Season 2 Mike definitely saw Max as a love rival for Will
Another Byler from Mike Wheeler's POV analysis—(Unrequited love trope edition).
Sometimes I think about how when the party went trick-or-treating Mike specifically told Will that he, "should have checked with him" first before letting Max join them.
It's just a very peculiar moment. Why Will?
Even Will was confused by this, lol.
We know that Mike doesn't like Max in season 2 (for reasons we'll look into more), but why did he make this Will's problem/ responsibility? Especially after only knowing of her existence for 2 days at this point.
He wasn't angry at Lucas or Dustin—or at least, he didn't expect them to come to him for permission—otherwise he would have said something to them, too.
It was Will who he felt betrayed by and upset with.
Heck, go ahead and take a second look at the first screenshot provided above.
Does Mike look angry to you?
Let me break it down for you:
I'll start by saying when the party learned of MADMAX the screename, they were all equally interested in knowing who it was.
But when Max is introduced to us as a character (and revealed to be a girl), we get markedly different reactions between the boys.
In the first frame, they have no idea who she is or what her name is. All they see is a new girl. (Played by Sadie Sink mind you, who is very pretty).
Look at Mike's face: he already looks sulky.
The second frame is after they learn her name is Max. Once again, all four boys show some level of interest, but Mike remains sulky.
Then we have the recess scene in which the boys are watching Max, which is very interesting.
Consider the blocking and body language in this frame:
Look at Will here: he's just as interested in Max as Lucas and Dustin are (even if his interest is not based on attraction). In fact, he's the main focus of this frame for some reason.
Mike is the only one who hangs back, and his body language is completely different from the other three (hands in pockets, meaning he is distanced). He has no interest whatsoever and his facial expression appears agitated.
Mike feels like the odd one out here.
When they "lose the target" Will is the one who spots her and reinitiates the "watching." Once again, Will is the main focus of this shot and even seems to be showing the most interest; his expression is bright and engaged.
He runs with Lucas and Dustin to the wastebin while Mike trails behind begrudgingly, not wanting to be left behind.
It begs the question: why is Will the focal point among the four boys in a scene about looking at a girl, if he was never intended to be a love interest?
I argue it's because we're seeing this interaction from a very specific perspective—the perspective of Mike Wheeler, who is standing back and observing.
It's also worth noting that Will's change in demeanor and energy here is extremely apparent.
He is noticeably withdrawn and low in spirits this season due to his PTSD (both literal and metaphorical if you count the MF as a metaphor for trauma).
And Mike notices. He’s the one who points out that Will had been "quiet today"—a detail the others miss because they don’t watch Will the way he does.
Notice that Will is disengaged during the science lesson (before Max arrives), while the other three are nerding out. Will previously participated in the science fair—it typically interests him—but his mood is very low.
Then compare that with his immediate engagement when Max walks into the classroom, and the level of interest he showed during recess. Mike would certainly observe this shift, paying as much attention to Will as he does.
In fact, once the distraction of Max has passed and the principal comes to collect him, Will's body language retreats again; shoulders hunched, eyes downcast.
What conclusion do you think Mike would come to based off these few short interactions?
(And these are the only interactions Mike sees between Will and Max before trick-or-treating together the next day. Mike hasn't even spoken to her yet).
From Will's perspective, this girl is just a novelty: a light-hearted distraction from everything else going on, offering a spot of normalcy.
But from Mike's perspective, this is a pretty new girl showing up out of nowhere and immediately raising Will's spirits: something he felt like he failed to do.
And so it brings us to the trick-or-treating scene, in which Will (apparently) joins Dustin and Lucas in their enthusiasm for Max joining the party, while Mike hangs back and then begrudgingly follows, not wanting to be left behind.
Are we noticing the pattern?
Then we have Mike's confrontation with Will (this happens after Will is seen filming Max, btw). He tells Will he should have checked with him about Max joining them and that Max is, "ruining the best night of the year."
Uh... what? What did she do?
He then storms off: inentionally leaving Will behind this time.
(He wants him to know how that feels).
Following this interaction, Will has a big scare with the MF—and of course, it’s Mike who finds him first. Despite his mood, Mike is still attentive and protective.
Mike behaves possessively when he finds Will, not wanting the others to get involved. He takes Will “home” (his home) so they can be alone.
What follows is a scene that, put simply, is about reciprocation.
Interestingly, Mike’s attitude toward Max shifts after this scene with Will—he doesn’t have anything to say about Max joining the party in the AV room to look at Dustin’s pollywog.
