Season 4 of Stranger Things had fans in an uproar. From the introduction of new and formidable characters to a suspenseful and thrilling ending, this season was definitely worth the two-and-a-half-year wait. However what really sparked traffic on various social media platforms was the appearance that Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, was closeted and in love with his best friend Mike Wheeler.
In season 4 episode 8, Will inadvertently confesses his love to Mike, by infusing his own feelings when telling Mike about the way his girlfriend, Eleven, feels about him. While this scene certainly had Stranger Things addicts at the edge of their seats, it did not provide the clarity regarding Byer’s sexuality that the fans were looking for.
There is yet to be a definite release date for season 5, however, Will and Mike shippers got the answers they were hoping for when Schnapp came out as gay on Tik Tok.
On Jan. 5, Schnapp released a Tik Tok using the trending sound, “You know what it never was, that serious. It was never that serious.” The clip featured text saying, “When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was ‘we know’.” Wait, did we skip a chapter?!
He captioned the Tik Tok, “I guess I’m more similar to will than I thought,” A comment that incited a craze out of Team Will fans.
One user said, “Really getting into character, aren’t we Noah?” while another commented, “The closet was glass. ALSO THE CAPTION?? Does this mean you ship will x mike bc same.” It appears that Stranger Things fans are in for some romantic drama. Sign me up, TBH.
Aside from the enthusiasm towards the prospective love affair in the upcoming season, fans — and creators — also sweetly supported and encouraged the actor. TikTok user @mikesscloset made a Tik Tok montage of Noah praising the Duffer brothers for their creation of Noah’s character. According to Schnapp, he loved how real, complex, and messy Will’s character is on the show.
Despite the abundance of encouragement cast members and Stranger Things junkies had for Noah after posting his video, he was still met with hate. Noah’s fans are authentic and displayed their encouragement for him even through hateful comments.
@mayaonthemantis posted a Tik Tok with a text overlay of various less-than-supportive comments. She used the audio, “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” and captioned her video, “so proud of noah for coming out, but seeing people’s reactions is incredibly tiring tbh”
Fans were eager to have at least a *snippet* of their favorite, nostalgic show come true — although I’ll bet they were glad it was none of the monsters from the Upside Down. Season 5 might foster another attention-grabbing love triangle; some die-hard Millie and Noah fans were unhappy with the new romantic developments on and off the screen. Although there will unfortunately always be haters, Schnapp’s fans were overwhelmingly supportive — I for one am excited about the upcoming Stranger Things season!