Do Will Byers e out as gay Stranger Thgs 4? Here's what he says to Mike ... - PopBuzz

Contents:

• 'STRANGER THGS' STAR NOAH SCHNAPP NFIRMS WILL IS GAY AND 'HE DO LOVE MIKE'
• STRANGER THGS: WILL BYERS ACTOR NOAH SCHNAPP COM OUT AS GAY
• NOAH SCHNAPP CONFIRMS HIS STRANGER THGS CHARACTER WILL BYERS IS GAY
• NOAH SCHNAPP CONFIRMS THAT STRANGER THGS CHARACTER WILL BYERS “IS GAY” AND “DO LOVE MIKE”
• “STRANGER THGS” STAR NOAH SCHNAPP CONFIRMED THAT HIS CHARACTER WILL BYERS “IS GAY AND HE DO LOVE MIKE” JT WEEKS AFTER PRAISG THE “BETY” OF HIS SEXUALY NOT BEG ADDRSED
• AFTER YEARS OF FANS SPECULATG THAT WILL BYERS IS GAY, HERE'S WHAT THE "STRANGER THGS" CAST AND CREATORS HAVE SAID ABOUT HIS SEXUALY THIS SEASON
• WILL BYERS ON "STRANGER THGS" WAS ALWAYS GOG TO BE GAY
• DO WILL BYERS E OUT AS GAY STRANGER THGS 4? HERE'S WHAT HE SAYS TO MIKE VOLUME 2
• IS STRANGER THGS' WILL GAY? IT'S PLITED
• ‘STRANGER THGS’ STAR NOAH SCHNAPP: WILL BYERS IS GAY AND LOV THIS FELLOW CHARACTER
• IS WILL BYERS GAY? STRANGER THGS CERTALY WANTS YOU TO THK SO
• IS WILL BYERS GAY STRANGER THGS 4? NOAH SCHNAPP OPENS UP ABOUT HIS CHARACTER'S SEXUALY
• IS ‘STRANGER THGS’ LEADG UP TO A BIG GAY SURPRISE WH WILL BYERS?PRIDEFANS HAVE BEEN SPECULATG THAT NOAH SCHNAPP’S WILL BYERS IS GOG TO E OUT OF THE CLOSET THE SEND HALF OF SEASON 4. WE GATHERED ALL THE CLU—AND HAVE SOME THOUGHTS. TARIQ RAOUFPUBLISHED JUN. 21, 2022 3:27AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEAST/NETFLIXIT’S BEEN A FEW WEEKS SCE STRANGER THGS 4: PART ONE WAS RELEASED AND ’S NOT LONG UNTIL THE FAL MD FLAYER-SIZED EPISOS OF PART TWO E OUT ON JULY 1. IN THE TIME SCE THE SEASON WAS RELEASED AND AFTER UNTLS ARTICL, TWEETS, FAN-FOM POSTS, AND ST TERVIEWS PARSG JT ABOUT EVERY SGLE TAIL OF THE EPISOS, THERE’S STILL ONE QUTN LGERG ON OUR MDS: IS WILL BYERS (NOAH SCHNAPP) GOG TO E OUT THIS YEAR?AFTER GOG DOWN A RABB HOLE OF THOSE AFOREMENTNED FAN THEORI AND TERVIEWS, WE’VE GATHERED THE FACTS AND PUT THE WHOLE THG TOGETHER SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO.IF YOU’VE BEEN FOLLOWG THE MOR L, YOU’LL KNOW THERE’S A CERTA PLOT THAT HAS BEEN ON THE SHOW’S BACK BURNER FOR AT LEAST A SEASON: WILL BEYER’S SEXUALY. IT ALL STARTED SEASON 3, EPISO 3, WHEN WILL AND MIKE (FN WOLFHARD) GOT TO AN ARGUMENT AFTER MIKE STOPPED FOCG ON DUNGEONS & DRAGONS BEE HE STARTED DATG ELLE (MILLIE BOBBY BROWN). WILL IS SUPER UPSET THAT THEIR DYNAMIC HAS BEEN CHANGED AND MIKE SHOUTS, “IT’S NOT MY FLT YOU DON’T LIKE GIRLS!” IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE THE MASSIVE FANBASE BEGAN SPECULATG WHAT THIS SMALL MOMENT ULD MEAN FOR THE FUTURE, BUT THE SHOW HAS BEEN SLOW