Does Will Like Mike in Stranger Things?

The majority of Stranger Things Season 4 is focused on Eleven’s struggle at the Hawkins lab. Apart from that, we saw the Hawkins gang trying to save Max from Vecna’s curse. So while this season didn’t put the spotlight much on him, there was one particular scene that helped us learn more about Will Byers.

For a while, Will was the only target of Mind Flayer, but fortunately, his friends and family helped him come out of the situation alive. Of course, Will always had trouble interacting with every member of the group after his traumatic experience in Upside Down. However, Will feels more vulnerable and anxious whenever he interacts with Mike; well, that’s what we see in the latest season.

Mike arrives in California to meet Eleven and Will after almost a year. Mike was happy to see his girlfriend, but he didn’t show much excitement meeting his best friend, Will. Later, Will confronts Mike for not calling him enough in the past year. Now, one may think Will was angry with Mike because he missed his best friend, but there’s clearly more to this story.

• More: Stranger Things Fans Would Love To Watch These Similar TV Shows

In the third season, we’ve seen that Will wasn’t exactly thrilled when his friends’ girlfriends became a part of the group. He tried his best to push for gaming sessions without the girls, and Mike shuts Will down by saying that “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls.” Will doesn’t deny it, implying that he may have feelings for Mike. Well, the latest season sort of hints that Will does have a crush on his childhood best friend, Mike Wheeler, who, by the way, is clearly oblivious to all the signs.

When Mike and Eleven were together, Will always felt sidelined, and he was frustrated at Mike for not paying enough attention to him. Later in the show, Will talks about the pile of letters Mike has sent to Eleven, but he, on the other hand, only got a few phone calls. It’s obvious that Will is somewhat jealous of seeing Mike with Eleven, but unfortunately, he can’t do anything about it.

The ’80s was a homophobic period, so it’s no wonder that both Will and Robin don’t talk to many people about their sexuality. Will is afraid that his secret will push his friends and family away from him. Apart from that, Will doesn’t know how Mike would react after learning the truth.

Will indirectly confirms that he is afraid of accepting his feelings for Mike in the fifth episode when he says, “sometimes it’s scary to just open up like that, especially to people you care about the most. Because what if… they don’t like the truth.” Will’s facial expressions and that particular statement certainly make some strong implications concerning his feelings for Mike.