Why did they make will gay

With the release of Stranger Things 3, there has been a lot of discussion kicked up about the character of Will Byers and his sexuality or lack thereof. I've seen a lot of takes about what "it's not my fault you don't like girls" was intended to mean, many of which seem to take it in isolation, so I wanted to make a post putting it into what I think is its proper context; not an isolated incident, but the latest carriage in veritable train of queer themed language and imagery that has followed Will Byers since episode one of season one, and before that.

You ready? Alright, let's go. And that's pretty much it for now. Any one of these things taken in isolation could be very easily dismissed, but here's the thing; they aren't isolated incidents. They are part of a clear and consistent pattern, one that goes all the way back to the show's inception, before even one minute of footage was filmed.

And this pattern points to one very obvious conclusion; the Duffer Brothers have always intended, and continue to intend, for Will Byers to be gay. Now, for the obvious question; why haven't they made it explicit yet? It's entirely possible that there is some external force that the Duffers have to answer to that is preventing them from actively pursuing this particular storyline.

This happens all the time in Hollywood, and it could be anything from Netflix to Noah Schnapp's parents to Noah Schnapp himself just being uncomfortable with it.

If the Duffers ultimately submit to these pressures, I hope you won't be too hard on them. This shit is harder than you think to get to the screen sometimes. But it's also possible that they just aren't ready for it yet. That they have been saving this for a future storyline, that they just want their characters and the actors to get a little older before they pursue this particular storyline explicitly, but they've been busily laying groundwork for it so that anyone paying attention will know it's coming.

For now, I can tell you this; I see a great deal of evidence that the Duffers still intend for Why did they make will gay to be gay, and precisely zero that they have changed their minds. The first possibility is that Netflix pulled some executive meddling and got them to change the story.

First, the Duffers only went with Netflix because other networks they pitched the show to wanted to change fundamental elements. At least one network wanted to remove the kids entirely and focus on Hopper. The Duffers ultimately went with Netflix because it allowed them to stick to their original vision.

Second, Stranger Things is a gigantic hit, which makes it a marketing cash cow for Netflix. While there might be some minor backlash at going with a gay storyline, Netflix is unlikely to take a hit if the Duffers pulled the trigger with Will. This one is a bit interesting. This helps prevent against leaks that could ruin the story or create pressure to change it.

Actors themselves are often kept in the dark, only being told what they need to know. Sometimes entirely fake scenes are filmed, and alternate takes are done, in order to keep anyone from being able to know exactly what is going to happen. A broad character element though, such as being gay, could possibly be known though.

Noah Schnapp would be the main person whose comfort level they would be concerned about really. It may weird him out a bit that people are so interested in it, and he might be tired of people asking, but he seems open. Finn Wolfhard is another who may need to sign on, as they seem to be setting up Will liking Mike.

One also has to consider Millie Bobby Brown. If they went forward with this it would impact her character in some way. I did read one recent interview where she said she was upset that Mike and El broke up.