TO GIVE ANY OTHER VELOPMENT ON THIS STORY.THROUGH THIS YEAR’S ROUND OF PRS, HOWEVER, ’S BEE CLEAR—AS CLEAR AS ANYTHG N BE THE LI-AND-CE GAME OF CELEBRY PRS TOURS—THAT THERE’S FELY SOMETHG LED UP FOR WILL’S RELATNSHIP WH MIKE, AND ’S LOOKG PRETTY QUEER. IN AN TERVIEW WH TVLE, SHOW CREATORS MATT AND ROSS DUFFER EXPLA THAT WE’RE “SUPPOSED TO BE ASKG THOSE QUTNS.” MATT CLAIMS THAT “THIS IS WHERE GETS TRICKY SCE WE HAVEN’T RELEASED THE WHOLE SEASON YET,” AND NTU TO EXPRS NCERN FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE JUMPG THE GUN ON JUDGG EHER WAY. “I JT WANT PEOPLE TO WATCH THE FAL TWO EPISOS.” THE VAGUE RPONS E OM EVERYONE THE ST, ON MULTIPLE TERVIEWS THROUGH DIFFERENT OUTLETS. SHNAPP HIMSELF EXPLAED TO VARIETY, “I THK THAT’S THE BETY OF , THAT ’S JT UP TO THE DIENCE’S TERPRETATN, IF ’S WILL KD OF JT REFG TO GROW UP AND GROWG UP SLOWER THAN HIS IENDS, OR IF HE IS REALLY GAY.” IN THE SAME TERVIEW, BROWN CHIM TO SAY, “I THK WHAT’S REALLY NICE ABOUT WILL’S CHARACTER IS THAT HE’S JT A HUMAN BEG GOG THROUGH HIS OWN PERSONAL MONS AND ISSU. SO MANY KIDS OUT THERE DON’T KNOW, AND THAT’S OK. THAT’S OK TO NOT KNOW. AND THAT’S OK NOT TO LABEL THGS.”AND MOST OBV OF ALL, THERE’S A PROMOTNAL VIO OM NETFLIX MEXI WHERE WOLFHARD JOS ST MEMBERS WONA RYR, DAVID HARBOUR AND CALEB MCLGHL TO DISCS FAN THEORI FOR THE SEASON. WHEN THERE’S A THEORY MENTNED THAT WILL AND ELLE ARE A RELATNSHIP, HARBOUR IS QUICK TO SHOOT DOWN, SAYG, “IF YOU’VE BEEN WATCHG THE SHOW, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT WILL IS NOT TERTED ELLE. HE’S TERTED SOMEONE ELSE THE GROUP.” I MEAN, N THEY MAKE ANY MORE OBV?IF HE IS GAY, AND HE’S JT HAVG A HARD TIME G TO TERMS WH TERNALLY, THEN THAT’S A NECSARY STORY TO SHARE A MEDIA LANDSPE THAT OFTEN NEGAT THE QUEER YOUTH EXPERIENCE. FOR VIEWERS WHO MAY BE GOG THROUGH THE SAME THGS AS WILL—NOT READY TO SHARE WHAT’S GOG ON TERNALLY BEE THERE’S A LOT OF NFN AND FEAR—’S IMPORTANT THEY KNOW IS OKAY TO NOT REALLY UNRSTAND WHAT’S GOG ON, AS BROWN POTED OUT. AND SOME SENSE THERE’S NOTHG PARTICULARLY WRONG WH ST MEMBERS NOT ANSWERG THE QUTN AND WANTG TO LEAVE FOR VIEWERS TO SEE FOR THEMSELV, IF WHAT THEY’RE PLANNG IS TLY WORTH .WHAT’S NCERNG IS THAT WILL’S CHARACTER VELOPMENT HAS BEEN GOG AT A SNAIL’S PACE OVER THE LAST TWO SEASONS. IT’S ALMOST AS IF THE BIGGT PART OF HIS PERSONALY RIGHT NOW IS JT HIS CSH ON MIKE, OR HIS BEG THE CLOSET. HE WAS TEGRAL TO BOTH SEASON 1 AND SEASON 2 OF STRANGER THGS AS THE BOY WHO WENT MISSG, AND THEN BEME THE NNECTN TO THE UPSI DOWN. BUT SCE SEASON 3, HIS ROLE HAS BEEN MIMAL PARED TO HIS -STARS. GRANTED, THERE ARE OVER 16 CHARACTERS THE SERI TO FOC ON AND ’S HONTLY