As many people have pointed out, the discussions around Mike being misunderstood or villainized by the fandom arise from a lack of understanding that
he is not oppressed for being queer (at this point in canon at least);
he likely does not even recognize his own queerness.
Unlike Will, Mike's queerness is deeply hidden, even from himself.
His character is built on subtextual hints that foreshadow his queerness, which will later serve as narrative evidence for the audience and inspire discussions on "How the show hinted Mike is gay." These hints are intended to illustrate that he is grappling with feelings and desires he has not yet consciously recognized. The cues are deliberately subtle - they aim to create confusion for the audience, mirroring Mike's own confusion. The narrative intentionally avoids explicit statements about his sexuality at this stage, allowing the audience to experience this gradual reveal alongside him.
Will's queerness is apparent even before he fully understands it himself.
He faces bullying and punishment for "breaking" gender norms at the hands of his abusive father. He is called slurs and labeled a "freak" by his peers, and even adults are not surprised by his disappearance in season 1, as we remember Troy's comments about it. This environment has created a persistent shadow of fear, shame, and self-doubt that Will must confront in Season 5.
His struggles run much deeper than his "unreciprocated" feelings for Mike. Unlike Mike, whose repressed queerness remains largely unconscious and influenced by internalized societal norms, Will's difference is forced upon him by an unforgiving environment. He must navigate both his internalized fears and the external pressures simultaneously, all while the constant threat of supernatural danger heightens the stakes of his journey toward self-acceptance.
Will's emotional arc is tied to the supernatural events around him. His queerness is not just a personal discovery - it acts as a survival mechanism woven into his heroic journey. Embracing his desires and identity becomes essential for reclaiming agency over his body, mind, and powers, ultimately positioning him as a crucial player in saving the world.
Mike is not bullied for being queer.
Mike's queerness is currently latent and subtly hinted at rather than being directly addressed as socially unacceptable. In the first episode of season 1, we don't have Karen pointing out that Ted was calling Mike slurs. Instead, we see Mike being exceptionally protective and affectionate with Will during their childhood. The script for season 2 illustrates a moment where he squeezes Will's hand to comfort him when Will is possessed by the shadow monster. This suggests that Mike is crossing the boundaries established by society, though he may rationalize his actions as being a protector and a very close friend.
When Mike starts dating El, their preteen romance feels natural to him. He admires her strength and bravery, and he genuinely cares for her. Since she "sacrificed" herself to save him and his friends in the past, Mike feels a sense of obligation to offer her care and loyalty. This makes it emotionally challenging for him to take a step back or even question their relationship at first - why would he do that when a superhero girl wants to be with him?
His intensity with El in season 3 is obviously overcompensation.
It serves as subconscious proof to himself and the world that he is "normal." Kissing can be enjoyable, and El likes it, so Mike likes it too. However, deep down, he knows that it doesn't feel like it should, and for the first time, his subconscious reveals itself with the infamous, "It's not my fault you don't like girls." This raises the question of why he would say that if he isn't projecting. Mike feels cornered - his relationship is under attack, first from Hopper and now from Will, leading him to defend it aggressively. He hurts Will not out of malice, but out of fear of looking inward and facing his own truth. Puberty hits him hard, and his body begins to betray him, undermining his ideal boyfriend persona. It's easier for him to lash out at Will with accusations like "you don’t like girls" than to confront the same possibility within himself.
At the end of season 3, there's that strange kiss that leaves him shocked. He finally gets what he thought he wanted, but it doesn't feel right. Instead of considering that he might be queer, like a lot of people believe, he thinks, "What’s wrong with me?" which feels like a safer option for him. As a result, he struggles emotionally with El later in season 4. He finds it difficult to be vulnerable and even hesitates to write "Love, Mike", because deep down, he doesn't feel what he believes he's supposed to feel. Something just doesn't click for him.
On the contrary, he knows that being around Will stirs feelings he doesn’t want to confront. His unconscious attraction to Will is revealed through soft glances, his "Will voice", and vulnerable admissions - Hawkins is not the same without Will. In fact, he is literally flirting with him, and it happens unconsciously, as it feels natural to him, and he doesn't even realize what he is doing.
But he doesn't have the time to sit and contemplate these feelings. He is too focused on his self-loathing and his obsession with El and her need for him.
He says that he feels useless and powerless in comparison to superpowered El, fearing that if she doesn't need him, he will feel like nothing. Mike doesn't believe he is worthy of love as he is. He thinks he must earn it by being the hero, the leader, the savior, or the perfect boyfriend. This mindset, along with his guilt and savior complex, is what he needs to confront in Season 5. He should realize that his role is not to "rescue" or fix El or Will, but to stand as an equal in those relationships.
Mike's journey toward acknowledging his queerness is one of self-discovery, largely internal and shaped more by social and familial expectations than by bullying. On the surface, he appears socially competent, coming from a "perfect" middle-class, Reagan-era family. No one knows or suspects he's gay. His journey focuses on self-recognition, learning to separate guilt, romantic desire, and duty, while uncovering feelings he doesn't consciously understand yet.
