When Stranger Things started, it was clear that the show was about William “Will” Byers (Noah Schnapp).
His disappearance started everything, but sometimes throughout the seasons, Will was relegated to the background, being turned into a screaming machine in one particularly terrible season.
The first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 circle back to this character, who is not only crucial to the narrative but also to many queer viewers.
The series had laid the groundwork for exploring Will’s sexuality for years, but Season 5 feels like the first time he is the driver of his own life.
In the past, his perceived sexuality was used to drive the narrative, usually used as a setup for someone else’s story.
Season 4 confirmed Will is gay, and Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 uses this development as narrative fuel.
Will the Wise, Strong, and Courageous
Will was the outlier in his friend group. He was smarter, more emotionally tuned, and adventurous.
Being an outlier in that group means something.
But Will bore the brunt of it when everyone started to notice his queerness even before he knew what that was.
His disappearance cemented his outsider status, trauma becoming shorthand for his identity.
If he hadn’t been in the margins, being taken by Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) definitely put him there. He became even more alone and detached when all his friends started growing and leaving him behind.
Stranger Things is also guilty of leaving the character behind with too many damaging consequences. When the show dropped him, it painted Will as the weak kid who was taken, and that became his identity.
Photo: Courtesy of NetflixSeason 5 tries to smash this notion from the word go.
The first five minutes of Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 1, “Chapter One: The Crawl,” are dedicated to Will’s struggle when Vecna took him.
It paints a fresh picture of a young boy with grit who, despite having his world turned literally upside down, puts up a fight.
Oh, he throws his everything toward that nose-less freak. From the gun to the running battles, Will does his best, but he can’t beat Vecna alone.
The characterization of Will as weak gets its first proper beating in those five minutes, but things get even better as the story progresses.
Will Finds His Queer Guardian Angel
Even the best ally can never understand the experience of being queer like another queer person can.
When it became clear that Will’s sexuality would take time to explore, Stranger Things introduced Robin (Maya Hawke), a lesbian character who has been holding the queer fort for multiple seasons now.
Her sexuality is known to few, and in Season 5, Will enters Robin’s circle — boy, does he need that circle.
Seeing Robin and her girlfriend, Vickie (Amybeth McNulty), kiss sparks curiosity about topics he’s been wanting to discuss.
Photo: Courtesy of NetflixHe immediately goes in with questions, and Robin does her level best to become his queer guide.
Suddenly, a new duo is born, giving off a strong “two queers telling each other exactly” energy whenever they share a scene.
Regardless, those moments provide an opportunity for Will to learn, become comfortable, and more confident in his sexuality.
The effect on his personality is immediate as he becomes more confident and takes off the kid gloves that Joyce (Winona Ryder) — in her motherly care — had glued on him.
Then he confronts his biggest challenge yet and emerges even more powerful than ever.
Will the Savior
Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 4 “Chapter Four: Sorcerer” is a masterpiece.
It features an epic showdown between our people and Vecna with his minions, the demorgogons.
The battle underscores how Will’s growth shifts the group’s dynamic from fragile to formidable.
This episode answers the question everyone has been asking for nine years now: Why Will? Why did Vecna take Will Byers, of all the kids in Hawkins?
Vecna claims Will was the weakest, and I believe him. Will was young, lacked a great support system, and was queer.
Age put him at a disadvantage, lacking a support system made him vulnerable, and being queer made him weak — but not for that reason you’re thinking.
His difference was policed early, queerness weaponized against him before he even named it. His only solace was Joyce, who was overwhelmed raising two boys alone.
Being hit with negative perceptions made Will become what most queer kids become: scared, belittled, and unconfident.
Vecna saw that as an opportunity.
Photo: Courtesy of NetflixBut most opportunities don’t present themselves forever. By now, Will is no longer what he was five years ago. He is grown, confident in his sexuality, and has a great support system.
He literally unlocks a superpower in himself in a moment that’ll make Byler fans go crazy. He breaks the demorgogons like they’re brittle sticks he collected on the side of the road.
This moment is the culmination of a year of growth, more in the past several months.
Stranger Things uses Will’s queerness not as a shocker to fill a diversity mandate, but as a significant plot point woven into the narrative’s fabric.
It is what we hoped for in the season — and more.
These episodes — and the season — reframe Will as a powerful protagonist as he grows in power and character.
Apart from defeating that slimy freak, Will deserves to find love like all his peers. Now, based on some scenes, some Byler fans think it’s about to go down after Volume 1, but caution is advisable.
Whether it’s Mike (Finn Wolfhard) or another boy, giving Will a love story equal to his peers would be the ultimate narrative justice.
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