The Duffer Brothers are standing by the storyline they created around Will Byers. In the final season of Stranger Things, that character, portrayed by Noah Schnapp, comes out as gay. It’s a plot twist that generated some controversy from supposed fans.
Matt and Ross Duffer have said they are proud of the decision; despite the backlash it received at the time. Will’s sexuality became public on the penultimate episode of the hit series on Christmas Day, but has been hinted at for some time. The show aired its final episode on New Year’s Eve.
Will’s coming out scene led to a Stranger Things episode being review bombed
The Stranger Things creators have no regret about their move to have Will come out as gay. However, the critically acclaimed show generated incredibly low ratings for that episode when Will’s secret was revealed. The episode called The Bridge scored a 5.6 out of 10 on IMDb, the lowest-ever for the series.
In an interview with Variety, Ross and Matt say that the reveal is something they’d been “building to for nine years.” They add that it was an important scene not only for the show but also for Noah. Noah said that the reveal was “an honor” for him.
That episode’s low score left the final season’s overall Rotten Tomatoes rating at 83%, the lowest in the show’s history. Matt called the moment a way for Will to overcome evil and the final step in his journey. The moment comes after Will had a heart-to-heart with Robin, played by Maya Hawke, ahead of episode seven.
Matt adds that Noah gave “a really brave, very vulnerable performance” in the coming-out scene. It is a moment that Noah could relate to quite well. In 2023, the actor came out as gay himself.
Although he admitted to being very nervous about revealing his character’s secret, Noah says that the creators wrote it perfectly.
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