season 1. This wasn’t magic. It wasn’t luck. It was evolution—forced, violent, and irreversible.
The Flaying: A Biological Takeover
According to Nerdist’s deep-dive analysis published November 27, 2025, Vecna didn’t just connect to Will psychically—he flayed him. Literally. The term isn’t metaphorical. In the episode’s chilling flashback, Vecna peels back layers of Will’s skin—not to kill, but to rewire. His blood changes. His cells mutate. Vines sprout inside his mouth, a visual signature shared by all flayed children. It’s the same process Vecna used on himself decades ago, when the Mind Flayer invaded him in a Nevada cave. But here’s the twist: Vecna skipped the middleman. Where Dr. Martin Brenner injected Vecna’s blood into Eleven (Jane Hopper) or her mother Terry Ives at the Hawkins National Laboratory, Vecna went direct. No lab. No syringe. Just raw, biological domination.
That’s why Will’s powers feel different. They’re not telekinetic like Eleven’s. They’re organic—woven into his flesh, pulsing with the Hive Mind. When he screams in the finale, the walls of the MAC-Z base ripple like living tissue. That’s not an effect. That’s Will becoming part of the Upside Down.
The Five Flayed Children
Nerdist confirms Vecna has now flayed five children total—and he’s targeting seven. The list? Will Byers, Henry Creel (Vecna himself), and three others. The most shocking addition? Holly Wheeler, the 10-year-old daughter of Mike Wheeler and Eleven. No lab. No experiment. Just Vecna’s hand on her shoulder during a quiet moment in Season 5, Volume 1. A touch. A whisper. A transformation no one saw coming.
Each flayed child shares the same markers: a connection to the Hive Mind, blood that hums with Upside Down energy, and those telltale vine-like growths inside their mouths. It’s not a curse. It’s a lineage. Vecna isn’t just building an army—he’s creating a new species.
Why This Changes Everything
For five seasons, powers in Stranger Things were tied to Hawkins Lab. Eleven. Kali. Eight. Even Max Mayfield’s near-death experience had a scientific origin. But Will’s flaying breaks that mold. Powers are no longer the result of government experiments. They’re the result of a 200-year-old psychic entity choosing who to become. And he’s not picking the strongest. He’s picking the most willing.
“Will’s belief in himself,” Nerdist notes, “was the key.” After years of guilt, isolation, and self-doubt, Will finally stopped fighting his connection to the Upside Down. He accepted it. And in that moment of surrender, Vecna seized him. It’s a dark twist on heroism: sometimes, the only way to survive is to become the monster.
What’s Next: The Seventh Child
With five flayed, two remain. One is likely Lucas Sinclair, who showed early signs of psychic sensitivity in Season 4. The other? Possibly Joyce Byers, whose deep bond with Will and the Upside Down makes her a candidate—not as a victim, but as a conduit. The final two flayings will likely occur in Stranger Things 5, Volume 2, expected in early 2026.
And here’s the real horror: if Vecna completes his seven, he won’t just control the Upside Down. He’ll become its god. The Hive Mind won’t be a network—it’ll be a single consciousness. And it will speak through all seven flayed children at once.
Historical Precedent: The First Flaying
Vecna’s origin story—revealed in flashbacks—is crucial. As a child in Hawkins, Henry Creel was sent into Dimension X through a cave in Nevada. The Mind Flayer didn’t just possess him. It rewrote him. That’s why he’s so powerful. That’s why he’s so cruel. He remembers what it felt like to be human… and he hates it. Now, he’s giving that same gift—or curse—to others. Will Byers isn’t the first. He’s the fifth. And he won’t be the last.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Will Byers get his powers in Stranger Things 5?
Will’s powers emerged after Vecna physically flayed him during the MAC-Z base attack, altering his cellular structure and blood composition to integrate him into the Upside Down Hive Mind. Unlike Eleven, whose powers came from blood transfusions by Dr. Brenner, Will’s transformation was direct and biological—no lab, no drugs, just Vecna’s touch.
Who are the five flayed children in Stranger Things 5?
The five confirmed flayed children are Vecna (Henry Creel), Will Byers, Holly Wheeler, and two others implied through flashbacks and dialogue. Nerdist’s analysis suggests the others include early victims from Vecna’s past, possibly including children from Hawkins in the 1950s. The identities of the sixth and seventh remain unconfirmed but are expected in Volume 2.
Is Holly Wheeler really flayed? How do we know?
Yes. Nerdist’s analysis cites visual cues in Season 5, Volume 1—including a brief shot of vine-like tendrils inside Holly’s mouth during a dream sequence—and narrative parallels to Will’s transformation. The show’s creators have hinted at her latent abilities since Season 4. Her flaying confirms Vecna’s reach extends beyond lab subjects to the next generation.
What’s the difference between Vecna’s flaying and Dr. Brenner’s experiments?
Brenner used blood transfusions to artificially trigger psychic potential in children like Eleven, relying on Vecna’s genetic material as a catalyst. Vecna’s flaying bypasses all technology—it’s a direct, organic transfer of consciousness and biology. The result? More stable, more dangerous, and far more personal. The flayed don’t just have powers—they become part of Vecna.
Why does Vecna need seven flayed children?
Seven is the symbolic number of completion in the show’s mythology—echoing the seven chakras, seven days of creation, and the seven primary nodes of the Upside Down’s dimensional network. With seven flayed, Vecna can fully merge with the Hive Mind, becoming its sentient core. The final child will be the keystone that locks the entire dimension into his will.
What happens in Stranger Things 5, Volume 2?
Volume 2 is expected to resolve the seven-child prophecy, showing the final two flayings and the full awakening of the Hive Mind. Will, Holly, and the others may turn against each other—or unite. The final battle won’t just be about saving Hawkins—it’ll be about whether humanity can survive when its own children become the enemy.