Will Byers
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Will Byers |
| Occupation: | Student at Hawkins Middle School |
| Relationships: | Joyce Byers (Mom) Jonathan Byers (Brother) Eleven (friend/adoptive sister) Lucas Sinclair (friend) Mike Wheeler (friend) Dustin Henderson (friend) Max Mayfield (friend) |
| Fandom: | Stranger Things |
| Other: | Played by Noah Schnapp |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Will Byers is a fictional character from the Stranger Things television series, and is portrayed by Noah Schnapp.
Canon
In the first season of Stranger Thing, Will's best friends are Lucas Sinclair, Mike Wheeler, and Dustin Henderson. Will is abducted by the Demogorgon and taken into an alternate dimension dubbed the Upside Down where he stays for a week. Although he was rescued and returned to normal life, his time in the Upside Down left him with a mysterious connection to the alternate realm.
A year later, Will became possessed by the Mind Flayer, becoming a part of his hive mind. Through this connection, the Mind Flayer used him to massacre the scientists at Hawkins National Laboratory. With the help of Joyce Byers, Jonathan Byers, and Nancy Wheeler, the monster's possession over Will was alleviated.
In 1985, Will sensed the Mind Flayer had returned, and teamed up with his friends to stop the entity. Three months after defeating the Mind Flayer, the Byers family, now including Eleven, moved out of Hawkins, Indiana.
Season 4 begins with the family living in Lenora, California as one of the four plot lines that took place (including: Hawkins, Russia, and NINA). Mike Wheeler is visiting during Spring Break. During the California plot line, Eleven get's involved in an altercation with her school bully, Angela and is arrested and promptly taken away. Simultaneously, Will and the others are attacked by military officers who are after Eleven in the Byer's home. The group escapes in Argyle's, Jonathan's friend, pizza truck. The four search for Eleven, making a stop at Suzy's, Dustin Henderson's girlfriend's home. Throughout this, Will is struggling with his conflicting relationship with his previous best friend, Mike Wheeler. Before Mike's arrival in Lenora, Eleven notes in a letter to Mike that Will is painting a lot "and maybe it's for a girl." It is later revealed in Vol 2 that the painting was for Mike, although Will lies and explains it was 'commissioned' by Eleven. The story implies at Will's hidden romantic feelings toward's Mike Wheeler (presumably unreciprocated). This is further enhanced by Will becoming visibly upset during the painting exchange, where Jonathan notices and comforts Will. The season completes with the California group retrieving Eleven and making their way back to Hawkin's. Will continues to be haunted by what he previously thought was the Mind Flayer, but now is confirmed to be Vecna, otherwise known as 001 or Henry Creel.
Fandom
In 2017 Will Byers was the 2nd most popular Stranger Things character on Archive of Our Own.[1] After the airing of Season 2 Will Byers was the 5th most popular Stranger Things character on Tumblr.[2] As of October 2022 there were over 17,000 stories that contain Will Byers on Archive of Our Own.
Will has gained a lot of momentum within the fandom after the release of Stranger Thing's Season 4, specifically Byler fans and in some queer groups within the fandom after Noah Schnapp confirmed Will Byers as gay[3].
Tropes
This article or section needs expansion. |
Shipping
Common Pairings
The most common ship for this character is the slash pairing Byler, which date's back to the first season. Fanworks exploring the relationship between Will and Eleven are also very common, although usually the pairing remains platonic, as they are siblings.
Slash
- Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
- Will Byers/Billy Hargrove
- Will Byers/Dustin Henderson
- Will Byers/Lucas Sinclair
Gen
Crossover
Example Fanworks
Fanart
- Will Byers by Libbie-Carr
- Will the Wise by Hija Jiyangi
- "it burns" by rustic-space-fiddle
- hiding by rustic-space-fiddle
Gifset
Meta
- Will's Powers by willel
- Will's Arc In Season 3 by Bemused_Writer (6 Jul 2019)
- The Finding of Will Byers by aceraphale (10 Jul 2022)
- How Stranger Things Has Made Will Byers Unarguably Queer, a video essay by geekyglamour_ (15 Jul 2022)
- Labyrinth and Will Byers by aceraphale (31 Jul 2022)
Zines
Links & Resources
References
| Stranger Things | |
| Master Lists | Stranger Things Category • Characters • Ships • Zines |
| Crossover Ships | Will Byers/Richie Tozier • Bill Denbrough/Mike Wheeler • Eddie Kaspbrak/Mike Wheeler • Will Byers & Eddie Kaspbrak • Richie Tozier & Mike Wheeler |
| Part of the Fanlore Project on Stranger Things! Join us, say hello on the talk page, or join our Discord! | |