Stranger Things fans spot minor moment in new episode that confirms massive eight-year theory

Stranger Things fans are convinced that one scene in the first episode of season five has confirmed a fan theory eight years in the making.

Season five released late last night and is sure to be the top show on Netflix by the time the day is over, with the first set of episodes from the hotly anticipated final season being released.

Fans have reacted to a moment involving Will Byers, and it's already fuelling viral social media theories.

Will, who is played by actor Noah Schnapp, plays a key role in the final season of the show, something which many felt was given away by the four episodes the show’s creators said you had to rewatch before the new season dropped.

One of the scenes in the first episode however has had fans feeling it basically already confirms that Will’s character is not only secretly gay, but that the show is setting up Will and Mike.

Fan theories that Will is a closeted gay character have been a mainstay in the fandom since season two, particularly centring around the idea that he is secretly in love with Mike, something which Noah Schnapp has himself confirmed in interviews.

Many felt that within the show this was all but confirmed already by the season four when he gives Mike a speech about how much Eleven needs him, something that is widely accepted to be a thinly veiled reference to his own unrequited love, however season five makes it as explicit as they can short of Will coming out.

In the new episode a specific scene has got people talking about the theory once again however, but for viewers unaware of this existing theory they may think it’s saying the exact opposite.

In the first episode, Will walks in on Robin, played by Maya Hawke, and Vickie, played by Amybeth McNulty, kissing.

will seeing robin and vicky kiss in st5 pic.twitter.com/0GLd2O4O1Z

— mel (@bylerDNI) November 12, 2025

He runs out in a panic, leading Robin to run after him, and the two develop a bond over the opening four episodes where Robin gently helps Will accept his sexuality.

One fan tweeted about this moment, referencing the Mike and Will ship name ‘Byler’, saying: “I am f*cking praying that Will seeing Robin and Vickie kiss is gonna be the set up for canon Byler happening.”

Others pointed to a later moment in which Robin explained how she knew her and Vickie were flirting, suggesting it was supposed to parallel Mike and Will’s dynamic.

Some fans however have suggested that the dynamic between them is less about Robin pushing Mike and Will together, but helping the young (now confirmed to be) gay character accept himself.

One tweet said: “Will 'stans' just got served one of the most beautiful queer storylines I’ve seen and they still managed to completely misunderstand it.

“It is a disservice to Will to say he needs to be loved by Mike. The whole point was that he doesn’t.”

Finn Wolfhard, the actor for Mike, has himself ruled out that the two will get together, saying in an interview with Attitude magazine that it ‘wouldn’t be earned’.

Regardless of what happens between Mike and Will in the upcoming last few episodes of the show, LGBTQIA+ fans of the show will surely be pleased that the storylines are getting more explicit and engagingly complex.

Stranger Things season five volume one out is streaming on Netflix now.