IMPRSIVE TO PULL OFF ANY CHARACTER GROWTH WHEN YOU HAVE SO MANY. BUT WHY SHOULD WILL’S ONLY FOC BE HIS SEXUALY, OR THE QUTNG OF ? AND EVEN IF THE CREATORS WANT TO EXPLORE THAT BETIFUL SPACE OF FIGURG OUT YOUR INTY AND STGGLG TO TELL YOUR IEND YOU’RE GAY AND YOU HAVE A CSH ON THEM, WHY KEEP THE DIENCE OUT OF THAT JOURNEY?SURE, WILL MAY NOT BE READY TO SHARE THAT WH HIS IENDS, AND THAT’S PERFECTLY UNRSTANDABLE. BUT THE CURRENT AMG OF WILL’S CHARACTER IMPLI THAT THERE’S A EP SHAME NEEDG TIME OR SPACE TO FIGURE OUT YOUR STUFF. IT WOULD’VE BEEN AWOME TO SEE THE PATGS THAT WILL HAS (PROBABLY DITED TO MIKE) SOONER, OR HAVE GOTTEN MORE SHOTS OF HIM GLANCG AT MIKE LOVGLY WHILE NO ONE ELSE NOTIC. ANYTHG TO GET THE DIENCE ON THE SECRET, SO THAT DON’T FEEL LIKE SOME BIG TO-DO.WHEN ROB (MAYA HAWKE) WAS TRODUCED TO THE ST LAST SEASON, OUR QUEER LTLE HEARTS EXPLOD. THE DUFFER BROTHERS PROVED THAT THEY KNOW HOW TO BRG A LBIAN CHARACTER WH GRACE, AND SHE QUICKLY BEME A FAN FAVORE.HER RELATNSHIP GROWTH WH NANCY (NATALIA DYER) THIS SEASON? HANDS DOWN, ONE OF THE BT OF THE SERI. BUT WHY DO ROB GET SUCH BALANCED, BETIFUL CHARACTER WORK WHILE WILL GETS THE SHORT END OF THE STICK? SURE, SHE’S OLR THAN WILL AND IS PROBABLY A DIFFERENT MENTAL SPACE REGARDG HER SEXUALY. BUT WILL HAS BEEN THE SERI SCE THE BEGNG, AND HIS QUEERNS DIDN’T REALLY START TO E OUT UNTIL RECENTLY, AND NOW THERE’S A MASSIVE EXPECTATN SET FOR HOW THEY’RE GOG TO HANDLE NEXT. THE BETY OF ROB’S CHARACTER WAS HOW LTLE OF A AL TURNED OUT TO BE THAT SHE WAS A LBIAN, THAT HER AND STEVE (JOE KEERY) IMMEDIATELY WENT OM MAYBE CSH TO PLATONIC BTI. THERE’S A UNIVERSAL TTH THAT NO TWO QUEER EXPERIENC ARE EVER THE SAME, AND ’S OBV THAT WILL AND ROB’S JOURNEYS TO DISVERG THEMSELV ARE PLETELY DIFFERENT, BUT WE GOT TO SEE ROB’S A WAY THAT FEELS LIKE IS BEG ROBBED OM WILL.THE SEASONS HE WAS BARELY VOLVED THE UPSI DOWN ULD HAVE GIVEN WILL MORE TROSPECTIVE, MORE WAYS TO LET THE DIENCE KNOW HIS SECRET SO THAT WE ULD BE ROOTG FOR HIM AS HE FALLY GATHERS THE STRENGTH TO TELL MIKE ABOUT HIS FEELGS.OBVLY, WE’LL HOLD OUR BREATH AND WA TO ST FULL JUDGMENT ON THIS PLOT UNTIL WE SEE THOSE LAST TWO EPISOS THIS SUMMER. BUT EVEN IF ’S AS BETIFUL AS THE DUFFER BROTHERS ARE IMPLYG IS, THERE’S SOMETHG UNSAVORY WE N’T SHAKE ABOUT THE APPROACH TO THIS PLOT. HERE’S HOPG WILL FDS SOME HAPPS, BEE THE KID SERV AFTER ALL THE STUFF HE AND HIS IENDS HAVE BEEN GOG THROUGH ALL THE YEARS. TARIQ RAOUF
• IS WILL BYERS GAY, BI, OR STRAIGHT? HIS SEXUALY EXPLAED
• STRANGER THGS' NOAH SCHNAPP NFIRMS WILL BYERS IS GAY AND LOVE WH MIKE
• THE "STRANGER THGS"'S CREATORS MAY HAVE JT REVEALED WHETHER WILL BYERS IS GAY

