Noah Schnapp, the star of Stranger Things, has provided a clear response on the subject after the show made several references to Will’s sexuality and emotions for Mike.
Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers on Stranger Things, has confirmed what many fans had previously assumed: Will Byers is homosexual and in love with his best buddy Mike. Since its 2016 debut, Netflix’s paranormal series set in the 1980s has been a success, but the release of Stranger Things season 4 recently shows that the anticipation has only grown. The second installment of the massive fourth season debuted at the beginning of July. The main cast of protagonists had to fight Vecna, the real brains behind the Upside Down’s most horrifying creatures, who was a foe unlike any other.
Season 4 of Stranger Things nevertheless made time for more introspective moments with its characters in between all of the thrills and surprises regarding Vecna’s great scheme. Will’s sexuality was one of the most popular topics of discussion online prior to the new episodes. Online rumors concerning Will’s sexual orientation have been rife for years, and several Stranger Things creators promised that all will be revealed in season 4. Even though the phrase “gay” is never outright used, Will has multiple instances in Stranger Things season 4 when it is strongly indicated that he has emotions for Mike (Finn Wolfhard). One particularly touching scene with his brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) practically acts as a coming out.
Even while Stranger Things may not have given fans the exact answers they were hoping for, Schnapp has now definitively put the matter to rest. The actor admits in a new interview with Variety that Will’s affections for Mike have been present in the show from the start and that season 4 has amply established that fact. Schnapp claims
“Obviously, it was hinted at in Season 1: It was always kind of there, but you never really knew, is it just him growing up slower than his friends? Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing. Now it’s 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike. But before, it was a slow arc. I think it is done so beautifully, because it’s so easy to make a character just like all of a sudden be gay. People have come up to me — I was just in Paris and this, like, 40-year-old man came up to me and he was like, “Wow, this Will character made me feel so good. And I related to it so much. That is exactly who I was when I was a kid.” That just made me so happy to hear. They are writing this real character and this real journey and real struggle and they’re doing it so well.“
In Stranger Things season 4, the revelation of Will’s secret artwork is when his love for Mike are most prominently alluded to. Will seems to be talking about himself when he discusses what Mike means to his girlfriend Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).
Schnapp notes that this is intended to put Will’s sexual orientation and his fondness for Mike to rest, but some Stranger Things viewers are still holding out for more. Schnapp’s perspective on this plot aspect is welcome, and it can be affirmed that the series has done a good job throughout the years of organically incorporating it into the narrative. But there are times like these as well when subdued representation is insufficient.
By having Will express his love for Mike out loud or by having him develop a crush on another boy, Stranger Things season 5 may go farther. The two episodes of season 4 that allude to Will’s sexuality are a fantastic place to start, but Stranger Things has the potential to make a significant contribution to onscreen representation by taking it to a higher, more concrete level. Schnapp’s emotional remarks regarding Will’s series-long narrative demonstrate that he and the show’s makers are cognizant of the significance of this, and it is hoped that Stranger Things season 5 will find a way to satisfactorily and heartfeltly wrap up this tale.
