Will is the major character in Something Wicked This Way Comes, although there are two other leading roles. Will starts out as a thoughtful thirteen year old who is less prone to action than his friend Jim. But as the story unfolds Will is often forced to be more active. Sometimes he even precipitates action on his own. In one notable instance, when he cuts the Dust Witch's balloon, Will acts completely on his own will Jim is sleeping. Perhaps Will was not inherently less active but simply enjoyed thinking things through and preferred thought to action. But as far as the carnival is concerned, Will never hesitates. He stops Jim from going on the carousel when Mr. Cooger is on it, and he stops Jim from communicating with Mr. Cooger on his own. Once he decides upon a course of action, Will sticks to it no less than Jim or anyone else. After Mr. Halloway frees Will from the Witch's spell he helps his father in the Mirror Maze and runs to get to Jim before Jim gets to the carousel.

But Will is also a very sensitive boy. He understands Jim and his father far better than either of the other two understand him. Will is very empathic and he feels bad when Mr. Cooger dies even though he does not want him alive. Although he is very bright for his age, there is also a sweetness in Will. He is not eager to grow up because he loves life right now. He loves his parents and he feels bad that his father is sad all of the time. Will feels too much for other people to be cruel or hurtful, yet he is confident enough in his reasoning to stop Jim from doing something that Jim wants to do simply because he knows it will be bad for his friend in the long run. Will also has a great instinct for what the right thing to do is, and sometimes his immediate decisions are shockingly quick even to Jim.

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