Why Was Will Crying In Stranger Things Season 4?

Will Byers is one of the original characters of Stranger Things and has been one of the most important characters in the series because he got lost in the Upside Down in season 1 and eventually became connected to the other world. However, his character arc in season 4 was something that fans got interested in because he never revealed a lot but was always seen crying, especially when it was something related to Mike. So, why was Will crying in Stranger Things season 4?

There is yet to be an exact reason why Will was always crying in Stranger Things season 4, but there are some speculations in relation to that. Hints regarding his sexuality have been thrown around as he could be in love with mike. Of course, he could be crying because he had become lonely.

The thing about Will is that, among all of the main kids in Stranger Things, he is the least developed because he hasn’t had his own true character arc and development in the series, while all of his other friends have their own thing going on. It is that fact that could lead us to a shocking fifth season, as the final arc of Stranger Things might reveal more of Will’s thoughts and emotions.

Will Could Be In Love With Mike

The first thing that fans probably thought of when they saw Will crying in volume 2 of season 4 was the possibility that he could be in love with Mike. Will has always been attached to Mike because they have been best friends for a very long time. Of course, Will has also been one of the more silent and secretive persons in the series, as he doesn’t always say how he feels. He is also a bit more sensitive than any of the other kids.

There’s also the fact that ever since the first season, Will was the only one who never showed interest in girls. Mike fell in love with Eleven in season 1, Dustin was always chasing after girls and eventually ended up with Suzie in between seasons 2 and 3, and Lucas was in a relationship with Max.

On the other hand, Will has never talked about girls or his interest in them. He also never spoke a word about romance or anything related to that, as people have begun to believe that he could be gay and was merely hiding it. Of course, Stranger Things is set in the 80s when homosexuality wasn’t something that people openly talked about.

Then, in season 3, Mike and Will had an argument about Eleven. That was when Mike had an outburst wherein he said that it wasn’t his fault that Will didn’t like girls. What he said could mean that Will was yet to mature to an age where he is now attracted to girls or that he simply isn’t attracted to them and is more attracted to boys. Will’s sexuality wasn’t explored after that.

In season 4, he had an argument with Mike once more because he felt sad that his best friend was always talking more about Eleven and never took the time to even write to him while they were apart. This could be a hint that he was in love with Will and was jealous of the fact that he was giving Eleven more attention, even though they have been best friends for a very long time.

Will “Lost” His Friends

Another reason why Will was crying and feeling sad was the possibility that he might have felt lonely when he “lost” his friends. He basically grew up with Mike, Dustin, and Lucas and never knew what it was like to be apart from them. But on top of the fact that he had to move to California in season 4, Will also ended up having to face the fact that he was growing more distant from his friends ever since season 1.

Eleven’s introduction kept Mike busy because he was now giving her more attention due to the fact that he was always in love with her. In season 2, Dustin and Lucas were both busy chasing after girls, especially with the introduction of Max. Dustin also ended up forming a great relationship with Steve, who he now looked up to as an older brother.

On the other hand, Mike didn’t have anything that kept him busy. He was lost in season 1 and was seemingly not himself in season 2 due to the effects of getting lost in the Upside Down. Then, in season 3, he started looking like he could no longer keep up with the different lives that his friends were living.

Jonathan also became busy with his relationship with Nancy. And when they moved to California, Jonathan became preoccupied with his plans for the future and was almost always high on weed.

In that regard, Will must have been lonely the entire time because he didn’t have anyone. All of his other friends had other people to lean on and hang out with, but Will didn’t have a person he could go to if he wanted someone to talk to or if he just simply wanted to hang out with somebody.

That was when Jonathan was quick to notice the sad look on Will’s face when Mike and Eleven had a sweet moment in the pizza restaurant. Jonathan became an older brother to him at that moment.

In the restaurant, Jonathan told Will that he was always there if he wanted to talk to someone. That was when it became clear that Will must have been lonely the entire time and was simply bottling up his feelings deep inside. 

There is still the possibility that he could be in love with Mike and was bottling up his feelings for the sake of his best friend’s happiness. But he must have also felt quite lonely when he didn’t have anyone else to talk to whenever he wanted to share his feelings and deepest thoughts and emotions.

Will Is Stuck In The Past

Finally, it could also be possible that Will was feeling sad because he couldn’t accept that everyone else around him had been steadily moving forward while he was still stuck in the past. Ever since he returned from the Upside Down, the only thing that Will wanted to do was to hang out with his friends and play Dungeons and Dragons. 

But his friends were already moving forward and were beginning to live different lives, especially with the new relationships they were forming and friends that they were meeting. On the other hand, Will was still stuck in the past and was having problems moving forward from his days playing D&D with his friends. 

In fact, Will’s character arc is less-developed compared to the other characters because it seems like the only growth he has seen is from the physical standpoint. He hasn’t grown too much as a character while all of his other friends were growing physically, emotionally, and mentally.

The possibility that he could still be clinging to the past was seen in the fact that he painted a portrait of him and his friends facing a dragon all by themselves. He was holding on to the memory of them spending time playing D&D and fighting imaginary dragons instead of fighting real-life monsters.

In that sense, Will must have felt sad because he realized that his friends were growing up and that the good old days were already behind them. And the sadness and loneliness that he feels might be something that Stranger Things will try to explore in the final season.