While the new episodes of the Netflix smash have been mostly well-received by fans, one of the most contentious points of Stranger Things 4 is the sidelining of Will Byers. In particular, many are losing patience with the show’s refusal to give the troubled teen a coming-out storyline, even though it’s been heavily hinted for years now that he might be gay. So far, season four has hinted that he’s secretly harboring feelings for his best friend Mike, but this has yet to be elaborated on.
Comments from star Noah Schnapp have only increased the controversy, as the actor has indicated that Will’s sexuality is and will continue to be left “open to interpretation.” Folks don’t seem to be interested in things being kept vague, however, and are demanding that Will come out as queer before the show ends in season five. Well, those fans will be encouraged by some new teasing comments made by creators the Duffer brothers, who have hinted that there is some kind of “resolution” on the horizon.
Variety chained the Duffers down and got them to answer many of our burning questions following season four’s first seven episodes. This included the mystery surrounding Will’s sexual identity. While keen to avoid going into specifics, co-creator Matt Duffer stressed that viewers should remember that there are still two feature-length episodes still to go this season so all of the characters’ arcs are yet to conclude, including Will’s.
He explained:
“The full arc of the story hasn’t come to pass yet because we really are in Episode 7, it’s what we call the end of our second act. So there’s a lot more resolution in the story; we’re trying to do the same with the characters’ arcs. And I would say that applies to Will’s arc. So it’s going to be much easier to talk about for everyone — the actors and us — once those final two episodes have played. But certainly, his journey and arc is far from finished.”
In the early chapters of this season, Will was shown to be in a downcast mood following Mike’s arrival in California, with it suggested that it hurt him to see Mike around his girlfriend El and not paying him any attention. Mike is unaware of how his friend feels, however, so maybe we can take the Duffers’ hints as a promise that Will will come clean about his love for Mike in volume two. There’s definitely enough room for this to be explored, anyway, seeing as the two episodes will clock in at around four hours all together.
Stranger Things 4 concludes on July 1.