'STRANGER THGS' STAR NOAH SCHNAPP NFIRMS WILL IS GAY AND 'HE DO LOVE MIKE'

"Stranger Thgs" star Noah Schnapp is nfirmg a popular theory about his character's Will Byers' heart-wrenchg speech  the Season 4 fale, Schnapp officially said his character is gay  an terview wh Variety published Thursday. Now, he says that producers Matt and Ross Duffers have implied that Will is gay sce the first season.

"Now ’s 100% clear that he is gay and he do love Mike, " Schnapp said.

I thk is done so betifully, bee ’s so easy to make a character jt like all of a sudn be gay. "Noah Schnapp, the actor who plays Will Byers Stranger Thgs, has officially e out as gay.

STRANGER THGS: WILL BYERS ACTOR NOAH SCHNAPP COM OUT AS GAY

""When I fally told my iends and fay I was gay after beg sred the closet for 18 years and all they said was 'we know, '" the ptn acpanyg the TikTok for the vio self, which you n view here, Schnapp is lip-syncg to an d clip of someone else sayg, "you know what never was?

"Around the release of Stranger Thgs Season 4 2022, Schnapp nfirmed that Will was gay and that the hts were there even the first season.

Now ’s 100% clear he is gay and do love Mike, ” Schnapp said. Last May, when the first half of Stranger Thgs’ fourth season dropped, Noah Schnapp was vague when Variety asked if many viewers were rrect when they ferred that his character Will was gay: The actor said that Will’s sexualy was “up to the dience’s terpretatn.

NOAH SCHNAPP CONFIRMS HIS STRANGER THGS CHARACTER WILL BYERS IS GAY

” But now that the full season is out, and his feelgs for his bt iend, Mike (Fn Wolfhard), beme more overt, Schapp nfirmed Will’s homosexualy, tellg Variety that he had been ls straightforward earlier to prevent dolg out spoilers before thgs beme clear the new episos.

NOAH SCHNAPP CONFIRMS THAT STRANGER THGS CHARACTER WILL BYERS “IS GAY” AND “DO LOVE MIKE”

Now ’s 100 percent clear that he is gay and he do love Mike, ” Schnapp explaed. Wh a lack of love terts so far, we are left wh the big qutn — is Will Byers gay? Here's what we know:After the first batch of season 4 episos premiered on May 27, viewers began to qutn whether the teen character is a part of the LGBTQ+ muny after he chose gay mathematician Alan Turg as his hero for a school prentatn.

“STRANGER THGS” STAR NOAH SCHNAPP CONFIRMED THAT HIS CHARACTER WILL BYERS “IS GAY AND HE DO LOVE MIKE” JT WEEKS AFTER PRAISG THE “BETY” OF HIS SEXUALY NOT BEG ADDRSED

”And now that the latt stallment is plete, Noah is openg up about his character and nfirmg what we saw all season long: Will Byers is gay. Now that he’s gotten olr, they ma a very real, obv thg, " Noah says, "Now ’s 100% clear that he is gay and he do love Mike.

" “I thk that’s the bety of , that ’s jt up to the dience’s terpretatn, " he said, "If ’s Will kd of jt refg to grow up and growg up slower than his iends, or if he is really gay. CelebryNoah Schnapp“Stranger Thgs” Star Noah Schnapp Confirmed That His Character Will Byers “Is Gay And He Do Love Mike” Jt Weeks After Praisg The “Bety” Of His Sexualy Not Beg Addrsed“It was always kd of there, but you never really knew, is jt him growg up slower than his iends? As you might know, fans have long theorized that Will — one of the h Netflix show’s leadg characters — is gay, wh the seri seemgly droppg hts over the past few seasons that the teenager don’t “like girls.

Back Season 1, for example, Will was faced wh tons of anti-gay remarks not jt om bulli at school, but om his own father. But while fans have long gused that Will is gay, both the Stranger Thgs st and s creators — the Duffer Brothers — have all but avoid labelg his sexualy outright.

