This article contains spoilers for vol. 1 of season 4 of Stranger Things
While Stranger Things is known for its incredible characters, it's fair to say that Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) hasn't been quite as well-developed. While he's part of the main friend group with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), and Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), Will hasn't been given many storylines since season 1 and his presence on the show has felt a bit lackluster.
After watching the first seven episodes of season 4 of Stranger Things, it seems that the show is unsure about how Will's character should be written, and there are definitely some ways that this could be rectified.
Will Byers had quite the journey in season 1 of Stranger Things. Will's disappearance is the inciting incident that sets everything in motion and introduces the main characters to the evils of the Upside Down. But even in these early episodes, it could be argued that Will isn't being used properly. Sure, fans see that he's terrified and understandably so. But the first season is mostly about how his friends and family are searching for him and scared for him and hoping that he'll come back home instead of really focusing on Will himself.
Will doesn't do much in seasons 2 or 3, either. In season 2, he's dealing with the trauma of being in the Upside Down and being targeted by the Mind Flayer, and in season 3, he feels left out now that his friends are dating. But while the scary Stranger Things creatures, music, and production value of each episode is always excellent, it often feels like Will's character arc has been ignored. It's true that he's part of a big friend group, but his pals are each given their own plotlines and relationships, and Will should, too.
In season 4, Will's place on the show seems mostly to be a good friend to Eleven. Now that Eleven is living with the Byer family in California, Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) are pretty busy with their new lives, and Eleven is being bullied at school. Will hates that Eleven feels like a loser and does his best to show her kindness and support. Stranger Things season 4 volume 1 is impressive in many ways, but it doesn't feel like Will has been paid enough attention. He often just seems to be hanging out in the background instead of playing an active role.
Stranger Things has alluded to Will possibly being gay, as it seems like he is in love with Mike Wheeler. This was suggested earlier on in the show and in season 4, Will is sad about his changing friendship with Mike, as they don't talk much now that they are living in different places. When Mike doesn't seem to be taking his relationship with Eleven as seriously as he did before, Will is hurt on behalf of Eleven but this could also be interpreted as jealousy. In a moving scene, Mike does admit that he hasn't put that much effort into keeping in touch with Will, and fans hope that the two can maintain the close friendship that they used to have in the past.
Noah Schnapp was interviewed by IndieWire and said, “I kind of just interpret it like he’s not ready to grow up and he doesn’t really want to move on to dating and relationships yet. He still wants to be a kid and play in the basement like he did in old times.”
There's a lot going on in season 4, from Eleven working through memories of a terrible killing spree at the Hawkins lab to Joyce doing her best to track down Jim Hopper (David Harbour), but Will often gets lost in the shuffle of such big storylines. Netflix is said to have spent $30 million on each Stranger Things episode and the show looks great. But it's interesting and heartbreaking that Will has often felt like he's not really part of his friend group as he finds it hard to relate to them as they all get older, and it would be great if the show explored this more. In season 5, fans would love to see Will fall in love or make a new friend, as it feels like it's definitely time for Will to be given more to do. Will is so sweet and endearing, and a lot could be done with his character.
Many fans of Stranger Things would love for Will to get his own storyline, especially now that it has been a while since he has been out of the Upside Down. He doesn't seem to be dealing with the strangeness of Hawkins firsthand anymore, and when Stranger Things returns for its fifth and final season, fans would love to see more Will.