In season 5, I believe Mike learning that Will is gay will be a game-changer for him.
He will begin to recontextualize all their interactions - the coded conversations, the way he feels when Will is near, and the emotions he experienced when Will gave him the painting. Mike will feel a mix of attraction, fear, and relief all at once. Since he hasn't faced the same bullying that Will has, his initial reaction won't be self-hatred or shame as some might think. Instead, it will be longing. While he will surely panic about being exposed, the emotional focus will shift from "What's wrong with me?" (the culmination of season 3) to "I want him". This realization is both frightening and freeing.
He may not label his identity right away, but finally understanding what was wrong all this time will be powerful - he wants Will not just as a friend, but as someone he could kiss. Once Mike allows this subconscious truth to surface, there's no turning back. He can't unknow his desire anymore.
So Will's pain is visible - the bullying, the broken home, the town labeling him as "different." Mike's conflict, however, is hidden beneath denial and pressure to conform. Their experiences are not the same, so why diminish Will's suffering by projecting it onto Mike? Both struggles are profoundly different yet equally valid!
one of my favourite things about the flashbacks in s4 to El and the other kids in the lab is that it completely dispels the main argument people use when i say that El is autistic.
whenever i would bring up all her autistic traits as evidence people would always say "well that's because of the trauma. it's because of how she was raised in the lab and didn't have any normal human connections/interactions, that's why she's like that"
BUT NOW WE KNOW THAT ITS NOT JUST THAT. the other kids in the lab didn't have any speech delays- they weren't nonverbal/semi-verbal at all! they understood social structure in ways that El did not! they were faster learners than El! She was different from them! She was ostracized by them for being different! it wasn't just the circumstances she was raised in! HELLO CAN ANYONE HEAR ME!!!
Will donating his D&D manual can also be viewed as part of the AIDS metaphor. In Jason's eyes, it could be interpreted as "spreading the disease."
We all know that D&D can symbolize Mike and Will's love.
When Mike asks, "What if you want to join another party?" he is testing whether Will would move on. Will's response, "Not possible," signifies that his love is only for Mike. When Will says he'll use Mike's manual "if they still want to play," it's a coded message indicating that he'll only love Mike, but the choice is up to Mike now. In Season 4, there is obviously also a coded confession represented through a D&D-themed painting.
Sooo D&D = Mike and Will's love = Queer love.
Many people have discussed how Jason's remarks about Eddie and Hellfire resonate with the way the AIDS epidemic was weaponized as "proof" that queer love = death. However, I’m not sure if anyone talked about how, from Jason's perspective (or people affected by satanic panic), Will donating his manual could be seen as spreading the disease, which ties into Will's special blood theory for Season 5.
Consider the words Jason and the basketball team use when they discuss Eddie: "He did something sick," "Drained her blood for the devil," and "I’m sure your sister isn't killing people" ( and who received Will's manual?).
The phrase "Know him? I bled with him" (D&D and blood mention in one conversation again).
In this context, the manual donation may seem innocent to the party - it's about spreading the joy of playing D&D with friends and loved ones, but in Season 4, it becomes charged with societal panic - transforming it into a perceived threat.
i think we need more lucas appreciation. hes such a kind person and he cares so deeply for his friends. in season one hes one of the ones who cares the most about finding will in their group, right after mike. hes almost nothing but caring to max when he sees shes having a hard time in season 4. he goes to help dustin in season 2, even if hes a bit skeptical of the plan at first. he includes max in things even when the others dont in season 2. in season 3, he goes with mike in the pouring rain to apologize to will with him. he loves max so, SO much and he waits by her bedside for god knows how many days for her to wake up from her coma. hes gonna be carrying her and keeping her safe in s5 while she's unconscious and theres demodogs(?) in the hospital. he goes against jason even though he knows it could be dangerous for him. theres a lot more but i dont want to type all of it out.
hes just such a sweet boy and i wish he was appreciated more in this fandom.
Lucas is not fucking jealous of being replaced by el. he saw how el was dangerous and reckless and was justifiably and correctly distrustful of her after purposefully lying to and misleading them!! he was right to be concerned that mike was losing the plot and letting her replace Will….
also he is not impulsive???? he is logical and loving and principled and valiant. he has firm boundaries. he doesn’t tolerate liars. he is loyal to a fault. he admits when he’s wrong and he values friendship. i can’t figure out where the hell this “impulsiveness” is supposed to be manifesting.
Caleb pretty much confirmed this in the season 1 reaction video we got today!! I can't remember exactly what he said but it was along the lines of "I think Lucas was just really scared of what El was capable of. I think that's a fair reaction to have." in response to the scene where Lucas was yelling at El
In her essay "Why Are Americans Afraid of Dragons?" from her book The Language of the Night: Essays of Fantasy and Science Fiction, science-fiction and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin writes—
"The use of imaginative fiction is to deepen your understanding of your world, of your fellow men, and your own feelings, and your destiny."