AFTER YEARS OF FANS SPECULATG THAT WILL BYERS IS GAY, HERE'S WHAT THE "STRANGER THGS" CAST AND CREATORS HAVE SAID ABOUT HIS SEXUALY THIS SEASON

Notg that the Duffer Brothers “obvly” “hted at” Will’s sexualy Season 1, Noah said: “Now ’s 100% clear that he is gay and he do love Mike. “I thk that’s the bety of , that ’s jt up to the dience’s terpretatn, if ’s Will kd of jt refg to grow up and growg up slower than his iends, or if he is really gay.

“For me, Will beg gay or not is bis the pot, ” he went on.

noah schnapp nfirmg will byers is gay and love wh mike on a random thursday night is the bt thg ever. Will Byers’ sexualy has been subject to scty throughout all four seasons of Stranger Thgs; 's been heavily implied throughout the Netflix show that the teenager is gay. Noah went on to add: “Now ’s 100% clear that he is gay and he do love Mike.

WILL BYERS ON "STRANGER THGS" WAS ALWAYS GOG TO BE GAY

And others have shared their siar mdset on social media, wh one person retweetg Noah’s ments about the “bety” of Will’s sexualy beg how open to terpretatn is and addg: “Only straight ppl would thk 's betiful to never acknowledge gayns.

DO WILL BYERS E OUT AS GAY STRANGER THGS 4? HERE'S WHAT HE SAYS TO MIKE VOLUME 2

only straight ppl would thk 's betiful to never acknowledge gayns. But others have leaped to the show’s fense, potg out that is set ral Indiana the 1980s — when g out as gay uld be credibly dangero. Discsg the topic on Redd, one fan wrote: “People fet that people were gettg beaten to ath and disowned for beg openly gay the 80’s.

Another agreed: “Homophobia was rather rampant the 80s and before that. The AIDS epimic was full swg and was looked at as a GAY DISEASE. “I’m gay, and I was born a few years after Will, ” a third person wrote.

I would far rather a drama set the past took a realistic view of what meant to be gay than an ialised ‘morn’ view. Another gay man who grew up the ’80s agreed, explag: “Will's story is thentilly 80s gay.

IS STRANGER THGS' WILL GAY? IT'S PLITED

“In the 80s beg gay was not like is now - the AIDS epimic was a huge al, there were very few gay characters or role mols to look up to, and many more people were closeted.

Another poted out: “This is also the time when homophobia was on the rise bee of AIDS so for him to even thk he was gay was sry let alone e out. ’ His iends have no ncept of what gay is or what means, and -world most everyone is so preoccupied by survivg the Upsi Down they (and Will himself) have no chance to procs Wills own sexualy.

‘STRANGER THGS’ STAR NOAH SCHNAPP: WILL BYERS IS GAY AND LOV THIS FELLOW CHARACTER

I thk that’s the bety of , that ’s jt up to the dience’s terpretatn — if ’s Will kd of jt refg to grow up and growg up slower than his iends, or if he is really gay. Namely, Will seems like he’s gay and stgglg to e imprsn has only grown stronger Season 4. In the first episo, Will and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) have to give a prentatn their new California high school on a hero they look up to; Will choos Alan Turg, the gay mathematician who was prosecuted the 1950s for his sexualy and forced to unrgo chemil stratn.

IS WILL BYERS GAY? STRANGER THGS CERTALY WANTS YOU TO THK SO

Will Byers is a gay character om Stranger Thgs. Bulli ed to make fun of his cloth, referrg to the fact that he looked "queer" or "gay".

For part of the viewers, has always been obv that Will was gay, while was more of a surprise to the rt.

However, an terview wh Variety, Noah Schnapp nfirmed that Will is gay and love wh his bt iend: "Now ’s 100% clear that he is gay and he do love Mike. Straight Gay.

IS WILL BYERS GAY STRANGER THGS 4? NOAH SCHNAPP OPENS UP ABOUT HIS CHARACTER'S SEXUALY

Queer Character, Queer Actor - Noah Schnapp is also gay. Fans who pleted Volume 2 of "Stranger Thgs" Season 4 will know Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) has fally, a roundabout way, e out as gay. The show don't actually say he's gay outright.

