Stranger Things fans are speculating about a romance in Netflix’s new episodes
Katherine Palmer Senior TV Reporter for Screen Time
18:15, 13 Dec 2025
Stranger Things is set to return to Netflix with the second volume of season five imminently, and audiences are eagerly anticipating revelations about Will Byers’ (portrayed by Noah Schnapp) extraordinary abilities. After narrowly surviving the preceding four seasons, his moment appears to have arrived following his transformation into “Will the Sorcerer”, apparently wielding powers similar to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).
The dramatic revelation has caused both fans and the cast to view Schnapp’s character through entirely fresh eyes, with many becoming captivated by him after witnessing him dabbing blood from his nose whilst gazing directly at the camera. Will’s companions were left stunned as he single-handedly defeated a pack of Demogorgons, and audiences are eager to discover how his abilities will contribute to Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) ultimate downfall.
They are equally thrilled about the prospect of witnessing a budding romance between two characters, dubbing it the “romance of the century”, reports the Mirror. On X, previously known as Twitter, Yupi posted fan artwork depicting Will and Mike during the climactic final sequence of volume one, accompanied by the caption “peak romance of the century”.
READ MORE: Stranger Things’ Steve Harrington ‘safe’ from death as Duffer Brothers drop hintREAD MORE: Stranger Things fans ‘work out’ Jonathan’s death after ring clueMike Wheeler in Stranger Things season 5(Image: NETFLIX)
Will’s sexuality emerged as a significant theme in the fifth season as he began confiding in Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) about same-sex relationships, having observed her kissing Vickie Dunne (Amybeth McNulty). It was Robin who ultimately provided Will with the courage to accept his authentic self, which in turn enabled him to uncover his inner power to vanquish the Demogorgons.
Ever since Will seemed to harbour feelings for his best mate Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), fans have been speculating if Mike would ever recognise Will’s true emotions. They’ve since picked up on the glance Mike threw Will’s way when he revealed his powers, leading them to think that Mike might start developing similar feelings for him.
Sharing her thoughts on their relationship, Nina stated: “If Mike confirms that he loves Will in return in volume two, their story will clearly be the best queer love story ever written.” Daria Byelikova responded with: “Not only the best queer love story, in general the best love story.”
Stranger Things season five, part one, saw Robin Buckley grow closer to Will Byers.(Image: NETFLIX)
However, Kristen J suggested that Mike’s expression at the end of volume one could simply be “awe and relief”, not love, adding: “I don’t know why people cannot see that Mike loves his best friend Will, and that he is acutely aware that he is fragile because he has been horrifically victimized.
“He knows Will has feelings for him that he cannot return, which only makes the protective feelings stronger. The look on Mike’s face in the end of episode four is not one of sudden attraction to his bf, but rather a ‘Hell Yeah!’ that his victimized friend has found his power and is opening a whole can of whoop-a**! It’s awe and relief, not queer love.”
Schnapp, who came out as gay in 2023, confirmed Will’s sexuality will form a major plot point in the final season. He told Variety: “It was hinted at in season one. It was always kind of there, but you never really knew, is it just him growing up slower than his friends? Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing. Now it’s 100 per cent clear he is gay and does love Mike.”
He also said Will has a “perfect” ending ahead of him, telling Forbes: “I can just tell you that I’m very very excited for what’s to come. I think they did a great job with Will’s character this season, and beautifully addressed everything they needed to.”
He added: “The way they closed the show is just perfect – the story started with Will, and it’ll end with Will.”
Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 arrives on Netflix in the US on Christmas Day and the UK on Boxing Day