It would be easy for me to claim that Stranger Things is a show that utilizes its science-fiction elements as an AIDS metaphor, but that only goes so far without being able to prove that the show is in fact employing said metaphor. "The show takes place in the 80's -> AIDS was a big part of the 80's -> therefore the show is about AIDS" isn't an airtight argument in itself. I can quote famous sci-fi writers all day but that still wouldn't prove that the Duffers themselves are actually following similar trains of thought.
So here's my big long post about why the show is utilizing it's science-fiction elements as an AIDS metaphor.
Lengthy discussion of rape, violent homophobia and drug use below the cut.
A Brief History of HIV/AIDS in America
For those not in the know about HIV/AIDS, and in order to all get on the same page, here is a short recap. For my information, I will be this timeline from hiv.gov as well as this timeline created by History Channel, as well as some of the supplemental hyperlinks provided. Any other sources I use will be linked throughout.
HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus is a virus that attacks the body's immune system, making it highly susceptible to infection and cancers. The virus can progress to a more severe version of the infection, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. The virus spreads through bodily fluids such as semen and blood. The most common ways for HIV/AIDS to spread was through unprotected sex and sharing needles while using drugs.
The initial cases of HIV were present in America in the 70's but become much more rampant starting in the early 1980s. Because cases of AIDS were most commonly seen in gay and bisexual men, there was a large misconception that AIDS was a "gay plague" or a "gay disease" as it was nicknamed. By 1984, 3,500 Americans had died from AIDS related illnesses.
The reason that AIDS epidemic got as deadly as it did is often attributed to the Reagan Administration's failure to act, something that President Reagan denied. Reagan would not publicly acknowledge AIDS until 1985, despite U.S. health officials being aware of AIDS since 1981.
Understanding just how entrenched this metaphor is in the story will include going through each season and examining in detail how each one plays into this metaphor.
Season One: Establishing Metaphor & Government Cover Up in Early Years of Epidemic
The AIDS metaphor is most closely connected with Will's storyline, although it's not exclusive to Will nor is his storyline exclusive to AIDS. Furthermore, the supernatural elements of this show are multifaceted. AIDS is but just one of the metaphors expressed in the show, but for the sake of this post it's what I will be focusing on.
The setup begins following Will's disappearance in episode 1, when Joyce introduces Will's queer coding to us.
By 1983 the terms "gay disease" and "gay cancer" had been in the public vocabulary for a couple years now. So when Joyce brings up his queerness in regards to to his disappearance in a show that takes place in the early 1980s, there is a subconscious correlation that can be made in the watchers mind. His sexuality is significant to the why he went missing, otherwise why bring it up?
We then hear through Troy exactly what the town believes happened to Will.
I think that Troy essentially being a mouthpiece for his father is significant to show that Troy's beliefs are not exclusive to him and they do not exist in a vacuum. Troy's homophobia is a product of his environment, which includes his home and by extension, Hawkins.
The specification that Will was killed by "some other queer" adds another layer under the surface of Troy's statement, one that implies that Will was raped before he was kill, otherwise, again, why bring up sexuality in the first place? This was the attitude toward gay men— they rape and kill little boys.
In early 1984, there was a study conducted by the American Journal of Medicine to trace the sexual partners of a cluster of patients with Kaposi Sarcoma, one of the common cancers that killed AIDS patients. The study identified a flight attendant as "Patient O" who was among the first to exhibit symptoms of HIV/AIDS and had a rather active sex life with a multitude of sexual partners. The study was soon misconstrued by the public to claim that there was a Patient Zero who was "a promiscuous or even malicious gay man who single-handedly and knowingly touched off the AIDS pandemic in the United States."
Another crucial factor of the metaphor is the cover-up and blame shifting from the government lab, the exact thing that allowed the problem to escalate and become as deadly as it did to begin with. In the early years of the epidemic, Reagan slashed the budget of public health agencies like the CDC, and it would be years until he ever made a speech about it let alone even mentioned AIDS publicly.
We see how adamant the lab is to cover up any supernatural involvement with Will's disappearance in an attempt to cover their own asses. Framing his death as an accident was their call, all while being acutely aware of what the actual problem was. This confrontation from Joyce to Brenner puts it pretty aptly.
Tangent About Barb
This AIDS metaphor is something that I thought of when I first watched the show back in 2016 (humble brag) but what tipped me off the most wasn't Will or the lab but it was the fact that Barb was the other victim shown.
Barb's queer coding was clear to everyone and their mother. Hell, there's even a joke about it in the Bad Lip Reading of the first season. Barb, Nancy's short haired female friend who takes issue with Nancy's new relationship and has a hard time fitting in with with all of the heterosexual antics of Steve's house party. She's singled out, and while the rest of the gang get to casually enjoy the pleasures of sex, while Barb, another member of the queer community, sadly loses her life. The show cuts between Nancy having sex with Steve with Barb being killed to emphasize this stark contrast.
Season Two: Personal Effects of HIV/AIDS & Social Stigmatization
Season one was surrounding Will while not really showing us much of his pov, but season two dives right in to his perspective.
So, remember when I talked earlier about how Troy, and by extension the town, believed that Will was raped? Well, he wasn't exactly wrong.