IS ‘STRANGER THGS’ LEADG UP TO A BIG GAY SURPRISE WH WILL BYERS?PRIDEFANS HAVE BEEN SPECULATG THAT NOAH SCHNAPP’S WILL BYERS IS GOG TO E OUT OF THE CLOSET THE SEND HALF OF SEASON 4. WE GATHERED ALL THE CLU—AND HAVE SOME THOUGHTS. TARIQ RAOUFPUBLISHED JUN. 21, 2022 3:27AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEAST/NETFLIXIT’S BEEN A FEW WEEKS SCE STRANGER THGS 4: PART ONE WAS RELEASED AND ’S NOT LONG UNTIL THE FAL MD FLAYER-SIZED EPISOS OF PART TWO E OUT ON JULY 1. IN THE TIME SCE THE SEASON WAS RELEASED AND AFTER UNTLS ARTICL, TWEETS, FAN-FOM POSTS, AND ST TERVIEWS PARSG JT ABOUT EVERY SGLE TAIL OF THE EPISOS, THERE’S STILL ONE QUTN LGERG ON OUR MDS: IS WILL BYERS (NOAH SCHNAPP) GOG TO E OUT THIS YEAR?AFTER GOG DOWN A RABB HOLE OF THOSE AFOREMENTNED FAN THEORI AND TERVIEWS, WE’VE GATHERED THE FACTS AND PUT THE WHOLE THG TOGETHER SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO.IF YOU’VE BEEN FOLLOWG THE MOR L, YOU’LL KNOW THERE’S A CERTA PLOT THAT HAS BEEN ON THE SHOW’S BACK BURNER FOR AT LEAST A SEASON: WILL BEYER’S SEXUALY. IT ALL STARTED SEASON 3, EPISO 3, WHEN WILL AND MIKE (FN WOLFHARD) GOT TO AN ARGUMENT AFTER MIKE STOPPED FOCG ON DUNGEONS & DRAGONS BEE HE STARTED DATG ELLE (MILLIE BOBBY BROWN). WILL IS SUPER UPSET THAT THEIR DYNAMIC HAS BEEN CHANGED AND MIKE SHOUTS, “IT’S NOT MY FLT YOU DON’T LIKE GIRLS!” IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE THE MASSIVE FANBASE BEGAN SPECULATG WHAT THIS SMALL MOMENT ULD MEAN FOR THE FUTURE, BUT THE SHOW HAS BEEN SLOW TO GIVE ANY OTHER VELOPMENT ON THIS STORY.THROUGH THIS YEAR’S ROUND OF PRS, HOWEVER, ’S BEE CLEAR—AS CLEAR AS ANYTHG N BE THE LI-AND-CE GAME OF CELEBRY PRS TOURS—THAT THERE’S FELY SOMETHG LED UP FOR WILL’S RELATNSHIP WH MIKE, AND ’S LOOKG PRETTY QUEER. IN AN TERVIEW WH TVLE, SHOW CREATORS MATT AND ROSS DUFFER EXPLA THAT WE’RE “SUPPOSED TO BE ASKG THOSE QUTNS.” MATT CLAIMS THAT “THIS IS WHERE GETS TRICKY SCE WE HAVEN’T RELEASED THE WHOLE SEASON YET,” AND NTU TO EXPRS NCERN FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE JUMPG THE GUN ON JUDGG EHER WAY. “I JT WANT PEOPLE TO WATCH THE FAL TWO EPISOS.” THE VAGUE RPONS E OM EVERYONE THE ST, ON MULTIPLE TERVIEWS THROUGH DIFFERENT OUTLETS. SHNAPP HIMSELF EXPLAED TO VARIETY, “I THK THAT’S THE BETY OF , THAT ’S JT UP TO THE DIENCE’S TERPRETATN, IF ’S WILL KD OF JT REFG TO GROW UP AND GROWG UP SLOWER THAN HIS IENDS, OR IF HE IS REALLY GAY.” IN THE SAME TERVIEW, BROWN CHIM TO SAY, “I THK WHAT’S REALLY NICE ABOUT WILL’S CHARACTER IS THAT HE’S JT A HUMAN BEG GOG THROUGH HIS OWN PERSONAL MONS AND ISSU. SO MANY KIDS OUT THERE DON’T KNOW, AND THAT’S OK. THAT’S OK TO NOT KNOW. AND THAT’S OK NOT TO LABEL THGS.”AND MOST OBV OF ALL, THERE’S A PROMOTNAL VIO OM NETFLIX MEXI WHERE WOLFHARD JOS ST MEMBERS WONA RYR, DAVID HARBOUR AND CALEB MCLGHL TO DISCS FAN THEORI FOR THE SEASON. WHEN THERE’S A THEORY MENTNED THAT WILL AND ELLE ARE A RELATNSHIP, HARBOUR IS QUICK TO SHOOT DOWN, SAYG, “IF YOU’VE BEEN WATCHG THE SHOW, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT WILL IS NOT TERTED ELLE. HE’S TERTED SOMEONE ELSE THE GROUP.” I MEAN, N THEY MAKE ANY MORE OBV?IF HE IS GAY, AND HE’S JT HAVG A HARD TIME G TO TERMS WH TERNALLY, THEN THAT’S A NECSARY STORY TO SHARE A MEDIA LANDSPE THAT OFTEN NEGAT THE QUEER YOUTH EXPERIENCE. FOR