Stranger Things’ Noah Schnapp confirms Will is gay and in love with Mike

Danny Jones

As if that scene didn’t tell you all you need to know, we now have it from the horse’s mouth

*A bit late for spoilers at this point – but yes, this article touches on the Stranger Things 4 finale*

One particular piece of Stranger Things speculation is finally over as actor Noah Schnapp confirms that Will Byers is gay and in love with Mike following the conclusion of the show’s latest season.

We reported on fans reacting to a very telling scene earlier this month after the blockbuster finale showed the character of Will (played by Schnapp) essentially revealing his true feelings for Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) under the guise of an impassioned speech relating to the latter’s relationship with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).

If you haven’t seen it already, this is the scene we’re talking about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il20QsuASqU

Despite having initially stated that his character’s sexuality is “up to the audience’s interpretation” in previous interviews, the 17-year-old actor told Variety in a recent exclusive that Will does have feelings for his best friend and that the writers have been drip-feeding hints on the past couple of seasons.

“I mean, it’s pretty clear this season that Will has feelings for Mike”, says Schnapp. “They’ve been intentionally pulling that out over the past few seasons. Even in Season 1, they hinted at that and slowly, slowly grew that storyline.

“I think for Season 4, it was just me playing this character who loves his best friend but struggles with knowing if he’ll be accepted or not, and feeling like a mistake and like he doesn’t belong”.

He goes on to explain that the core friends of the ensemble all have girlfriends and different clubs, whereas Will has never found anywhere he really fits in. He added that he believes: “Will has always felt like that” and that it’s part of the reason he feels so real as a character, not to mention why he resonates with so many people.

While Will doesn’t actually say anything explicitly to Mike during the scene in the car, it seemed a fairly obvious confirmation for most people watching at home. However, Schnapp praised the Duffer Brothers for how “subtle” he thinks they made it and feels “it really solidified that truth, that he loves his best friend and he doesn’t know how to tell him.”

He was also asked about a later scene with his on-screen brother Johnathan Byers (played by Charlie Heaton), in which the two have a heart-to-heart about being there for each other no matter what.

Once again, spoilers:

Schnapp says his brother also speaks to him “in code” and that it was the perfect way to show support for him. Even in the moments after the earlier car scene, Johnathan can be seen looking at his brother in the rear-view mirror as if to suggest he knows something is wrong.

So, there you have it: as many of you already suspected/had confirmed in the season four finale, Will is gay and loves Mike. In fact, it would seem even the cast has been dropping some fairly heavy-handed hints about who Will has been “interested in” all along, adding that those who have been watching the show closely will have likely spotted.

The only question now is how are Will’s feelings going to factor into Mike’s relationship with Eleven in the final season of Netflix‘s smash-hit sci-fi series.

Only time will tell.