Is Will Byers gay? Here's what Stranger Things actor Noah Schnapp has said about his character's sexuality

10 July 2019, 12:02 | Updated: 10 July 2019, 12:06

By Emma Clarke

@emma_clarke_26

Stranger Things viewers are questioning Will Byers' sexuality after a scene between him and BFF Mike Wheeler in season 3.

While the kids from Stranger Things were a mere 12 years old when they first graced our screens, they are all now teenagers - so, naturally, the plot of season 3 reflects this.

Now 14 in the Netflix show, Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin) are into the opposite sex and are pretty obsessed with their girlfriends, Eleven (Mille Bobby-Brown) and Max (Sadie Sink).

And while Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) has been away at summer camp, when he returns he reveals he, too, has got a new love interest named Suzie.

Meanwhile, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) is still struggling to let go of his childhood - which stands to reason as he's been robbed of two years' worth of Dungeons and Dragons.

Still trying to get his pals on board and play games with him, Will takes is to heart that all his friends are flaking on him to spend time with the girls.

In an emotional scene, Will storms out of Mike's basement amid a downpour, shouting: "You're destroying everything, and for what? So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?"

Mike then responds: "El's not stupid! It's not my fault you don't like girls."

After a tense pause, Mike then continues: "I'm not trying to be a jerk, okay? But we're not kids anymore. I mean, what did you think, really? That we were never going to get girlfriends? That we're just going to sit in my basement playing games for the rest of our lives?"

Since, fans have taken to social media, speculating this scene is The Duffer Brothers' way of telling the audience is gay.

One viewer tweeted: "Did they just confirm Will is gay???????"

Another responded: "Oh my god did Mike just imply Will is gay???"

In the show, Will then proceeds to tear down his hideout in the woods, Castle Byers, which symbolises the end of an era, and how the gang are no longer children.

Fans have also praised the way actor Noah Schnapp portrayed the scene.

So is Will Byers actually gay?

Will Byers never officially comes out as gay, or states his sexual preference.

Having said that, fans believe it has been alluded to in previous seasons - as in the first series, Will's mum Joyce (Winona Ryder) said in the first season: "He's a sensitive kid...Lonnie [Will's dad] used to say he was queer, called him a fag."

What has Noah Schnapp said about Will's sexuality?

Ahead of season two, actor Noah Schnapp also commented on the sexuality of his character, taking to Instagram to write:

"So I thought it would be time to jump into the conversation. I've been reading stuff for a while. I think everyone here is missing the point. An author called Gary Schmidt came to speak at our school this week and he said that good stories aren't supposed to leave you with answers because then you never question yourself and you forget about it. A good book, or a good show leaves a lot of unanswered questions but makes you think. Which is what you are all doing."

"For me, Will being gay or not is besides the point. Stranger Things is a show about a bunch of kids who are outsiders and find each other because they have been bullied in some way or are different."

He continued: "Does being sensitive, or a loner, or a teenager who likes photography, or a girl with red hair and big glasses, make you gay? I'm only 12 but I do know we all relate to being different. And that's why I think the Duffers wrote the show the way they did. So you can ask all these questions. I hope the real answer never comes out!"