VIEWERS WHO MAY BE GOG THROUGH THE SAME THGS AS WILL—NOT READY TO SHARE WHAT’S GOG ON TERNALLY BEE THERE’S A LOT OF NFN AND FEAR—’S IMPORTANT THEY KNOW IS OKAY TO NOT REALLY UNRSTAND WHAT’S GOG ON, AS BROWN POTED OUT. AND SOME SENSE THERE’S NOTHG PARTICULARLY WRONG WH ST MEMBERS NOT ANSWERG THE QUTN AND WANTG TO LEAVE FOR VIEWERS TO SEE FOR THEMSELV, IF WHAT THEY’RE PLANNG IS TLY WORTH .WHAT’S NCERNG IS THAT WILL’S CHARACTER VELOPMENT HAS BEEN GOG AT A SNAIL’S PACE OVER THE LAST TWO SEASONS. IT’S ALMOST AS IF THE BIGGT PART OF HIS PERSONALY RIGHT NOW IS JT HIS CSH ON MIKE, OR HIS BEG THE CLOSET. HE WAS TEGRAL TO BOTH SEASON 1 AND SEASON 2 OF STRANGER THGS AS THE BOY WHO WENT MISSG, AND THEN BEME THE NNECTN TO THE UPSI DOWN. BUT SCE SEASON 3, HIS ROLE HAS BEEN MIMAL PARED TO HIS -STARS. GRANTED, THERE ARE OVER 16 CHARACTERS THE SERI TO FOC ON AND ’S HONTLY IMPRSIVE TO PULL OFF ANY CHARACTER GROWTH WHEN YOU HAVE SO MANY. BUT WHY SHOULD WILL’S ONLY FOC BE HIS SEXUALY, OR THE QUTNG OF ? AND EVEN IF THE CREATORS WANT TO EXPLORE THAT BETIFUL SPACE OF FIGURG OUT YOUR INTY AND STGGLG TO TELL YOUR IEND YOU’RE GAY AND YOU HAVE A CSH ON THEM, WHY KEEP THE DIENCE OUT OF THAT JOURNEY?SURE, WILL MAY NOT BE READY TO SHARE THAT WH HIS IENDS, AND THAT’S PERFECTLY UNRSTANDABLE. BUT THE CURRENT AMG OF WILL’S CHARACTER IMPLI THAT THERE’S A EP SHAME NEEDG TIME OR SPACE TO FIGURE OUT YOUR STUFF. IT WOULD’VE BEEN AWOME TO SEE THE PATGS THAT WILL HAS (PROBABLY DITED TO MIKE) SOONER, OR HAVE GOTTEN MORE SHOTS OF HIM GLANCG AT MIKE LOVGLY WHILE NO ONE ELSE NOTIC. ANYTHG TO GET THE DIENCE ON THE SECRET, SO THAT DON’T FEEL LIKE SOME BIG TO-DO.WHEN ROB (MAYA HAWKE) WAS TRODUCED TO THE ST LAST SEASON, OUR QUEER LTLE HEARTS EXPLOD. THE DUFFER BROTHERS PROVED THAT THEY KNOW HOW TO BRG A LBIAN CHARACTER WH GRACE, AND SHE QUICKLY BEME A FAN FAVORE.HER RELATNSHIP GROWTH WH NANCY (NATALIA DYER) THIS SEASON? HANDS DOWN, ONE OF THE BT OF THE SERI. BUT WHY DO ROB GET SUCH BALANCED, BETIFUL CHARACTER WORK WHILE WILL GETS THE SHORT END OF THE STICK? SURE, SHE’S OLR THAN WILL AND IS PROBABLY A DIFFERENT MENTAL SPACE REGARDG HER SEXUALY. BUT WILL HAS BEEN THE SERI SCE THE BEGNG, AND HIS QUEERNS DIDN’T REALLY START TO E OUT UNTIL RECENTLY, AND NOW THERE’S A MASSIVE EXPECTATN SET FOR HOW THEY’RE GOG TO HANDLE NEXT. THE BETY OF ROB’S CHARACTER WAS HOW LTLE OF A AL TURNED OUT TO BE THAT SHE WAS A LBIAN, THAT HER AND STEVE (JOE KEERY) IMMEDIATELY WENT OM MAYBE CSH TO PLATONIC BTI. THERE’S A UNIVERSAL TTH THAT NO TWO QUEER EXPERIENC ARE EVER THE SAME, AND ’S OBV THAT WILL AND ROB’S JOURNEYS TO DISVERG THEMSELV ARE PLETELY DIFFERENT, BUT WE GOT TO SEE ROB’S A WAY THAT FEELS LIKE IS BEG ROBBED OM WILL.THE SEASONS HE WAS BARELY VOLVED THE UPSI DOWN ULD HAVE GIVEN WILL MORE TROSPECTIVE, MORE WAYS TO LET THE DIENCE KNOW HIS SECRET SO THAT WE ULD BE ROOTG FOR HIM AS HE FALLY GATHERS THE STRENGTH TO TELL MIKE ABOUT HIS FEELGS.OBVLY, WE’LL HOLD OUR BREATH AND WA TO ST FULL JUDGMENT ON THIS PLOT UNTIL WE SEE THOSE LAST TWO EPISOS THIS SUMMER. BUT EVEN IF ’S AS BETIFUL AS THE DUFFER BROTHERS ARE IMPLYG IS, THERE’S SOMETHG UNSAVORY WE N’T SHAKE ABOUT THE APPROACH TO THIS PLOT. HERE’S HOPG WILL FDS SOME HAPPS, BEE THE KID SERV AFTER ALL THE STUFF HE AND HIS IENDS HAVE BEEN GOG THROUGH ALL THE YEARS. TARIQ RAOUF

