The question has been asked for several seasons already. Does Will have romantic feelings for Mike? The reunion between the two boys during spring break suggests this.
With 16 main characters, at least a dozen new characters, and five locations where the action takes place – including a prison in Russia and an old underground missile silo somewhere in the American desert – it’s frankly surprising that season 4 of Stranger Things still finds time to explore a few moments intimate and quiet.
But anyone who follows Will Byers’ (Noah Schnapp) journey over the course of the series has noticed that the kid who survived the Upside Down has had trouble reconnecting with his Dungeons and Dragons buddies for reasons that don’t seem like not have a direct connection with being captured by a demogorgon from another dimension.
Clearly, it seems that Will is gay and having a hard time coming out. This feeling only grew stronger in Season 4. In the first episode, Will and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) have to give a presentation to the class at their new high school about a hero they look up to. Will chooses Alan Turing, the gay mathematician who was prosecuted in the 1950s for his sexuality and forced to undergo chemical castration.
Will also physically recoils from a girl who is interested in him. And when Mike (Finn Wolfhard) visits him in episode 2 during spring break, Will seems heartbroken to see Mike being almost indifferent to him and completely focused on Eleven, his girlfriend.
Later, in episode 4, when Mike confides in Will that he wishes he had expressed his feelings for Eleven more clearly, Will gives some insight into what happens to anyone trying to work up the courage to come out to his best friend.
netflix Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Will (Noah Schnapp)
“Sometimes I think it’s just scary to open up like that – to say how you really feel, especially to the people you care about the most.“, says Will.”Because… what if – what if they didn’t like the truth?“
In an interview for varietyNoah Schnapp has a more ambiguous perspective on how the show’s writers approached Will’s sexuality: “I feel like they never really talk about it or openly say how Will is doing.“
I think that’s the beauty of it, it just depends on the audience’s interpretation: if it’s Will who just refuses to grow up and grows slower than his friends, or if he’s really gay.
Millier Bobby Brown also goes there with his interpretation. “It’s 2022 and we don’t have to put labels“, she said. “I think what’s really good about the character of Will is that he’s just a human being who has his own personal demons and issues. So many kids don’t know, and that’s OK. It’s normal not to know. And it’s OK not to label things.“
A question addressed in part 2
It looks like the issue around Will’s sexuality will soon be addressed. In an interview with TVLine, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer have made it clear that they understand fans’ curiosity. “VYou are supposed to ask these questions“, says Matt.
However, the creators are not keen on confirming whether Will is gay or not. “This is where it gets tricky since we haven’t released the whole season yet.“,” continues Matt. “I just want people to watch the last two episodesfrom Season 4. They should provide some clarification on the matter.
“We have story arches and character arches“, explains Ross.”The last two episodes solve a lot of things, both for the character and the story, and they also set up the final season.“
Perhaps we will discover Will’s painting, which has remained hidden until now. This is possibly an answer to this question that we are asking ourselves.