Summary
- Will’s feelings for Mike were confirmed in Stranger Things S4, setting up the potential for a romantic relationship.
- Mike’s “I love you” confession to El in S4 didn’t go as planned, leaving room for additional developments.
- The final frame of S4 suggests specific pairings, potentially hinting at a separation between El and Mike for Byler to become a couple.
Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) share a special kind of friendship that dates back to kindergarten in Stranger Things. Among the original Party, Mike seems closest to Will and treats him differently than his other friends. Since Stranger Things has highlighted their friendship numerous times, it has become the subject of heated online debates. Is the relationship between Will Byers and Mike Wheeler, commonly referred to by their ship name Byler, merely platonic or romantic? If it’s the latter, is there a chance of it becoming canon in season 5?
In season 4, Will’s sexuality was explored. His feelings for Mike were hinted at within seven episodes before being confirmed in Stranger Things season 4, episode 8, “Chapter Eight: Papa.” Although Will’s intention for his roundabout confession was to end his feelings, many elements throughout the series imply that his love for his best friend might be reciprocated in the final season.
Stranger Things Star Addresses Mike & Will’s Relationship In Season 5
Stranger Things Season 5 could touch on the relationship between Will Byers and Mike Wheeler.
Will’s Lie About the Painting Has Yet to Be Revealed
In the beloved van scene, Will showed the painting he intended to give to Mike when he arrived in California. It’s the same painting that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) mentioned in her letter to Mike during the start of the season. She even notes that she thinks it’s meant for a girl Will likes. When Will brought it with him to the airport, people immediately realized that it was meant for Mike. Unfortunately, the latter failed to see this at that moment. This was the first sign in season 4 that Will had romantic feelings for his best friend.
Although Will gave the painting to Mike in the end, he lied and said that it was commissioned by El. After all, he did add a heart to Mike’s coat of arms, which is seemingly on the nose. Will proceeds to give a veiled confession, using El as a guise. However, he concludes that if “she” was going to lose Mike, then “she” would rather “…get it over quick, like ripping off a Band-Aid.” While the entire confession comforts Mike, it doesn’t have the same effect on Will. Instead, he hides his face and cries silently in the van.
Will understands that one of Mike’s core beliefs is “Friends don’t lie.” However, he still did it because he didn’t want to lose him as a friend. Admittedly, it wasn’t exactly easy to be a gay teenager back in the day. He took the risk, knowing that this lie could ruin their friendship. Mike’s reaction to the truth about the painting and Will’s confession remains to be seen. After all, it was Will’s confession that might have given him the push he needed to say the words that El had always wanted to hear from him.
Mike’s “I Love You” Confession Was Unsuccessful
After struggling to tell his girlfriend the words she always longed to hear, Mike finally confesses his feelings and says “I love you” to El in Stranger Things season 4, episode 9, “Chapter Nine: The Piggyback.” However, things didn’t end the way either would have wanted. It wasn’t Mike’s confession that gave El the courage to move forward. He urged her to fight right as she saw Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) torturing Max (Sadie Sink), and that helped.
Even though Mike confesses his feelings, there’s a discrepancy between that and what he said in Stranger Things season 1, episode 2, “Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street.” During his discussion with Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) about what they’ll do with El, Mike comes up with a solution. He concludes that he’ll make her go to the front door the following day and let his mom do the rest.
She’ll send her back to Pennhurst or wherever she comes from. We’ll be totally in the clear.
In his speech during the season 4 finale, Mike speaks of falling in love with El at first sight despite making the statement above shortly after their first meeting. El overheard their conversation in season 1, so it’s clear that it must have crossed her mind during Mike’s confession. It doesn’t help that Mike keeps emphasizing that El is a superhero when it was implied at the beginning of season 4 in California that she wants normalcy.
El’s inability to save Max the way she wanted to still weighs on her. Although she was able to keep her alive, Max was dealt a fatal blow and barely survived. El blames herself, with Mike noting that it’s likely because she never lost in the past. The two have not talked much since the incident, but it’s clear from both ends that the confession didn’t work for some reason.
The Final Frame of Stranger Things Season 4 Suggests Specific Pairings
In the final scene of Stranger Things season 4, seven of the main cast, including Eleven, Mike, Will, Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Joyce (Winona Ryder), and Hopper (David Harbour) are in the meadow, staring at a decimated Hawkins. El approaches half of the field that has begun to decay because of the elements escaping from the newly opened gates. She stands on her own with a determined look on her face. El will settle her unfinished business with Vecna.
Oddly enough, the framing for this scene shows the remaining six characters in pairs. First, we have Nancy and Jonathan. Next, we have Mike and Will. Lastly, we have Joyce and Hopper, who finally made it back to Hawkins. What’s peculiar about this blocking is how two of these three pairs are canonically romantic. El separates from the group and leaves Mike and Will as a pair. This move could hint that El and Mike will separate by season 5, giving Byler a chance to become a couple.
RUMOR: Will Gets a Love Interest in Stranger Things Season 5
According to a post by MyTimeToShineH, a popular leaker account, Will is going to have a love interest in Stranger Things season 5. Although the general audience assumes that this means a new character will be introduced as Will’s love interest, that seems highly unlikely. In an interview with IndieWire, the Duffers confirmed that they won’t be adding new characters in the final season. So, the question remains: who will become Will’s boyfriend in season 5?
The options are limited, and the most plausible partner for him would be none other than Mike Wheeler himself. After all, season 4 explored Will’s feelings for his best friend. In hindsight, the Duffers could have hinted at this relationship from the beginning, building it up along the way. Since some season 5 episodes will be longer than previous ones, there will be more time to explore this potential relationship in Stranger Things.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things is a horror and supernatural franchise that was originally a popular show on Netflix. The viral success of the television program cause it to have its very own mobile game, Stranger Things 3: The Game, where you play one of 12 characters in a SNES-like version of Hawkins.