Back when Stranger Things first started airing, actor Noah Schnapp couldn’t find many similar traits linking him to his character Will Byers. He was 11 years old at the time. How could he relate to a young man struggling to find himself in an unforgiving world at such a tender age? As the years went by, Schnapp grew up. He’s now an 18-year-old gay man.
But what does that have to do with Will Byers? Well, fan speculation suggested back in 2016 — during the show’s first season — that Will might be gay, specifically with romantic inclinations towards his friend Mike Wheeler, who at this time was developing a crush on newcomer Eleven. The Duffer Brothers never confirmed nor denied Will’s attachment to Mike, nor his sexuality as a whole.
It was never truly addressed until the fourth season, which aired in two parts on May 27 and July 1. It was one significant scene that made all the difference. When a concerned Mike and Will are driving out with Argyle and Jonathan to search for Eleven, Mike confides in Will that he’s worried for El’s safety and touches on his romantic feelings for her.
Will delivers a touching monologue about how Mike is the “heart” of the group and how El is lost without him. It becomes evident fairly quickly that Will isn’t exactly talking about Eleven in this scenario, but rather himself, using El as a cover-up for how he feels about Mike. In the end, Will faces the fact that he can’t come out to his friends due to a fear of rejection and Mike is left feeling inspired. It’s a tear-jerker all around.
Schnapp talks to Variety about how he found himself relating more and more to Will’s story as time progressed. In fact, Will’s bravery even inspired his own coming out journey. On Jan. 5, Schnapp posted an eight-second-long video to TikTok, announcing to the world that he is gay. He captioned the video: “I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought.”
This journey began back in 2022, when he confirmed in an interview with Variety that Will Byers is gay.
“Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself. I would be in a completely different place if I didn’t have Will to portray, and to embrace and help me accept myself. I think if I never played that character, I probably would still be closeted.”
Schnapp credits his ability to embrace his sexuality to Will’s character and the decision by Netflix and the Duffer Brothers to place his identity at the forefront of the latest season. Hopefully, as we near the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, Will will finally be able to tell his friends the big secret and find himself a boyfriend.