This moment wasn't lost on me when I originally watched the show, although I think I ignored the implications because I didn't want to believe what I was seeing. But it's pretty well spelled out— A long, tentacle-like organ used for the sake of reproduction (Will "births" D'Art as a result of this), is inserted inside of Will's mouth without consent.
It's been a year, and Will is still dealing with the trauma of what happened, along with all of these new changes to his life. Will frequently attends doctors appointments at the lab, where the lab themselves aren't completely confident what is happening with him either.
When cases of HIV/AIDS were first appearing in the U.S., health officials were unclear as to what exactly this virus was and how it worked, only that clusters of otherwise healthy gay men were suddenly developing rare and aggressive infections and cancers.
Owens refers to the spread of the Upside Down very clinically— describing it as some cancer. One of the first articles published about HIV/AIDS in America before more information was known was a New York Times article titled "Rare Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals." The cancer the headline refers to being Karposi Sarcoma, the rare skin cancer developing due to their weakened immune system.
HIV/AIDS in itself isn’t the disease that patients die from, but instead the weakened immune system allows for diseases to take over the body without much defense. After his visit to the Upside Down, Will faces a series of “True Sight” visions as Mike puts it, which allows for a destructive foreign entity to invade Will's body and slowly take it over.
HIV.gov lists the following as some of the symptoms of AIDS:
"Rapid weight loss"
"Profuse night sweats"
and "Memory loss"
To the government agents in the lab, we see just how disposable Will is to them. In their words, if it kills him, it kills him. (thank you to @emblazons for being the one to point this out to me)
Owens may have held more concern for Will, but he still continues the government cover-up started by Brenner in season one. We also see the fallout of Barb's death, with Nancy and Jonathan fighting to uncover and reveal the truth. Owens is the one who tries to put a stop to their exposé of events to Barb's mom.
Not only is Will facing trauma and his body being ravaged by this new illness, but he's also facing social stigmatization, something common among gay men with positive HIV statuses at this time. There seemed to be some sympathy from the townsfolk when Will was missing and presumed dead, yet he faces animosity almost seemingly because he came back.
The "Zombie Boy" Nickname
I once made a whole separate post about this, but Will's "Zombie Boy" nickname from season two fits in with this AIDS metaphor.
On a surface level, the nickname is in reference to the fact that Will seemed to come back to life despite having a funeral and being buried. In a literal sense, however, his peers are quite literally referring to him a walking corpse that spreads disease. Individuals suffering from AIDS often have very short life expectancies, and zombies are the re-animated dead that aim to infect and kill as many people as possible. It is a very coded nickname.
In the post that I linked, I speculate the possibility that some people in town may even believe that Will has HIV. Remember earlier when I mentioned Troy's comment "he was probably killed by some other queer" which implies a belief that Will was raped. The town don't know about any of the supernatural goings-on, but they do know that Will went missing, was found in a cabin a week later, was hospitalized shortly after and attended frequent doctor visits through the following year. I don't see a reason that malicious rumors would cease, especially considering that they already continue to be cruel and ostracizing with the Zombie Boy nickname.
Look also at this moment of Will getting weird looks as he is being pulled from school to attend his doctors appointment. Why so much stigma around simply going to the doctor?
The 1984 Reelection of Ronald Reagan
In 1984, Ronald Reagan won reelection in one of the biggest election wins in history. And— subsequently continuing his and the governments silence towards the AIDS epidemic.
Season two takes place in the week leading up to the reelection. There are small set pieces that draw attention to this, such as this election sign in front of the library.
If the date November 6th sounds familiar, it should.
Dr. Owens mentions the anniversary of Will's disappearance. The one year anniversary of Will's disappearance is the same day that Ronald Reagan was reelected. Will's trauma is being purposefully associated with that day.
I've also made a separate post before just about the Reagan/Bush '84 signs that litter the lawns of Hawkins houses. They appear most notably in the Halloween episode, building to when Will has his true sight episode that night. There is one clearly in frame just before Will is separated from the group, called a "Zombie Boy" and a "freak" (two very coded nicknames) before he falls into his vision.
We also get a clear view of the Reagan/Bush sign outside of the Wheeler house before Will describes his experience to Mike.
A Tangent About the Wheelers
And now the question on everyone's mind: Are the Wheeler's homophobic?
Ted and Karen Wheeler are not violent, homophobic bullies. That would be a massive reach. But it would also be a reach to say that they are vocal allies. And maybe that's just what the average middle class family
In the very least, the Wheelers are passively contributing to a system that enables homophobia. To be honest, they are probably just going along with what everyone else is doing. Like I said earlier, Reagan was an incredibly popular candidate for the 1984 reelection. The Wheelers have the privilege of being able to comfortably conform without having to worry about much of the consequences. (I'll talk more about the Wheelers later)
In the episode where Will is possessed by the Mind Flayer, Joyce calls the school and we get an extended shot with Reagan's portrait in the background. The shot begins with the portrait slightly obscured, then the camera dolly's in towards the receptionist with the portrait still in frame. Shortly after this Will is possessed in the field. Here is one of the camera begins the shot and where the camera ends the shot.
