The "Stranger Things"'s Creators May Have Just Revealed Whether Will Byers is Gay
It's only been three years since the first season of Stranger Things premiered but it's crazy how much the kids have grown up since then, both in their real lives and on the show. El is not longer that shy, cautious little girl that was first found in the woods. Her personality shines in season 3 and she even ends up having a little fling with Mike. In fact all the boys end up with someone: Mike with El, Caleb with Max and Dustin with Suzie. The only one who doesn't have a romantic interest in season 3 is Will. In season 3, it seems that he's struggling with the evolving interests of his friends. That's why he loses it when Mike and Caleb ditch their game of Dungeons and Dragons to go hang out with the girls. But it was Mike's comment that had fans coming up with their own theories about Will's sexuality.
After Wills runs off, Mike catches up to him frustrated, snaps and says, "It's not my fault you don't like girls." That comment can be interpreted several ways, but lots of fans theorized that it was hinting that Will is actually gay and the theory may not have been too far from the truth.
It seems like the Duffer Brothers' original notes on the show's characters provided a hint that Will could be gay, according to ScreenRant. When the brothers were pitching the show, which was originally called Montauk, the brothers already had an idea of who Will would be.
Here's what their original description said: "WILL BYERS, twelve, is a sweet, sensitive kid with sexual identity issues. He only recently came to the realization that he does not fit into 1980s definition of 'normal.' His innocent choices, such as his colorful clothes, prove a constant source of bullying. Like Mike, Will escapes through fantasy gaming, where he can be himself, uninhibited. He has a close relationship with his mother, Joyce. His brother, Jonathan, helps raise him in lieu of their father, who abandoned them four years ago."
So, the original plan was that Will would have issues with his sexual identity. The show's creators made lots of changes to the show production (like the fact it ended up being called Stranger Things), but a lot stayed the same. In the show, it's easy to tell that Will loves gaming and is pretty close with his mom Joyce, so could the hint about Will's identity issues also be true?
Actor Noah Schnapp interpreted Mike's line to Will in a totally different way, though he agreed it's really up to the audience how they decide to take that scene. He said that tense scene between Will and the other boys alluded to the fact that Will just isn't ready to grow up.
"You see in Episode 3, he just wants to play D&D in the basement, and now all of his friends have girlfriends and they are dating. And it’s kind of, when you hear Mike say that line, it’s really up to the audience to interpret it. I kind of just interpret it like he’s not ready to grow up and he doesn’t really want to move on to dating and relationships yet. He still wants to be a kid and play in the basement like he did in old times," Noah told The Wrap.
We probably won't get an answer about Will's sexuality until season 4. Though the Duffer Brothers could also ultimately choose to leave that storyline untouched and have fans live with their own theories.
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