Since season one, Will Byers has been a complex character who never seemed to fit in. Now, Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp shares why and confirms what fans have long suspected.

Stranger Things season 4 strongly hinted that Will Byers was gay and has feelings for Mike Wheeler. Many fans were upset that Stranger Things was dancing around Will Byers' sexuality, but now Schnapp has said "It’s 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike."

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In a recent interview with Variety, Schnapp discussed his character's sexuality and how the arc has slowly been developing over the show's current four seasons. "It’s pretty clear this season that Will has feelings for Mike," he shared. "They’ve been intentionally pulling that out over the past few seasons. Even in season one, they hinted at that and slowly, slowly grew that storyline. I think for season four, 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. Will has always felt like that. All his friends, they all have girlfriends and they all fit into their different clubs. Will has never really found anywhere to fit in."

Stranger Things Noah Schnapp Will Sexuality Comment

Schnapp continued to share how much he appreciates the way the Duffer brothers have developed Will's arc during the series, and how important the character is for representation. "I think it is done so beautifully, because it’s so easy to make a character just like all of a sudden be gay," he said. "People have come up to me — I was just in Paris and this, like, 40-year-old man came up to me and he was like, 'Wow, this Will character made me feel so good. And I related to it so much. That is exactly who I was when I was a kid.' That just made me so happy to hear. They are writing this real character and this real journey and real struggle and they’re doing it so well."

Even though the show itself has never confirmed Will's sexuality, many fans have speculated and theorized that he is gay, especially following the release of season four. Much of Will's screen time revolved around being a third wheel for Mike and Eleven, and many scenes were shot in a way that made it appear as if Will was gazing longingly at Mike. "I think it’s kind of Mike dealing with his own stuff," Schnapp said of their friendship in Stranger Things season 4. "In season two, they were best friends and they were so close, and then obviously Mike has all his eyes on Eleven. Will is dealing with a little bit of jealousy there. He just wants his best friend back and wants it to be like what it was in season one, when they were playing D&D in his basement. But Mike’s growing out of that and only cares about Eleven right now. I’m interested just to see where the Duffers go with that in season five, and how they close out that storyline."

Schnapp also shared his excitement for Stranger Things season 5 and how excited he is to see where the Duffers take Will's storyline. "They have a lot to get to...Obviously, we hope for a coming out scene, and I also want to see them address this connection to the Mind Flayer and how that fits into the world," Schnapp said. "I just want to see it all tie in and all work out. So I’m excited to see what happens."

Stranger Things seasons 1-4 are now streaming on Netflix.

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Source: Variety