I also wanna note that when Joyce calls in this scene, the receptionist makes a side comment about her and rolls her eyes. There's a clear animosity towards not only Will, but the whole Byers family, including the adults of the town. Including Reagan's portrait in this shot is meant to create a subtle correlation between him and the stigma that the Byers' face.
Season Three: The Façade of Patriotism Over a Dying Nation
It's 1985, Ronald Reagan has been reelected, and this season introduces Hawkins Mayor Larry Kline.
Is Larry Kline meant to be Ronald Reagan?
I would say that Mayor Kline is probably exemplary of American politicians in a broader sense (in fact the Duffers may have been making allusions to Trump with his connection to the Russians) although the fact that he's in office the same time as Reagan is still significant.
In the beginning of the season, Mayor Kline is being met with protesters outside his house, not unlike many of the AIDS awareness protests from the 80's.
The townsfolk are angered with Kline for building the mall and running some of the small businesses into the ground. During Reagan's run, he implemented a system of economics called "Reaganomics," which aimed to cut taxes and support economic growth. Although critics of Reaganomics will point out that his policies had actually increased the wealth gap, making the rich richer and the poor, poor. I want to keep this post about the AIDS metaphor, although I wanted to point this out as it is a connection between Kline and Reagan. And as I said earlier in this post, the metaphors are multifaceted and not just about AIDS.
But continuing, later in the season Kline puts on a big 4th of July festival to celebrate the independence of his country with neon lights and flashy fireworks. Meanwhile, the people of his town are dying right under his political reign.
During season 3, the AIDS metaphor actually moves away from Will, with the focus of his story shifting slowly to romance. This was setup at the Snowball at the end of season 2, and season 3 hints at some of Will's feelings for Mike which will be carried into season 4.
But the metaphor is carried on by Will's name twin, Billy.
Billy and Will sharing the same first name, that being William, feels significant as Will basically passes the baton to him and Billy now becomes the focus for this metaphor. We learn from Max that Billy is very sexually active, and in the beginning of the season he has eyes for Karen Wheeler. It is while he is on his way to this illicit sexual affair when he is "infected" by the Mind Flayer. (this was pointed out to me in the comment of one of my posts, but have since lost it. If you are reading this— thank you.)
Billy then passes the "infection" along to a girl he was flirtatious with, before the "virus" begins spreading over town.
There is also language and rape imagery associated with being flayed. There is the repeated lines "hold still" and "it'll all be over soon." When Heather's parents are flayed, they are tied up something is forcefully inserted orally, not unlike what we saw with the tentacle inside of Will in season one and his possession in season two. (I first saw this pointed out by @kaypeace21
The flayed begin to eat chemicals, and Nancy makes the comment that Tom, one of the flayed, appears to have been on drugs. Another common way that HIV is spread is through the sharing of drug needles.
HIV/AIDS in the Press
Nancy's arc with the newspaper this season reminds me a lot of how AIDS was first being reported in the press. Nancy begins her search for a story with stolen fertilizer and diseased rats, not realizing that there was a much bigger and much more dangerous story at hand. One of the first reports HIV in the media was from a CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from 1981, which cited five cases of pneumonia in previously healthy gay men in Los Angeles. While still a deadly number, it was relatively small compared to the massive number of AIDS cases and deaths that would soon follow.
When Nancy brings her story to work, Bruce, one of her higher-ups, sips from this rather patriotic coffee mug before telling Nancy to drop the story.
At the end of the 1985 summer in Hawkins, the flayed have died in a "mall fire" and Larry Kline is arrested for colluding with the Russians, and their patriotic façade is shattered.
In September 1985, shortly after actor and close friend of Ronald Reagan, Rock Hudson dies, of an AIDS related illness, Reagan makes his first public acknowledgement of AIDS.
Season Four: Further Stigmatization & LGBT Witch Hunting
In season four the town is finally privy to the fact that there is something wrong going on, although they are unsure of exactly what. When things begin to escalate, instead of blaming the actual guilty party, they go on an all-out witch hunt.
Once again, Will's pretty removed from the AIDS storyline in this season with his arc focusing on his romantic feelings for Mike. With Billy dead and Will out of town, the baton passes once again for the metaphor to be carried by Eddie Munson.
In the first episode of season 4, Eddie is reading a magazine with an article about the Satanic Panic, a real case of wide-spread hysteria in the 1980's regarding the fear of rising Satanism, supposedly promoted by D&D. The article links the game to violent behavior, Satanic worship, sodomy and murder.
Tangent on Sodomy and Sodomy Laws
Merriam-Webster defines sodomy as "anal or oral copulation with another person." The definition is often expanded to include copulation with animals, although the term sodomy, according to Merriam-Webster, means "especially: anal or oral copulation with a member of the same sex."
While definitions may vary depending on states, some states have specific laws outlawing sodomy, even between consenting adults. In 1986, the Supreme Court upheld Georgia's anti-sodomy laws in Bowers v. Hardwick, after a homosexual man and his partner were arrested after being caught while having sex in his own home. Sodomy laws would eventually be challenged again in 2002 with the Lawrence v. Texas case.
