Will Byers is actually a bad friend to Mike (with evidence)
Disclaimer: This is not an attack on marginalized communities or peoples, this is a discussion about a fictional character
When people talk about Will Byers, especially in relation to Mike Wheeler, they always seem to have this very rigid stance on how Mike is the bad guy and Will is the innocent, blameless victim of Mike’s awful behavior. This is so common amongst the fandom that you have tiktoks like this
And God forbid you said you liked Mike in 2022, they would tar and feather you on twitter.
But funnily enough, when you rewatch the show with open eyes, it actually feels more like the opposite is true, that Will can be just as, if not a worse friend compared to Mike, and can even be more in the wrong during those arguments.
As Mike himself asks, why is he always the bad guy in these arguments? Why does Will get away with bad behavior on account of his trauma as though every other character was on paid vacation over those years? Like I’m serious, they’ll use the upside down as an excuse for anything he does.
Okay, enough talk, let’s look at the proof. In season 3, Mike and Will have their first argument. This argument is about how Mike is obsessed with El and doesn’t care about him anymore.
On one hand, I understand why he feels left out, I am aware he is a teenager and I am aware of the trauma he went through. I get why he is jealous, and I’ve mostly cut him slack for this.
But the issue arises when Mike needs help to get El a gift. Look, I understand that he doesn’t wanna do this, but at least try and be understanding, Mike’s clearly stressed over here!
Again I cut him some slack, but it gets worse when El dumps Mike publicly in the mall parking lot, and the first thing out of Will’s mouth is “Can we play DND now?”
If I was Mike, I would’ve cursed him out.
Like seriously?! El hasn’t even left the parking lot! Your best friend since childhood, the guy who led the charge to rescue you from the upside down, who was there for you as you were losing your mind, who skipped out on arcade games and halloween for you, who cried as he begged you to fight the mindflayer, who said that the day he became friends with you was the best decision he made and you can’t even spare him the slightest bit of empathy after he was publicly dumped?
And afterwards he proceeds to wake Mike up in cosplay to play a game Mike clearly did not want to play, without any thought for his feelings only to get angry when Mike is uninterested.
During the fight, Will asks Mike where Dustin was. People use this to make Will out to actually be the heart of the party (I am not lying, they used to say this in 2022). But it’s clear that Will doesn’t care about where Dustin is, he’s just using him to make Mike look bad.
He has this aggravating belief that Mike should always be the Mike that he remembered, that Mike was not allowed to change who he was because Will liked the old Mike better, the one who paid attention to him all the time (kind of like how bylers view him).
And this isn’t about the party growing up and leaving him behind, this is about Mike leaving him behind. Will doesn’t care that Lucas has a girlfriend or that Dustin wasn’t around, he doesn’t hold them to those standards.
Will insults El and calls her “some stupid girl” in spite of knowing how much Mike liked her (Mike did talk to Will about El in the crazy together scene in season 2). Mike’s insult on the other hand was not targeted in the way everyone thought it was but simply pointing out Wills lack of interest in dating, something he proudly mentioned a few hours ago
Mike is forced to bike after Will and apologize, while Will’s lack of empathy continues “she said she dumped your ass Mike, that doesn’t sound like a break!”
In season 4, a rehash of this argument takes place after El is humiliated at the roller rink. Will brings up the fact that El was lying to him and Mike points out how he was ruining the mood. To be fair, Mike was kind of mean for that one, but he quickly drops it and returns to looking for El, in spite of the allegations of him fighting Will instead of finding her.
Will is the one who continues the fight, complaining about how he felt like a third wheel and how Mike never called him. On one hand, it sucks to be a third wheel, but you knew this was gonna be a date, you knew that Mike was staying for a week and you would have time to spend with him later.
Again he was aware this was gonna be a date and was surprised that Mike paid more attention to El. Fork found in kitchen I guess?
Will also blames Mike for not reaching out, even though he also had a phone, and could’ve called. And even if Joyce was hogging the phone, he could’ve wrote him a letter instead of moping about how El always got letters (maybe if you wrote him letters, he would respond to them 🤯).
Mike has a point when he asks “Why am I the bad guy?” Because why is he always the bad guy? Why are his emotions and concerns always ignored by his oldest friend?!
Once again Mike apologizes for being “a colossal idiot”
In season 5, Will decides to flirt with Mike after his parents are hospitalized, and his sisters and girlfriend are in the upside down.
And this is a recurring theme, the only time Will comforts Mike is when he is also talking about himself and telling Mike about his feelings indirectly.
Will has always had an idealized, childish view of Mike that he did not have towards anyone else. From episode one, he is unwilling to hide the dice roll from Mike but is willing to cheat during the bike race with Dustin a few minutes later.
He doesn’t see Mike smothering him in season two because he likes the attention Mike gives him while complaining about Lucas and Dustin, who barely smother him, if anything. He doesn’t seem to even realize that Mike isn’t himself and doesn’t seem to care. He lashes out in anger when Mike pays more attention to El than him, and sulks when Mike doesn’t call him immediately instead of calling him himself.
I don’t hate Will as a character on his own but when he is with Mike, it seems like his worst traits are exemplified. He is a genuinely kind and generous person, but when he’s with Mike he becomes a needy, insecure loser.
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