Beyond the hts subtle or big, fans of the horror genre might have known Will Byers was always gog to be gay. It mak sense at a time when the AIDS crisis helped spur greater pictns of gay men and trans characters as monsters film. In fact, many cultural and film crics suggt that Anne Rice drew om the real-life horrors of the AIDS crisis (imaged as the "gay man's ncer" ially by doctors) when craftg her groundbreakg gay characters "Interview wh the Vampire, " as she had always supported the LGBTQ muny and wanted to addrs the 's rhetoric that poed gay people as monsters.

In 1984, real-life Indiana born and raised Ryan Whe, although not himself gay, was diagnosed wh AIDS after ntractg the disease om a blood transfn. Like Freddy Keger (who has a gay fandom of his own), he is also a monster pable of slippg to the mds of his victims.

IS WILL BYERS GAY, BI, OR STRAIGHT? HIS SEXUALY EXPLAED

Stranger Thgs fans have long believed that our sweet prce Will Byers is gay and love wh his bt iend Mike Wheeler.

READ MORE: Is Will Byers gay Stranger Thgs 4? Is Will Byers gay Stranger Thgs?

STRANGER THGS' NOAH SCHNAPP NFIRMS WILL BYERS IS GAY AND LOVE WH MIKE

Do Will Byers e out as gay Stranger Thgs 4? While Will don't technilly e out as gay or queer Stranger Thgs 4 Volume 2, there are two scen that sentially nfirm that he is romantilly love wh episo 8, Mike and Will are the backseat of the pizza van while Jonathan is drivg and Mike is worried that Eleven isn't gog to want him anymore bee he's jt "some random nerd that got lucky".

NetflixWhen an early trailer for season four dropped, eagle-eyed fans noticed that Will was dog a school project on Alan Turg, the English mathematician who was chemilly strated for beg gay the 1950s. So far, so gay, and now that season four is actually here, there are plenty more hts that fans were right when they dubbed him Will Bi-ers. A classic gay move, we're sure you'll agree, but there are also hts that Will might have done this bee his heart actually belongs to another girl — Eleven.

THE "STRANGER THGS"'S CREATORS MAY HAVE JT REVEALED WHETHER WILL BYERS IS GAY

"Will, beg the msy gay he is might be, mak Mike's drama all about himself, and what we prume are his feelgs for Mike. "NetflixSounds sort of gay to , even if is a teensy b vague still. Not only do Stranger Thgs – and the st – like to dance around the specifics of his inty, also seems as though Will's potential love for Mike won't end on a happy 's extremely relatable for teen gays to fall love wh their bt iend, Will's love for Mike, if is romantic, will go nowhere fast.