‘Stranger Things’: The Subtle Clues Hinting at Will’s Sexuality
Stranger Things Season 4 Volume I may have been all about Vecna as a new threat to Hawkins, but it added fuel to the inquiry into Will’s sexuality. Since the first season of the Netflix series, fans have speculated and theorized the possibility of Will being gay. While never fully confirmed by the Duffer brothers or the cast, there have been hints of it being true.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things 4 Volume I]
‘Stranger Things’ Season 3 included a possible clue about Will’s sexuality
The question of Will’s sexual orientation has been around since the first season. Fans saw when Will’s mother would make comments about other children calling Will a derogatory term. It has been among several unanswered questions in the back of fans’ minds until Stranger Things Season 3. In episode three of the season, Mike and Will have a heated argument. Will becomes upset that his friends are no longer how they used to be. They have their own interests, and Mike shows more care for El than anything else.
On the porch during the pouring rain, Will argues Mike cares more about a “stupid” girl and making out. Mike gets angery at Will implying El is stupid, and defends her. Mike says, “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls.” Will is left looking shocked, and Mike seems ashamed by what he said.
The simple line did not go unnoticed by fans. Many saw the scene as an involuntary confession of Will’s sexuality in Stranger Things. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Shawn Levy explains, “It’s not specific to sexual orientation or anything. Ever since then, a lot of these questions have come up.”
In Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1, the hints of Will’s sexuality being true are stronger than ever.
There are signs of Will Byers’ sexuality in ‘Stranger Things 4’
Stranger Things Season 4 further fuels the conversation that Will might be gay. In the season, fans noticed one small detail that added fuel to the fire. As Will and El walk down the hallway at school, he is holding his class project. The class project is meant to be about an important person in history. A Stranger Things Twitter account pointed out, “Will’s school project is about Alan Turing, a British WWII hero and a Gay Man…”
Turing made tremendous contributions to the development of theoretical computer science and was a WWII code breaker. But in 1952, Turing was prosecuted for homosexual acts. Is Will’s project on Turing a red herring or a hint of his sexuality?
The assumption is furthered when a female student tries to play footsie and flirts with Will while in class. But Will looks shocked and maybe even scared and moves his foot away. Another critical moment fans noticed was when Will had a heart-to-heart with Mike.
In episode five, Will and Mike have a moment in the canyons. Will says, “Sometimes I think it’s just scary to open up like that, to say how you really feel, especially to people you care about the most, because what if they don’t like the truth?” His statement could allude to something he has not had the courage to admit beyond the grand scope of events.
Will Byers orientation might be up for interpretation in ‘Stranger Things’
Deep into Reddit, fans have wholeheartedly discussed the possibility of Will’s sexuality that has been hinted at in Stranger Things. Between small comments made about Will, some of his actions like being uncomfortable in specific settings to his gaze at a particular character.
The Duffer brothers‘ original pitch bible detailed Will as a sweet boy with “sexual identity issues.” “Some things have changed since the show bible, but it at least shows that the idea was there from the very beginning. I’m positive that he’s meant to be interpreted as gay, whether they make it obvious within the show or not,” said a fan on Reddit.
This goes in tune with Noah Schnapp’s comment to Variety, stating, “I think that’s the beauty of it, that it’s just up to the audience’s interpretation, if it’s Will kind of just refusing to grow up and growing up slower than his friends, or if he is really gay.”
