Byler Theory - Two Halves, One Heart

Byler Theory - Two Halves, One Heart

Before I begin my analysis, this theory builds on the concepts analysed by @CauseINeedYou on TikTok. So credit for them for that.

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As mentioned above, CauseINeedYou discussed how the tracks of “Being Different” and “You’re The Heart” actually merge together perfectly. In addition to this, there are whale song effects used in both songs which, once put together, sound like they are calling to each other. How beautiful is that? The music production behind the current season was phenomenal. 

The tracks therefore could potentially imply that both of these tracks represent two separate halves which, once put together, make a whole. Metaphorically, therefore, this could represent both Mike and Will together. Therefore, Will was half right, Mike is part of the heart. What Will does not realise is that he is also part of the heart. To Mike, Will is actually the heart, whilst Will believes Mike is. Both are clueless to each other, and by no fault of their own. 

As you can see above, within the GIF image, Will reveals to Mike the painting that he made for him. In this scene he points to the heart with a crown, saying how he has a coat of arms, alongside a heart. Will says how Mike is the heart and that he essentially inspires people. Later in this scene, Will masks his own feelings by using El, so that Mike is unaware of Will’s true feelings for him. Essentially implying how Mike makes him feel like he’s not a mistake at all, again implying that Will thinks that he is a mistake, which is painful. But, however, when he’s with Mike he feels whole. That’s because the heart is complete. Will and Mike complete the heart, they are both two halves of a whole. They complete the equation. 

The way that I believe that they will tie this together in season 5 is not only beautiful, it will also be a masterpiece. The Duffers have stated in several recent interviews how the “coming of age story” of Will is “far from over” and that there is still “a lot more” to tell. This includes Will’s self acceptance and realisation that he is indeed not a mistake at all, he is quite the opposite. They hint, however, at more than just Will’s journey as if it’ll intertwine with others. Noah commented recently that Mike has also been going through problems, which I believe intertwine with Will’s arc. Why else would they specifically focus on Mike as Will’s love since season 1? They could have handled Will’s coming out arc without including Mike. However, they chose to include him as the one he truly loves. This is no coincidence. 

Season 5 I believe, therefore, will focus on handling Will accepting himself and coming out to those he loves. Additionally, we will get to see more scenes from Mikes perspective and the troubles that he has been dealing with this whole time. I do truly believe that Mike loves El, or loved El, but simply platonically. I’ll get to that in another post, but for now let’s focus on Mike and Will. 

Now that I have produced many theories, notably Will Byers Powers and The Neverending Story, both merge into this theory. As mentioned in my previous theory, which you can see back in my posts, I explained how Will has powers which he is currently either unaware of or are dormant. Potentially, in order for Will to discover these powers, he needs to find them from within himself. This is how I believe they could tie both his coming of age arc and supernatural arc together. To realise his powers he needs to overcome his internal demons, quite literally. Will finally accepting himself and finding his internal strength could, potentially, allow him to realise his full potential. Mike could also factor into this equation. As they are both the heart combined, perhaps they need to form together in order to end this Neverending Story. Maybe the heart really is a significant detail, just as Will’s painting depicts. 

Before you say that this sounds too cheesy, I’d like to point out how the whole story of Stranger Things is literally based on friendship and love. Winona Rider herself even said this at the Season 4 premier. This story is about fighting for and with the ones you love, the power of love and friendship. The supernatural element is the main focus but love is intertwined into every fabric of the story. Without love and friendship, El would not have been able to defeat Vecna twice, albeit Vecna technically wasn’t properly defeated both times. But this I believe is because El needs both Mike and Will to complete the equation. Mike to realise his own feelings and talk to Will, and Will to accept himself. Will essentially finding power and inspiration from Mike, just like he said in the van. 

In terms of Will and his powers, he is paralleled to Henry Creel multiple times in the story. Both are called sensitive kids, both think that they are different and both believe that they essentially are a mistake. 

There is a stark contrast, though, between both Henry and Will. Henry takes his anger out on people and chooses to be, essentially, evil. Will, on the other hand, decides to be good and to be self-sacrificial. So, despite Vecna likely trying to use Will for his bidding and using him, Will will fight back. There is simply too much good within Will for him to be converted to evil. 

Going back to Will and his connection to the Upside Down, time froze the day that he went missing. The Duffer Brothers have essentially implied that this is a focal point of the whole lore of Stranger Things and that Will is going to be a main focus. Thus, it is likely that he was targeted for a reason. Either he was targeted because he saw himself in Will and thought he could convert him, or he knew he had some sort of dormant natural power like him and therefore could use them. There is a reason that he was left alive and not killed, alongside the supposed demorgorgon being able to move the latch. Way too many coincidences there. Vecna needs Will to take over and defeat El. One way in which he could consume them from Will, potentially. 

Vecna will not, however, be able to use Will. As I said, there is too much good in him. He now also has a strong platonic bond with El, as his sister. To defeat Vecna and to put an end to the Upside Down, Will needs to realise his powers and to accept his true self. Mike, therefore, also holds the key in being able to unlock this power that Will has. Two halves forming together to complete the heart, fulfilling the equation. Once this happens, Will can help El to defeat Vecna for good. He will not be able to withstand the power of both El and Will together.

Remember that in the Hellfire Club Campaign a roll of 11 was simply not enough to defeat Vecna. This season Vecna was only temporarily defeated, Will confirmed he was still alive in the cabin scene. A roll of 20 was, however, enough to defeat Vecna. As I’ve analysed in my previous theory, both Will and Mike both had size 10 roller skates at the roller rink, potentially foreshadowing? There are a lot of hidden details in Stranger Things, this could be one of them. Implying that Mike can help Will, which in turn will help El. Overall, therefore, completing the equation and defeating Vecna. It is likely, therefore, that we will see a Will and El power duo in season 5, once Will has discovered his potential powers. 

Finally, to conclude, to end the story Mike and Will need to form together in order to complete the heart. Two halves equals a whole. Mike giving Will the love and inspiration to accept that he’s not a mistake will allow him to discover not only his true self, but also his powers and potential. Will can then team up with El to defeat Vecna once and for all. El is very powerful which we have seen this season, so imagine the damage both El and Will could do. In the end, the power of love and friendship will prevail, which is a key underlying theme in the show. The heart really is the key.