While sodomy can technically can refer to both homosexual and heterosexuals, it is especially and historically has been used in regards to homosexual sex. When Eddie reads the word sodomy here, gay sex is being lumped in and made equivalent to violent behavior, Satanic worship, and murder. Quite literally in season four, Hellfire Club is seen as the evil Satanic sodomizers who bring death to their town.
While trying to find a substitute for the D&D game, one of kids Mike asks mentions 60 Minutes in his rebuttal of Mike's request. This episode takes place on March 21st, 1986. On March 16th, 1986, 60 Minutes played a segment called "Life and Death in San Fransisco," a segment about the AIDS virus on CBS. (EDIT: I originally attributed this to the wrong person, but thank you to @aemiron-main for being the one to point this out. Apologies for my memory mixing up my ST analysts in my head 😔) The archived footage can be viewed on YouTube.
When Chrissy is killed by Vecna inside of Eddie's trailer, leading the town to suspect that Eddie was the killer, she was going there to do drugs. Again, a common way for AIDS to be spread was through the sharing of drug needles. After the town and cops suspect Eddie, the town goes on an all-out witch hunt for him and other members of Hellfire, invoking Christianity as their reasoning. In Eddie's words— "Hunt the freak, right?"
Does this mean that Eddie is queer?
The black handkerchief in his back pocket and Joseph Quinn's flirtatious ad-libs with Steve are not completely lost on me. And the AIDS coding here does seem to be pointing in that direction, but here's what I think.
Eddie's actual sexual orientation, and by extension that of Hellfire, is beside the point and doesn't actually matter in the eyes of the town. Every member of Hellfire could be straight and every member of Hellfire could be gay, but what matters is that Hellfire Club is a group of outsiders that participate in recreational activity that is deemed dangerous, and that in itself is queer, regardless of who they may actually be attracted to.
Another Tangent on The Wheelers
During Jason's religious spiel in town hall which invoked the witch hunt against Eddie and Hellfire, we get this shot of Ted and Karen Wheeler upon remembering that Mike is a part of Hellfire. And boy do they look terrified.
This moment, right here, is what I believe to be the Wheeler rug pull. They may not have been signing up to witch hunt their son when they put that Reagan sign in their front lawn, but this is what it leads to. They're being confronted with the most extreme end of their forced conformity and they fear what they see. I think part of what causes this change in character is because they know Mike, had Mike not been a Hellfire member, who is to say if they would have changed their tune or join in the witch hunt. At the end of the season, when the news reports that the giant gate in town is a "doorway to Hell," both Ted and Karen scoff at the report, calling it "hysteria." The conformists are beginning to un-conform.
Concluding Thoughts & Season Five
Providing a story about HIV/AIDS through a science-fiction metaphor is both practical and ethical. The metaphor allows the show to tell the story to a wide audience without the reliance on outside knowledge. You don't have to be an expert in HIV/AIDS history to understand the story that it's trying to tell. It's ethical as well in that it doesn't force it's incredibly young actors to have to act out being raped and developing HIV/AIDS.
With Eddie Munson dead and Zombie Boy back in town, I think that the AIDS metaphor will shift it's focus back to Will. I think we may see a colliding of the AIDS plot with his romance plot. How do you pursue romance with a HIV+ status? Can you?
The way I see, season 5 has the choice to go in one of two directions:
But first, a short tangent about my uncle
In recent years, I came to learn that my uncle was HIV+, something that wasn't known to me when I was younger. Him and his partner are both in their sixties, and they currently bought a plot of land in which they plan on building their dream house together.
But anyways, the two choices are this:
Will dies by the end of the season. He becomes one of the many gay men with HIV/AIDS who lived a short life, unable to grow into adulthood and pursue his love life. His story is a tragedy.
Will lives. He becomes one of the many gay men with HIV/AIDS who survived and is able to live a long and happy life full of love. His story is an uplifting one full of hope.
Byler endgame for my friend that feels like she doesn’t fit in when her friends talk about guys, byler endgame for the part of me that feels I won’t ever find romance like my friends, byler endgame for my gsa club that can’t even put up posters because of parent complaints. Byler endgame for the REPRESENTATION
It goes so much deeper than just being a ship, having 2 main characters in a mainstream show be a gay couple is powerful.
For all of me, a gay girl who’s been with a guy before realizing she’s never been in love with one when falling in love with her childhood best friend.
Byler endgame for my gay daughter, who came out when she was ten and suffered years of social backlash as a result - being misunderstood, shunned, made to feel invisible because her peers just couldn't relate.
Byler endgame for my trans son, who tried to take his own life twice before realizing there's not something wrong with HIM, there's something wrong with the WORLD.
Byler endgame for me who found out I was bi at 9 then lesbian at 12 and now still closeted to everyone late into my teenage years because I have to keep up my fausade of "the easy one" in my family dynamic.
Byler endgame for my twelve year old cousin who I have to watch suffer through the same thing knowing I can't save him.
Byler endgame to all the kids in my school who have to listen as people talk about them behind their back with disgust about their sexualitys just in ear reach and to the kids in my small town who have to face homophobia on a daily basis.
