Stranger Things fans are often discussing whether Will Byers is gay or asexual. There’d been suggestions about this before, but one scene in season 3 almost confirmed it. If you’ll recall, Will and Mike got into an argument which ended when the latter shouted at him, saying “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls.” Still, the rest of the season didn’t go any further with exploring Will’s sexuality so it remains ambiguous within the show.
According to star Noah Schnapp, though, this is deliberate on the part of the writers. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor talked about his own personal reading of Will’s situation as being based around how he’s missed out on a key part of his life due to being stuck in the Upside Down, rather than due to insecurity over his sexuality. However, he remarked that viewers can make up their own minds.
“There’s nothing set in stone. It’s kind of up to the audience, and I think the [creators Matt and Ross Duffer] did that on purpose. Some people perceive it as Will could be gay, asexual or whatever. Or, like how I see it, he was stuck in the Upside Down, and he was away for so long that all of his friends started growing up while he was in this other world. When he came back, everyone was all grown up, and he was still a little kid who still wanted to do little kid things like play D&D. He wasn’t ready to face this maturity and get into relationships. So, I think that’s what Will is going through right now.”
The Duffers may be leaving it open to interpretation now, but they certainly initially envisioned Will as someone who was likely LGBTQ. A passage from the original bible for the series was unearthed last year that describes Will as “a sweet, sensitive kid with sexual identity issues.” It’s unknown if this still applies to the character as we know him, however, as the same breakdown also notes that he’s known for his “colorful clothes,” which doesn’t really apply to the Will of the show.
With Stranger Things season 4 now in production, we’ll have to see what’s in store for Will next time we return to Hawkins, Indiana. Fans complained that Schnapp was sidelined too much in season 3, so hopefully that’ll be fixed with this next run, whether they decide to define Will’s sexuality or not.
