After taking a trip to the Upside Down and later becoming possessed by the Mind Flayer, Stranger Things’ Will Byers probably has bigger things on his mind than whether he’s interested in dating boys or girls. But that hasn’t stopped the series from dropping hints that his character might be queer — see Mike’s third-season exclamation that it isn’t his fault Will isn’t into girls. While this line could just be angry words aimed at a friend who seems more interested in Dungeons and Dragons than dating, many fans have speculated that there’s a deeper meaning behind Mike’s words. And Joyce’s brief mention of kids bullying Will and calling him gay in season 1 only seems to back up their argument.
Noah Schnapp, who plays Will on the show, weighed in on what he thinks about the possibility of his character being LGBTQ+. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor admitted that there’s no definitive answer either way — and that he believes this is an intentional choice. “There’s nothing set in stone,” Schnapp said. “It’s kind of up to the audience, and I think the Duffers did that on purpose.”
Given how young Will and his friends currently are, it makes sense that showrunners the Duffer brothers would leave his sexuality ambiguous. With everything going on — proms, Russian invaders, inter-dimensional monsters, etc — Will himself might not even know where his romantic feelings lie, so why would the audience know for sure?
That said, it’s not beyond reason to think the Duffers would include an LGBTQ+ character within the main group of kids on Stranger Things. They’ve already given us the series’ first openly LGBTQ+ character in the form of Steve Harrington’s fellow ice cream scooper Robin Buckley.
Stranger Things – Credit: Netflix
Schnapp did caution, however, that Will’s actions — and Mike’s response — may be a reflection of the boy’s maturity more than anything else. “Some people perceive it as Will could be gay, asexual or whatever,” Schnapp said. “Or, like how I see it, he was stuck in the Upside Down, and he was away for so long that all of his friends started growing up while he was in this other world. When he came back, everyone was all grown up, and he was still a little kid who still wanted to do little kid things like play D&D. He wasn’t ready to face this maturity and get into relationships. So, I think that’s what Will is going through right now.”
Whatever Will is coming to terms with, one thing is certain: He’s likely to have even more to deal with once the series starts up again in season 4. Although Joyce moves Will, his brother, and Eleven out of Hawkins at the end of season 3, trouble is likely to follow them elsewhere. By the looks of things, elsewhere could be a very long way away.
As for what’s in store for Will and the gang, Schnapp didn’t give specifics but he did say he’s excited about it. “I read the first four scripts, and they are amazing. I can’t wait to see where they go with the rest of the season.”
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