We see in season one after the rinkomania fight between Mike and El that El is trying to get Mike to say "I love you" to her. BUT we see that Mike doesn't do this, instead he says that she's a superhero to which she responds by saying "not anymore".
After this happens she ends up leaving to gain her powers back writing to Mike saying she's "off to be a hero again". This shows that what Mike said to her DID affect her to some degree, I think she decided to gain back her powers partly due to Mike not saying "I love you" to her without them.
We see later in the series that when Mike finally does say "I love you" to her it's when she's using her powers, and even while using her powers he says that she's is a hero, and he mentions the hero powers she has.
I think that this is the reason El doesn't talk to him after he said "I love you", is because she can recognize he only says it to her when she has her powers, and when she's a superhero. We know that she recognizes that Mike likes her for her powers and for her being a superhero with the note she left him, but I think for her the confirmation of this was when he only was able to say it while she had her powers and while mentioning that she is a hero again.
Side note: We know that him saying that she's "a superhero" is something that upsets her time and time again and that Mike continues to call her one despite this. (Think back to the beginning of season 4 where Mike says to Dustin that El has saved the world twice, or in the van with Will where he says that she's Superman.)
So, a lot of people say Mike is “clueless,” and that’s why he hasn’t noticed how Will feels about him. But… really?
This is the same Mike who, in season 2, noticed that Will was quieter than usual when neither Dustin nor Lucas did. The same Mike who’s always been the most emotionally intuitive in the group — the one who connects the dots fast, the one who jumps headfirst to protect the people he loves.
And most of all, the one who knows Will better than anyone.
We’re also talking about someone who grew up hearing rumors about Will — who said “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls” with all the subtext in the world. He’s not unaware of what people were saying.
And in season 4? Will is not exactly subtle. He gives Mike a drawing full of symbolism. He gives a whole speech that’s basically a coded confession.
And Mike… doesn’t get it? I doubt that.
I don’t think Mike doesn’t know.
I think, deep down, he does.
His subconscious has already connected all the dots.
There’s a part of him that does understand what Will is feeling… but he doesn’t want to look too closely.
Because that would mean facing two very big things:
1. That Will is in love with him.
2. What that makes him feel in return.
And that’s terrifying.
Because the moment he names it, the moment he says it out loud, everything changes.
The truth is Mike isn’t living in ignorance — he’s living in denial.
Denial as a defense mechanism.
Because if he accepts what Will feels, he’ll also have to reevaluate his own place in all of this.
He’ll have to ask himself why everything from Will hits so deep.
Why he needs him so much.
Why he never manages to say what he really feels — not even when Will is pouring his heart out in front of him, practically shaking.
And beyond that: why there’s something in him that doesn’t want it to stop.
Admitting that Will loves him (and that maybe… just maybe… he loves Will too) would mean letting go of the world as he knows it — his relationship with Eleven, his self-image, his idea of the future.
It means accepting a kind of intimacy so deep it completely disarms him.
And Mike — who’s been brave in so many ways — still hasn’t found the courage to face that.
That’s why he stays silent.
Why he looks away.
Why he chooses not to see — even when Will’s feelings are glowing right in front of him.
It’s not ignorance.
It’s fear.
But not just any fear.
It’s the kind of fear that hides in silence. That stays still, hoping no one names it — because deep down, you already know, but you’re not ready to face it.
Because if Mike admits that Will is in love with him — and yes, he knows, deep down — he also has to admit that something inside him has been feeling things this whole time.
And that’s not easy.
It’s not just fear of losing his best friend.
It’s fear that, if he puts all the pieces together — if he allows himself to really see the full picture — he’ll realize it was never just friendship.
That all those times he thought about Will a little too much, all those times he searched for him with his eyes, all those times he felt something when they were together… they weren’t coincidences.
It’s fear that if Will is in love with him…
he might be in love with Will too.
But he doesn’t know how to face that yet.
He doesn’t know how to live it.
And he’s scared that once he admits it, there’ll be no way to go back to pretending.
Because if he accepts it — even just to himself — he won’t be able to keep hiding behind what he’s supposed to feel.
He won’t be able to keep pretending it’s simple.
And Mike has never been good at handling feelings he doesn’t fully understand.
That’s why it’s easier to look away.
To pretend the drawing was El’s idea, like Will said.
To pretend the speech that came with it was hers too.
Even though… it was all Will.
Will put his own feelings in someone else’s mouth.
And Mike heard them.
He felt them.
But he chose not to think too much about it.
Not to ask uncomfortable questions.
Not to look too closely.
It’s not that he doesn’t know.
It’s that knowing changes everything.
And he’s not ready yet to live in a world where that’s true.
If you want to see how Will’s handling all this (spoiler: it’s not that simple), check out his side.
Why I think Mike realized the truth about the painting in the van scene
This probably isn't a new or revealing topic, but I want to give my opinion anyway. So, let's get to it. First of all, we need to keep in mind that Mike Wheeler is one of the smartest people on the show, and he's always been the leader for some reason, right? And one of them is that Mike is the kind of guy who acts on situations. He was the one who acted when Will disappeared; he literally put himself in danger multiple times; he jumped off a fucking cliff. He devised plans to defeat the monsters of the Upside Down and made them happen. He's not the kind of guy who sits around and waits for things to work themselves out. No. Mike Wheeler is a problem-solver.
