Stranger Things: Does Will Byers Love Mike? Noah Schnapp Reveals The Truth
There has been a lot of speculation about the sexuality of the character Will Byers from Stranger Things. Fans have noticed how Will has been portrayed as shy and hesitant since he returned from the upside down. But there might be more to his personality that the show hasn’t revealed completely. Many people have predicted that Will Byers is gay and in love with his best friend, Mike Wheeler. And the latest season gave strong hints of the same. The actor Noah Schnapp earlier gave hints about the same, but he didn’t say anything to confirm the speculations. However, he has finally answered about does Will Byers love Mike and has confirmed all the suspicions that Will is gay.
Does Will Byers Love Mike
The fourth season of Stranger Things gave a lot of answers and delved deep into many characters. But Will Byers didn’t get too much screentime this season and only had limited scenes. The same can be said about other characters that were in LA, like Mike and Jonathan. In two of the key scenes in that Will has been with Mike, he is trying to comfort him by explaining how Eleven must feel when he is trying to convey his pain.
Another important scene is when Will and Jonathan have a moment in the pizza shop. Jonathan could sense his little brother’s pain, and he told him that he would always be there for him, which is exactly what Will needed to hear at that moment. Also, when Will shows his mysterious painting to Mike and explains what Mike means to their group, it is evident that he is expressing his feelings for him. While Will’s affection for Mike has been hinted at since season 3, we finally see the extent in this season and that Will is heartbroken. However, Will still hasn’t confessed his feelings openly to Mike, which he might do in season 5.
Noah Schnapp Ends All Speculation About Will’s Sexuality
While the show has not explicitly said that Will is queer, Noah Schnapp has made it abundantly clear in his latest interview with Variety. Noah said,
“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.”
He continued,
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.”
Fans must also note that Will’s sexuality is not explicitly discussed in the show because of the show’s timeline. Stranger Things is set in the 80s when being queer was one of the biggest taboos in society. This was hinted at in season 1 when Will’s own dad makes a remark about him not liking girls. However, Will could still come out to his family and friends and maybe even confess his feelings to Mike in the show’s last season.
Netflix on Representation and Diversity
Regarding representing more diversity in terms of races and sexualities, it is safe to say that Netflix needs to do better. Most of the shows on Netflix have a straight white protagonist, and the shows that don’t are either made for specific audiences or are simply not big enough. Therefore, having more inclusivity in a mainstream show like Stranger Things is a step in the right direction. Although Will’s character has been sidelined for nearly two seasons, we can only hope he will get more screentime in the last season. At the end of season 4, it was hinted that he still might have a pivotal role to play in the story. Here’s hoping that Will gets a good ending and maybe even a new love interest in the last season. Also, Netflix will not shy away from showing more representation in the future.
What do you think does Will Byers Love Mike in Stranger Things? Do let us know your answers down in the comments.
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