Byler endgame for all of the other kids watching the show conscious or not of their sexuality who will have a character to see themselves in and know they're not alone.
Byler endgame for every writer who wasn't allowed to write queer characters into their story.
during the possession scene in 02x08, joyce, jonathan, and mike all manage to break will out (sort of) so he can use morse code. HOWEVER, throughout the show afterwards, everything they said was all broken.
“you know what march 22nd is? its your birthday.” - everyone forgot will’s birthday
“remember when we stayed up all night building castle byers?” - will destroyed it
“it was the best thing I’ve ever done.” - mike tells el meeting her is when his life started
i think this is so significant for season 5 as every time will has been in danger, love is what saves him. however, i don’t think it will work out this time. i think thats what the show has been building towards in seasons 3 and 4. vecna will definitely use this against him.
The Heart as Anchor and Myth: Love, Memory, and Narrative Resistance in Mike and Will’s Arc
I was reflecting on the scene between Will and Mike in Season 2, when Mike reassures Will by suggesting that he can use the “now memories” and his connection to the Mind Flayer to their advantage—turning it into a means of spying, of becoming a so-called “super spy.” At that point, Will is utterly terrified. He is enduring the torment of partial possession, with no real control over what is happening to him. He barely understands the phenomenon consuming him, and on top of that he is already weighed down by trauma and PTSD from his earlier experiences in the Upside Down. In that moment, Will is physically, emotionally, and psychologically depleted.
And yet, Mike comforts him—using “the Will voice”—urging him to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. When Will, fragile and uncertain, asks hesitantly, “Do you really think so?”, Mike replies with warmth and conviction, smiling as he says, “Yeah, I really do.” Importantly, Mike is not merely placating him. His words are genuine: he truly sees Will’s potential, and he believes in him.
When Will, overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, then asks, “What if he spies back?”, Mike responds firmly, “He won’t.” And when Will presses again, desperate and in tears—“How do you know?”—Mike takes his hand and reassures him with quiet determination: “We won’t let him.” This moment is crucial. Mike does not say “I won’t” or “You won’t.” He instinctively says we. Without hesitation, he positions himself beside Will, ready to fight the Mind Flayer with him, on equal footing, despite being only a thirteen-year-old boy with no supernatural abilities or real comprehension of the forces at play. For Mike, standing with Will is automatic, natural—he doesn’t need to think about it.
What follows underscores the impact of this exchange. Immediately after, when Will wakes from his vision of the Mind Flayer attacking Hopper, he actively tries to harness the very ability that once terrified him. In the car, he closes his eyes, focuses, and uses his connection to track Hopper. What Mike suggested has already taken root: Will is no longer paralyzed by fear of his visions, but is instead learning to channel them strategically. Mike does more than reassure him—he inspires him. He gives Will the strength to confront what once felt unbearable.
Crucially, Mike does not idealize Will for this ability, nor does he feel threatened or diminished by it. Unlike with El, where powers can create distance, Mike never places himself outside of Will’s experience. Instead, he listens, observes, and tries to understand, offering a new perspective that lends Will courage. Their bond is built on mutual inspiration and unwavering support, making them the team they have always been—and the team Mike longed to restore in Season 4, when he apologizes to Will in his bedroom and, with a softness bordering on flirtation, tells him he wants things to be as they once were.
I also think it’s significant that the Mind Flayer’s hold over Will intensifies immediately after the soldiers burn the vines and free Hopper. Yes, the Mind Flayer was enraged and injured, and Will suffered by extension—but it also recognized something else. It realized that Will had dared to “rebel,” to weaponize the connection against it. That is why, once Will is taken to the hospital, we see so little of Will himself. Aside from the brief moments at his arrival, when he screams in pain as his body burns from within, and later when he pleads, “He made me do it. I told you, they shouldn’t upset him. It’s too late”—for the rest of the episode, it is not Will we see, but the Mind Flayer speaking through him.
And yet, even in that state, when Mike enters the room, Will’s recognition cuts through. The iconic moment—“That’s my friend… Mike”—is telling. The Mind Flayer cannot disguise that Mike is a fixed point in Will’s psyche, the one presence strong enough to reach him even through possession. I believe this is why the Mind Flayer (or rather Vecna behind it) grows increasingly aware of Mike’s significance. He is not fooled. He notices that Mike is the one who consistently pulls Will back from the brink, the one who inspires him to resist. By delving into Will’s memories and emotions, he must have realized that it was Mike who gave Will the courage to defy him, to turn fear into strength.
When Will whispers, “You shouldn’t upset him,” I think he isn’t just speaking of the soldiers. It is a broader threat—directed at anyone who interferes with the Mind Flayer’s designs, including the positive, protective influence that Mike has on Will. In that sense, Mike is not simply Will’s anchor—he is also a threat to Vecna’s control, the one force the Mind Flayer cannot fully anticipate or extinguish.