This is the girl who apparently ruined Halloween.
You’d think he’d still be unhappy to see her.
But after that conversation with Will in his basement, Mike feels more secure and reassured about the state of their relationship.
So now, it's apparently fine for Max to be in the party.
Well, that changes again.
The next notable interaction is after Mike realises the pollywog is from the UD. Mike immediately goes into protective mode. It’s not Will who storms into the classroom to grab the trap—it’s Mike.
It’s also (presumably) Mike who locks Max outside of the AV room when they discuss this, yelling at her that she can’t come inside.
When she opens the door anyway, the pollywog escapes—and (of course) Mike blames her. No one else points fingers.
Now, the boys were hesitant to reveal any information about the UD for obvious reasons, but here we see the recurring theme in the Mike/Will/Max triangle: Mike’s protectiveness (and slight possessiveness) of Will.
So, a recap of Mike’s perspective so far:
First gripe: You’re hogging Will’s attention (possessive)
Second gripe: You’ve compromised Will’s safety (protective)
Then we finally have the confrontation between Mike and Max:
It literally starts with Mike telling Max to leave because she's in the boys' room. (Similar to his "boys only" comment in season 3).
Let's not get it twisted: When Max finally asks Mike why he's been treating her the way he has been, he deflects.
Mike, who always has a ready opinion and is not afraid of confrontation, is not comfortable sharing the real reason why.
It’s commonly believed that Mike simply didn’t like Max because her presence reminded him of El’s absence—and I see it—but after a closer look, I no longer agree.
Firstly, I don’t think it’s fair to assume that Max would remind Mike of El (or rub salt in the wound of her absence) just because they’re both girls. Max and El couldn’t be more different—physically or otherwise—and that distinction feels intentional.
Mike would never compare Max to El, because to him, El is incomparable—a superhero who saved his (and Will’s) life.
Also, in Mike’s mind, El is still in the party—he lists her name off with the other members.
Max wouldn’t be a replacement.
He literally just stated that she would be an addition.
Secondly, Mike never actually makes this connection himself. He simply offhandedly mentions El when he’s trying to convince Max she’s not needed.
So why does he want her to stay away?
And when El is finally introduced (both through conversation and literally) to this dynamic, what happens?
Mike and Max begin to get along.
If Mike’s issue with Max had anything to do with El, the scene wouldn’t have played out this way.
It’s classic misdirection.
The misdirection is so obvious they lean into it—even having El herself misinterpret Mike and Max’s relationship, becoming jealous.
She mistakenly assumes Mike is interested in Max, just like Mike mistakenly assumed Will was interested in her, too.
They’re giving the audience a warped perspective, urging us to look behind the curtain.
Mike’s behaviour towards Max fits perfectly into Byler’s shared arc in Season 2: Mike is attentive, protective, and possessive over Will, while Will—consumed by the MF—can’t fully reciprocate that attention.
The “crazy together” scene is the only time Mike receives the same energy back from Will the entire season.
I feel like people forget that when they talk about how cute Season 2 was for Byler. Cute from Will’s perspective, maybe (supernatural plot aside)—but for Mike?
We get multiple shots of Mike staring at Will or noticing his absence (Mike staring at Will’s empty desk being the most obvious example).
Will does not invite Mike to his house or show up uninvited—Mike does that.
Will does not hold Mike’s hand—Mike does that.
Will does not watch Mike closely or check in on him constantly—Mike does that.
Will does not become possessive of Mike’s attention—Mike does that.
In fact, they play into this unreciprocated affection trope pretty blatantly—when Mike bares his heart to Will, tearfully recounting their first meeting, Will quite literally cannot respond because he’s possessed—even if he wants to.
Not to mention—Mike’s recount of their first meeting is also (thematically) about reciprocation:
“I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes.”
Mike puts emphasis on the fact that Will said yes: the fact that Will reciprocated his feelings.
He wants validation that Will feels the same.
That Will won't leave him behind.
And what happens at the end of Season 2?
From a Byler perspective, this season is about Mike’s (seemingly) unrequited love for Will—and it directly influences Mike’s (very different) behaviour in Season 3.
Mike didn’t like Max because he was jealous, and coping with feelings for Will he feared were one-sided—and in his mind that was confirmed as true.
Why wouldn’t he be relieved to see El at the snowball dance?
Why wouldn’t he kiss her?
Why wouldn’t he immediately start dating her and pushing Will away?
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