When the first volume of “Stranger Things” season four hit Netflix on May 28, fans had some major questions about what was going on with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). When Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) heads west to visit Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Will, it seems to some like the latter is harboring a major crush on his longtime friend. Will’s sexuality is something the show has mentioned but never directly addressed for years. Back in season one, Joyce (Winona Ryder) tells Hopper (David Harbour) that Will’s dad used to call him “queer.”
In the final two episodes, released July 1, it seemed fans got some clarity about the situation. Will delivers a heartbreaking monologue to Mike, pretending to be talking about Eleven but is clearly speaking about himself. “These past few months, she’s been so lost without you. It’s just, she’s so different from other people, and when you’re different, sometimes, you feel like a mistake,” he says, in part. The scene ends with Will quietly crying out the window while Mike totally misses his emotional turmoil.
But some fans were still upset that the show didn’t make it absolutely explicit that Will is gay. In a new interview with Variety, Schnapp addressed the storyline. “It’s pretty clear this season that Will has feelings for Mike. They’ve been intentionally pulling that out over the past few seasons,” he said.
“I think for Season 4, it was just me playing this character who loves his best friend but struggles with knowing if he’ll be accepted or not, and feeling like a mistake and like he doesn’t belong,” Schnapp explained.