We also need to remember that he realized the difference in his feelings for Will and El at the end of season 3. This is very clear in the way each goodbye unfolds.
Here we have Mike happy that his best friend says he can never "replace" him.
And here we have a Mike who is supposed to BE HAPPY because his girlfriend just said she loves him back.
That said, let's get to it.
Season four begins with a different version of Mike; he's aware of his feelings for Will. He's already a teenager, and he knows what he wants and doesn't want in terms of sexuality. He literally has a folder with Will's drawings under his bed, which is a not-so-subtle parallel to what Erica says about Lucas hiding his things under his bed too (something we can get a sense of, lol).
We all know Mike knows about the painting because El told him in the letter, about how Will was working on a painting in secret and how she thinks Will is painting it for someone he likes. So when he goes to California, Mike already knows about it. And (in my opinion) he HOPES it's for him.
We have the first Byler scene of the season, and it's that extremely awkward hug that screams "gay panic," right? But what about the FIRST WORDS Byler? There's a subtle greeting, and then Mike asks about the painting. Mike is anxious, nervous, and curious about the painting Will made for someone he likes. Someone Mike hopes is himself. But then Will "denies" it, and Mike literally wilts before our eyes. And then there's the whole thing about him being hyperaware of Will's actions and reactions while his girlfriend is clearly uncomfortable and about to be bullied, and all that stuff we already know.
In my opinion, Mike is upset beyond jealous. He's also desperate for the slightest sign that Will feels the same way. And that's why we have this scene here:
Like I said, Mike Wheeler is the kind of guy who acts. And so he's desperate for the slightest sign of reciprocity from Will. So when Will drops a suspicious "what about us," Mike looks not only devastated but also fucking HOPEFUL. I can literally hear his heart beating like crazy from here.
And when I say Mike needs a sign of reciprocity to act, I'm not saying he's going to kiss Will or anything like that. But I believe he was waiting for a sign so he could resolve his issues with El and then make amends with Will. But why? Well, it's the '80s and they're two boys; the social issues surrounding this type of relationship should speak for themselves. He needs the security of reciprocity to act because Will is his best friend above all else, and one wrong move and boom, it's all over. I mean, that's basically what Robin already made clear, right, about asking the wrong girl out.
Anyway, Will "denies" it again. And then things start happening with El, and Mike cares (and loves, even if platonically) enough for her to put her first in that moment. There are all the subtle "flirting" scenes initiated by Mike, but I'll refrain from that because otherwise this whole post will get too long. So let's skip ahead to the van scene and why I think (I'm 99.9% sure) Mike understood Will was talking about himself, not El.
When Will hands over the painting, we see Mike literally break into a firecracker of a smile because the painting was meant for him all along, like, "Hey, I was right, Will likes me too."
And then there's the whole speech and Will projecting his feelings as if they were El's. But Mike's not an idiot, you know? He's one of the smartest people in the group, and besides, HE KNOWS El didn't ask for the painting. Oh, but why didn't he say anything? You might be wondering. And I'll answer. 1) They weren't alone, it wasn't a private conversation, and even though it was Jonathan and Argyle with them in the van, it's still the 80s and being gay isn't "cool." 2) Just before, they had that whole thing about being afraid to tell the truth and the other person not liking it, so I assume Mike didn't want Will to back down and "deny" it again. He wanted to hear. He wanted to know. 3) He is still El's official boyfriend and although he is the type of person who acts, he would NEVER act with Will without first resolving his situation with El.
There, in the van, Mike knew his feelings were mutual and THAT'S WHY he made that expression when he realized it was time to work things out with El.
Mike is happy to find El; he loves and cares for her. But he knows he'll probably break her heart. He knows he'll hurt her with the truth, and that makes him sad. But he's willing to do it because "friends don't lie," and he doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of the summer. He doesn't want to prolong this relationship when he knows Will is there too and loves him. And that's what Mike was going to talk to El about before Argyle interrupted them. Mike would probably tell her he loves her, but not the way he should, or something like that. That would be a breakup scene.
And again, that's why Mike looks so incredibly devastated when Will encourages him to confess his love for El.
Is Mike scared for El? Definitely. Afraid of losing her? Definitely. Does he want to help her gain strength against Vecna? Of course. But he's not about to confess his love for her. I've watched and rewatched the scene several times, and each time the conclusion is the same: if Will hadn't encouraged him, Mike wouldn't have told El he loves her.
Once again, from the beginning of the season, Mike has been incredibly aware of Will's presence in a way he never was with El. He knows what he feels and needs a sign of reciprocity from Will. And the painting is that sign; it's what Mike needs to be certain that Will loves him back. But then why is Will telling Mike to confess his love romantically to El? Mike is confused and deeply devastated here because he thinks he misread the signals.
He doesn't understand why Will would say something like that after the van speech, not if Will truly loves him. So I suppose he concludes he's got it all wrong. He probably thinks the painting El mentioned in the letter was a different one, and that everything Will said in the van was really about El.
I have some theories about the continuation of Byler's romantic development and how the painting issue will be addressed in season five (but that's a topic for another post). However, everything is connected, from the fact that I think Mike will be the first to initiate any romantic interaction and how/when he will do.
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