Is Will Byers gay? It's a question that's been raised since Stranger Things season 2, and here's everything season 4 teases about his sexual identity.

Warning: Minor SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 4.

One of the biggest questions Stranger Things continues in season 4 is, is Will Byers gay? It's a subtle character detail that has come up more and more as the seasons go on, and as the characters get older. Most of the characters - both the kids and the older teenagers, and even the parents - have entered and exited relationships. Many of them have developed relationships with each other, like Mike and Eleven, and Max and Lucas, but Will hasn't.

Now while there's absolutely nothing wrong with not being in a relationship, or perhaps being asexual, in a show like Stranger Things that's partly about coming of age, a question of sexuality is one that's continuously raised. Thankfully, Stranger Things is one of the current shows on TV that hasn't shied away from developing queer characters. In season 3, Robin told Steve (well, he had to figure it out himself) that she's gay; it was a terrific moment for both characters, and it's a story that plays out in greater detail in season 4.

That scene between Robin and Steve ultimately turned the attention back to Will Byers, whose sexuality was brought into the spotlight earlier in the same season. Now season 4 continues that line of thought, nudging viewers along to ask themselves, is Will Byers gay?

How Stranger Things Teased Will Byers Being Gay

At the start of Stranger Things season 3, it became clear the dynamic among the kids had changed once summer began and once they started dating. Will Byers felt affected the most and just wanted to go back to playing Dungeons and Dragons, as they used to in seasons 1 and 2. It all came to a head outside Mike's house when Will yelled, "You're destroying everything, and for what? So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?" Mike quickly came to Eleven's defense and rebuffed, "El's not stupid! It's not my fault you don't like girls."

Will paused after that, and the scene gave viewers pause as well. Mike is Will's best friend, so it's possible he knew something that viewers didn't, but the scene plays out specifically in a way to imply that Will Byers is gay. However, because it's a throwaway line by a character other than Will, therefore making it ambiguous, and his sexuality was never explicitly confirmed in season 3 or by the cast and crew afterward, there's no telling if it was the truth.

One additional hint towards Will's sexuality came at the end of Stranger Things season 2, though the detail was only confirmed through the finale's script. When the kids are at the Snowball dance, the script mentions who each person is dancing with and how they're feeling, and then for Will, it says, "Will with the Cute Girl, dancing awkwardly. But his eyes aren't on the cute girl. They are on... Mike." And Mike was dancing with Eleven. At the time, the teleplay's description might not have meant anything, but after season 3, it came back into the spotlight.

Clues Will Byers Is Gay In Stranger Things Season 4

So far in Stranger Things season 4, there have been additional clues to Will Byers being gay, but they've come from another character other than Will again, save for one scene. When the Byers family is first introduced this season at their new home in California, Eleven narrates and says, "Will is painting a lot, but he won't show me what he's working on. Maybe it is for a girl. I think there is someone he likes because he has been acting weird." Just like Eleven, Will was also incredibly excited to see Mike again for the first time since leaving Hawkins, and he brought that painting with him to the airport to give to Mike (but he didn't go through with it). Later on, Will still took the painting with him when they left the house to go to Hawkins. So if Eleven is right about her observation, the painting could be for Mike.

Another not-so-subtle clue also came in episode 1 when Eleven was giving her Hopper presentation to the class. A girl who sits next to Will rubs her foot on his leg, getting his attention, and Will quickly moves his leg away. The whole scene could boil down to Will being awkward, but his reaction also came off as if he was repulsed (to an extent). If Mike and Eleven are both right, in that Mike believes Will doesn't like girls and Eleven believes the painting is for someone he likes, it could be that Will likes Mike, a plot point viewers have been onto for a few years now. But Stranger Things still has yet to confirm where this storyline is going.

Next: Is Stranger Things Season 4 The Last One?

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