Stranger Things Season 4: A subtextual coming out, but a coming out nonetheless

When Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1 came out, the sexuality of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) was thrust into the spotlight among fans of the show once again for the way the character behaved towards his best friend Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and the latter’s romantic relationship with Will’s adoptive sister, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).

But truth be told, ever since the series first premiered in 2016, Will’s sexuality has been a major topic of discussion among fans. For years, we’ve all been wondering if Will might be part of the LGBTQ community or not, and now, after the release of Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2, we finally have an answer.

Well, sort of.

If you’re a fan of the show, then you know that Stranger Things hasn’t distinguished itself as a show with significant queer representation. Until Season 3, when they introduced the character of Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) – a closeted lesbian high schooler – the show didn’t have any openly queer canon characters. 

And even then, Robin’s coming out scene was handled in a very subtle way. After she and Steve (Joe Keery) almost die, he tells Robin that he likes her and she tells him that she can’t reciprocate his feelings because the reason she was jealous and obsessed with him so much in class wasn’t because she had a crush on him, but because the girl she liked couldn’t take her eyes off of him. We mean, her coming out was pretty obvious, her sexuality was implied in the conversation she had with Steve, but she never once mentioned the word lesbian. 

So with that scene as a reference, we’ll be honest and say that we totally expected something similar to happen with Will – if a coming-out scene ever happened, that is. And it turns out that it did happen and we were right about how they were going to handle it.

Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2: A Subtextual Coming Out

Before we delve into how Will’s coming out scene played out on the show, we want to give a bit of context in case some of you need it. In Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1, Eleven writes a letter to Mike and shares what’s been going on with her and her family in the months they have been living in California, mentioning that she thinks Will has a crush on someone. She brings up a painting he’s been working on that she firmly believes is a gift for the “girl” he likes since he won’t let her see it.

Fast forward to when Mike flew to California to be with Eleven for spring break and it’s pretty obvious that the painting Will had been working so hard on wasn’t for a girl, but for none other than Mike. But given how awkward their meeting at the airport was, Will can’t work up the courage to actually give it to him.

When Will, Mike, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), and Argyle (Eduardo Franco) leave for Utah to find Dustin’s (Gaten Matarazzo) girlfriend, Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo), so she can help them find where Dr. Brennan (Matthew Modine) has taken Eleven, Will is seen packing the painting in his bag. So we knew it was only a matter of time before its content was revealed.

In the first episode of Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2, i.e. the penultimate episode of the show’s fourth season, Will finally gives the painting to Mike and subtly uses it to open up about his own feelings for him, while using Eleven as a conduit.

Mike is having a tough time on their trip from Utah to Nevada, where the group is heading to rescue Eleven. During a heart-to-heart, Mike confides in Will that he’s afraid that after this is all over (the whole fighting against the supernatural forces of the Upside Down), Eleven won’t need him anymore. He [Mike] feels like he’s just some random nerd who got lucky Superman landed on his doorstep, but that he’s not up to her level.

Will, seeing how down his best friend is, decides to cheer him up by giving him THE painting and blatantly lying to him about its origin. Mike is surprised by the gift and asks Will if he painted it, and although he says that he did, he adds, “El asked me to. She commissioned it, basically. I mean, she told me what to draw.” *face palms*

Then he goes on and seizes the moment to tell Mike why he’s the best part of their party, how he guides them, inspires them, and holds them all together, telling him that he’s the heart and that without that heart they would all fall apart.

But as he continues to explain the way Eleven feels about Mike, it becomes clear that Will is actually talking about himself, and even his brother, Jonathan, notices.

“These past few months, she’s been so lost without you,” he explains. “It’s just, she’s so different from other people, and when you’re different, sometimes you feel like a mistake. But you make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all. Like she’s better for being different. And that gives her the courage to fight on.” *cries*

Will continues his speech by sharing why Eleven, or rather him, has been more distant than usual.

“If she was mean to you or she seemed like she was pushing you away, it’s because she’s scared of losing you, just like you’re scared of losing her. And if she was going to lose you, I think she’d rather just get it over with quick. Like ripping off a Band-Aid. So yeah, El needs you, Mike. And she always will.”

After finishing, Will, who has clearly been bottling up everything inside for so long, turns away and starts crying silently; ripping our hearts out of our chests and completely crushing them because we know how he feels and we understand what he’s going through.

Being gay in the ’80s

Listen, we understand the frustration and anger that many fans – especially the young ones – felt upon watching this scene and seeing how Will’s feelings were being used to hype up the young straight main couple. But being gay in the 80’s – where the show takes place – wasn’t easy, especially for gay men. The 1980s were a time of both great momentum and tremendous pain for the LGBTQ community. The increasing expansion of a global LGBTQ rights movement that had been happening suffered a major setback as the gay male community was decimated by the AIDS epidemic.

Right-wing religious movements, fueled by the belief that AIDS was God’s punishment for being gay, spread via direct mail, and queer people suffered from persecution and were the target of countless hate crimes. Realistically, a 15-16-year-old kid was hardly going to be open about his own sexuality with anyone. It wasn’t safe. 

So yeah, we agree that they could have addressed Will’s sexuality better, his coming out scene could have been handled in a more direct and less subtextual way, but it is what it is, and if we really take into account the time that these characters are living in – 1986 in Season 4 – then it wasn’t that bad, you know? Especially after that other scene that Will shares with his brother Jonathan, who seems to know what’s going on and supports him 100%.

Jonathan Byers: Brother and Ally of the Year

During the second episode of Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2, meaning the final episode of the show’s fourth season, with Mike and Eleven finally reunited and being all couple-y again, it is pretty obvious that Will is feeling left out again. So Jonathan pulls his little brother aside and, as they work together to build a sensory deprivation tank so that Eleven can help their friends back in Hawkins, he takes the opportunity to show his support for his brother.

“I feel like you used to come to me more for help or to just talk, you know? It feels like you don’t do that anymore. Not like before.” Jonathan says, “A lot of that has probably been my fault. This last year I know I’ve been distant.” To which Will quips “or stoned”

“Or stoned,” Jonathan agrees, “but that has nothing to do with you. That’s me dealing with my own shit and hiding from my own problems. The truth is, I miss talking to you. I like, really miss it and I think right now we need to talk more than ever ‘cause things are getting just complicated.”

Jonathan never says it in words either, but does address Will’s sexuality when he adds, “I don’t want you to forget that I’m here and I’ll always be here no matter what because you’re my brother and I love you and there’s nothing in this world, okay? Absolutely nothing in this world that will ever change that. You got that?”

Will, who’s visibly very moved by those words, responds with tears in his eyes, “Yeah, and I’m always here for you too.” Jonathan then says, “I know. I know you are. Come here. It’s gonna be okay.” And gives him the hug that everyone here at Q+ wishes we could give Will right now.

So while Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 doesn’t provide a definite answer to the question ‘Is Will Byers gay?’, we think it’s pretty obvious that the only answer is yes, he is very much gay. So we truly hope that just as we saw a lot more development in Robin’s sexuality in this new season of the hit show (she’s seen as much more explicitly lesbian and even starts pursuing her own romance with another girl), we get to see Will explore more of who he is and what he feels in the final season of the show. 

In the meantime, welcome Will to the rainbow specter. We really hope you make it out of the show alive, so we can headcanon you as a happy, openly gay 50-year-old man living his best life in 2022.

---

The entire fourth season of Stranger Things is available to stream exclusively on Netflix. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!