From the very beginning of Stranger Things, the Byers family has been the emotional anchor of the show: fractured, resilient, and held together by the quiet strength of Joyce and her unwavering love for Will. Ross Partridge, who portrayed Will’s distant father Lonnie Byers, has watched that dynamic evolve from the sidelines. In an exclusive conversation with Netflix Junkie, he opened up about how those shifting priorities shaped the story and why some long-held fan hopes may not align with Season 5’s direction.

Partridge offered a candid insight that dims expectations for a Byers family reunion, hinting at where the final season is truly headed.

When asked whether Will’s Season 5 arc could be fully explored without revisiting his dynamic with Lonnie, Ross Partridge, who played Lonnie in Season 1, offered a grounded reflection. “The show was really about these kids,” he said, noting that early drafts once placed equal weight on the adults. Partridge remembered being cast second or third, during a time when the Duffer Brothers envisioned deeper storylines for Joyce, Hopper, and Lonnie. But once the young cast became “this phenomenon… right out of a Spielberg canvas,” the adult arcs naturally “became less important.”

Partridge acknowledged that Lonnie’s storyline simply faded as viewers gravitated toward the kids’ journey. He believes “there’s actually more nuance” to Lonnie, especially regarding his marriage and the circumstances that shaped his distance from Will, layers the show never got to explore. While he understands the backlash, he was quick to say that his side of the story is never known. He emphasized how he is not defending Lonnie, saying, “being a father, I would never be able to justify leaving my kid.” The shift in the dynamics post-season 1 is pretty much why the chances of a Byers family reunion appear to be nothing but slim. 

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While the reunion seems to be out of the script, season 5 of Stranger Things might give Will Byers his long-overdue heroic arc.

The first five minutes of Stranger Things Season 5 open with a chilling flashback that reframes Will Byers’ role from the very start. In the clip, set in November 1983, a younger Will hides inside Castle Byers in the Upside Down, sings ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go,’ is attacked by a Demogorgon, and dragged into a lair where Vecna ominously tells him, “At long last, we can begin.” 

This sequence hints at Will being far more central to the story than ever before, no longer just the ‘weak kid’ who vanished, but a key player in the final showdown, also owing to Vecna’s chilling line to him in the trailer, which was nothing less than a betrayal for fans. Reddit threads already suggest fans believe Will’s trauma and his connection to Vecna are now pivotal, implying Season 5 is less about the group’s spotlight and more about Will’s awakening and agency. As Stranger Things gears up for a November 26, 2025, release, the answers surrounding Will will be answered soon enough.

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Do you think a reunion will be in works for the Byers family? Or will Ross Partridge's insight be true? Let us know in the comments below.