I also believe all of this speaks volumes about the scene in which Joyce, Jonathan, and Mike attempt to break through Will’s possession just enough to reach him. As @aviannabuckley’s post (here) so brilliantly explained, the Mind Flayer (and by extension, Vecna) realized in that moment that Joyce, Jonathan, and Mike were Will’s anchors: Joyce and Jonathan as his family, and Mike as his best friend, his teammate—and the boy he is in love with.
It is these three who bring Will back through the power of memory, each recollection a testament to their love for him. They know every facet of who he is, having been present for the most formative moments of his life—good and bad, joyous and tragic. There is not a single significant memory shaping Will’s identity that does not include one of the three. And yet, every single memory that was used to anchor him in Season 2 was later shattered, and each time, the break was tied to Mike.
Joyce speaks of Will’s birthday? By Season 4, everyone forgets it—on the very day Mike arrives in California, which also happens to be the day of the infamous “Rink-O-Mania” fight.
Jonathan recalls building Castle Byers? Will destroys it in anguish and rage after his Season 3 argument with Mike, the one where Mike cruelly lashes out with, “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls.”
And Mike himself, in Season 2, recalls the first day they met, calling it the best thing he ever did to ask Will to be his friend—a speech that carries every hallmark of a love confession. Yet by Season 4, under Will’s very eyes, Mike redirects that narrative to El, proclaiming that meeting her—the very day Will vanished—was the day his life truly began.
Every anchor, every memory, every argument that once tethered Will to life and love in Season 2 has been systematically broken in the following seasons. And each time, it revolved around Mike. Each time, it touched upon the love triangle between El, Mike, and Will. Each time, it was a fracture in the bond that means the most to Will, a scene that shattered his heart—and each time, it was Mike at the center. That cannot be coincidence. There is something crucial to unearth here.
Vecna will undoubtedly attempt to exploit this. He thrives on corrosion, on isolating the vulnerable so that despair becomes a doorway for corruption. I believe he has already been laying this groundwork, subtly, since Seasons 3 and 4. And Mike’s relationship with El has been nothing short of a gift to Vecna, a perfect opportunity to weaken Will by making him feel forgotten, unloved, and replaceable. Nothing is easier to manipulate than a soul already fractured by heartbreak and convinced of its own isolation.
This, I think, is exactly what Vecna has been doing all along: cultivating Will’s loneliness, widening the cracks in his heart, ensuring he feels unattached. And in Season 5, this will become far more direct and unavoidable.
But the solution will not be some abstract “power of love.” The truth is sharper than that. Mike was the instrument that broke the anchors once used to save Will—and therefore Mike must be the one to restore them. He is the ultimate anchor, and the only one who can stop Will from falling completely. Yet he will only succeed when he comes to terms with his own feelings—when he admits what he feels for Will.
Only then will they become what they were always meant to be: an equal team, drawing courage and inspiration from one another, reinforcing each other’s sense of self-worth. Not a bond that makes Will feel like a mistake, but one that affirms that being different together is a strength. A partnership where Mike is, and always has been, the heart—and when the heart finally realizes who it beats for, that recognition will be Will’s liberation. Together, they will be untouchable.
In the end, the meaning of that Season 2 moment—Mike’s hand reaching for Will’s, his voice steady with the promise of we—extends far beyond the immediate comfort it offered. In that simple pronoun, in that instinctive refusal to let Will face the darkness alone, Mike reveals himself as more than a friend or teammate. He becomes Will’s anchor, the intimate center of gravity to which Will’s fragmented soul can return. Where the Mind Flayer seeks to sever, to isolate, to hollow out, Mike instinctively binds, gathers, and restores. He does not stand above Will, nor outside of him; he stands beside him, equal, inseparable, bound by a loyalty that transcends explanation.
The symbolism here borders on the mythological. If Vecna is the architect of despair, then Mike is the living embodiment of hope. If the Mind Flayer thrives on fracture and loneliness, then Mike embodies the antithesis: the force of love that heals, steadies, and makes whole. He is not the wielder of supernatural powers, nor the warrior armed with weapons, but rather the heart—the very organ through which life, courage, and meaning flow. And the heart is, in the end, the most formidable weapon of all.
That is why the “we” matters. It is not simply a word of reassurance; it is a vow, one that transforms Will’s terror into resistance, and his resistance into defiance. It is why even in possession, even under Vecna’s dominion, Will recognizes Mike—because the heart recognizes what the mind cannot deny. For all of Vecna’s cunning, he cannot comprehend nor fully sever this bond, because it is not built on fear or necessity, but on love.
Thus, the narrative is not simply about survival or strategy—it is about the triumph of love as both anchor and weapon. Just as Orpheus once sought to bring Eurydice back from the shadows, or as mythic heroes descended into darkness armed with nothing but faith and devotion, Mike and Will’s story echoes with the resonance of a modern myth. Vecna’s corruption preys upon isolation, but against him stands a force older and stronger: the love that binds two souls into a single heartbeat.
When Mike finally accepts this truth—when the heart at last realizes for whom it has always beaten—Will’s liberation will not only be possible, it will be inevitable. Together, they will be more than untouchable; they will embody the very thing Vecna cannot corrupt: love as defiance, love as shield, love as the weapon that makes the darkness powerless.
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