Stranger Things’ Coming Out Scene Receives Mixed Reactions

Gayes, Vecna pushed Will right on out the closet chile! (Spoiler Alert)

After several seasons of speculation and subtle on-screen hints, the Stranger Things character Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, has officially come out as gay.

Byers’ emotional coming-out scene, which took place during Stranger Things 5’s second-to-last episode, “Chapter Seven: The Bridge,” has received mixed reactions from audiences.

Let’s set the scene, Will and the gang are gearing up for one final battle against their biggest opp yet, Vecna, played by Jamie Campbell Bower.

Vecna has a knack for playing on his targets’ trauma and secrets, so to expel himself from being a victim of Vecna’s manipulation, Will decides he has to come out to his loved ones.

“I haven’t told any of you this because I don’t want you to see me differently. But the truth is, I am different,” Will says to the group.

“I’m like you in almost every way …. I don’t like girls. I mean, I do. Just not like you guys do.” Will then confesses to a past crush saying, “even though I know they’re not like me,” before realizing that person is “just my Tammy” — a direct reference to a conversation between Will and Robin (Maya Hawke) from Episode 4 where she revealed a crush on her classmate Tammy.

While some fans were happy to finally receive the truth regarding Will’s sexuality, others criticized the show’s lengthy coming out scene and the reasoning behind having certain characters be present as he shared the news.

One viral post on X by user @noah_edgeworth said “How did Stranger Things go from such a great show to the only way they could defeat Vecna is if Will tells everyone he’s gay first”

Of course, other users clapped back, defending the inclusion of the scene.

“Ya’ll are dense and unable to comprehend the storyline. Will’s “secret” is what keeps him weak. It’s what keeps him in perpetual fear. Without that fear and weakness, with his acceptance of himself and others accepting him, Vecna has no power over him. It’s not rocket science,” wrote user @xchaoticangel

Another user echoed these sentiments, writing, “Idk if u guys lack media literacy or if ur just homophobic LMAO.”

One user criticized the lengthy coming scene writing, “Damn near 10 mins just for him to come out. Wrap it up, let’s get to the plot#StrangerThings5”

Others were flat-out homophobic about the scene. Another user on the post called Netflix out for being “woke AF”, attaching a meme that called the scene “LGBTQ+ Agenda propaganda”. Another response called the scene as pushing Hollywood’s agenda, where “Everyone is secretly gay and demonic possession is cool.”

While the reaction to Will’s coming-out scene was mixed, it was definitely a long time coming. Will’s sexuality has been a part of his characterization since the show’s inaugural season. In season one Will is shown as a sensitive middle schooler whose meek personality positions him as a target for bullying. In this season Grace Byers, Will’s Mother, played by Winona Ryder, recounts a time when Will’s Father called him queer.

In season two, Will is still shown struggling to fit in as his friends find their footing. In one scene, Mike Wheeler’s mom, Karen Wheeler, played by Cara Buono, clocks Will’s tea a bit, saying he’s “not interested in girls yet.” The keyword is definitely “yet,” which still left audiences wondering.

By season three, Will’s peers were dating and spending time away from each other to focus on their girlfriends. In one scene, Mike and Will get into a major argument where Mike is shown to have hurt Will’s feelings when he says, “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls,” during an argument.

In the van scene in season four, Will gives Mike an emotionally charged speech about feeling unaccepted and different while attempting to frame it as Eleven’s feelings.

Back in January 2023, when Schnapp publicly came out as gay in a video posted to his TikTok account. He literally confirmed Will’s sexuality writing, “I guess I’m more similar to Will [Byers] than I thought.”

To Schnapp and Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers Ross and Matt , Will’s coming out was important for wrapping up the character’s story arc. Matt Duffer told the Los Angeles Times that Will’s coming out scene was originally planned to take place during season 4 but they felt it would have been too pre-mature.

“But I like the idea of Will slowly building to this moment. He has a breakthrough in Episode 4 in a major way, but he has this one final step to take in order to really unlock his full potential,” said Matt.

Ross expressed being nervous about the scene and wanting to get it right, as Schnapp had recently come out at the time they were writing the scene.

“When he read it, and we got his blessing, we felt really, really good about it. For us, it clicked when we started talking about Will’s actual fears here in the future?” said Ross.

Schnapp told Variety he was moved to tears when he first read the script for Will’s coming-out scene. Following receiving the script, he rehearsed the scene for months to perfect it. “I wouldn’t prep how to say it or how to feel. It would just be plain saying the lines out loud with no emotion, just to sink it in,” said Schnapp.

When the day came to film the scene, Schnapp admitted he did over 12 hours worth of takes for the scene but had to come back a week later to reshoot certain parts of it.”It was like, “Oh my God, how many more times can I do this scene?” But it was also nice because it allowed me to try so many different things. I never felt stuck to anything,” said Schnapp

While Will Byers’ coming out scene may not be universally lauded by viewers, it is, however, a major part of the characters journey, especially in gearing up for their final fight against the show’s final boss, Vecna.