Diksha Sundriyal
The fifth season of Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ brings a radical change in the lives of Hawkins residents, as they prepare for a final battle against Vecna. The story started with Will’s abduction in Season 1, and it seems that he is the key to bringing it all to an end. But while there is the weight of saving the world on his shoulders, he also has other matters that keep poking at him throughout the series. The earlier seasons showed his struggle to come to terms with his sexuality, but the fifth season lays the ground for the acceptance that he wishes from the people around him. Not unexpectedly, Robin becomes his confidante, as she realises what’s going on with him and supports him through this journey. In the end, however, it is something else that leads him to come out of the closet. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Vecna’s Threat Pushes Will to Fight His Fears
Will’s homosexuality was confirmed for the audience back in Season 4, though he never outright stated it in the show until the penultimate episode of the final season. The undercurrents, particularly of Will’s feelings towards Mike, had existed even before the fourth season, but it is in the fifth season that significant character development takes place in that direction. In the first half of the season, Will discovers Robin is gay. This gives him a chance to talk about it with someone without actually having to come out, and because Robin has been through the same, she understands exactly what Will needs. By sharing her own story, she provides him with a roadmap to understand how to navigate his own confusion and, more importantly, to accept his true self.
Robin’s pep talk turns out to be extremely helpful when the self-acceptance opens Will’s mind to the extent that he taps into Vecna’s powers to save his friends from Demogorgons. However, while he has accepted himself, he is still reticent about sharing it with others because he doesn’t know how they will react. It is this fear of feeling rejected that has kept him from talking about his sexuality with his family and friends for so long. In a normal situation, he could have taken his time to process things and come out in his own time. However, fighting Vecna means he cannot allow himself to be afraid. The monster feeds on a person’s fears, and since Will has a direct line to him, Vecna knows every single thing about him. In an attempt to kill Vecna, Will enters his mind, but the tables turn when he himself is held captive.
During this time, the monster shows him the future where Will has come out to his friends and family, but the revelation has made them so worried about him that it doesn’t feel like acceptance. In this version of events, Will has pushed away his loved ones, and all the friendships and relationships he had are gone. This is the world of utter sadness, which is what he is truly afraid of. Vecna sees this and uses it against him, which is why Will knows that he cannot go on to face Vecna in the final showdown with this secret and the fears attached to it. The fear has become his weakness, and Vecna will not miss a chance to exploit it. When that happens, Will would lose the fight, and it could lead to his death as well as that of his loved ones. To prevent that, he must address the issue before walking into war, which is why he decides to come out.
Stranger Things Finale Will Address Will’s Feelings for Mike
When Will realizes that his secret will be used against him, he asks Joyce to have a chat with him. While they are in the middle of the conversation, Mike shows up, which makes Will realise that his mother is not the only one who should know about it. He tells everyone to have a seat, and after talking about how much he is like them, he mentions that he is a little bit different. He states that he doesn’t like girls, at least not the way his friends do. He also talks about his fears of being rejected or treated differently by them and how Vecna used it against him. However, his friends and family assure him that they will always support him, and he doesn’t have to worry about losing them at all. Interestingly, though, there is still one secret he carries.
In his speech, he mentions that he had a crush on someone, even though he knew they wouldn’t reciprocate it, but he doesn’t mention that his crush was Mike. Now, for eagle-eyed ones like Robin, it would be clear that Will was talking about Mike, but that still leaves the feelings that Will has for his best friend unresolved. Considering that there is only one episode left in the season, it is expected that this will be addressed before the series ends for good, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that Will and Mike will end up together. To begin with, Mike is straight, or at least, there hasn’t been anything to indicate that his sexuality exists on a broader spectrum. There is a chance that he may already be aware of Will’s feelings towards him, which might make it easier to have the talk with Will. But for now, it doesn’t look like the duo will extend their friendship to a romantic relationship.
It isn’t just Mike’s straightness that builds a case against him and Will being endgame. While talking about her own journey, Robin talks about a straight girl she used to have a crush on, highlighting that eventually, she discovered that it was never about the other girl. It was about herself, and her own journey as she explored her sexuality. This leads Will to accept that his feelings for Mike are pretty much the same. He loves his best friend, and while he does feel an attraction towards him, at the end of the day, it is about his own journey. His sexuality is not defined by his feelings for Mike, which is why he says he “had” a crush on someone. In accepting and understanding himself, he has made peace with the fact that he and Mike are not meant to be, which isn’t so bad, because it was never about Mike in the first place.
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