Is Mike Gay (or Bi) in Stranger Things? Facts vs Fan Theories

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Find out whether the "Byler" ship is canon or not

Co-authored by Corey Andrew and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: July 2, 2026 Fact Checked

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Is Mike gay?

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Is Mike bisexual in Stranger Things?

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Evidence That Mike Isn't Gay

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Why Some Fans Think Mike Is Gay

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Is Finn Wolfhard gay?

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One of the most popular Stranger Things fan theories is that Mike is secretly gay. Many fans who "shipped" Mike with his gay best friend, Will, hoped they would become a couple by the end of the series. Spoiler alert: that didn't happen. But could Mike still be queer? Come with us to explore if Mike is gay or bisexual in Stranger Things, evidence that he's straight, and why some Bylers still think he's an unconfirmed queer character.

Is Mike in Stranger Things gay?

Mike from Stranger Things is not confirmed to be gay. His only romantic relationship in the series is with a girl named Eleven. He never shows any interest in guys. However, a group of fans called Bylers, who ship Mike with his best friend, Will Byers, still believe he could be secretly gay or at least bisexual.

Section 1 of 5:

Is Mike Wheeler gay in Stranger Things?

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Mike has not been confirmed to be gay in Stranger Things. The only character Mike is known to have been romantically involved with is Eleven, who is a girl. This strongly suggests that he's not gay, but some fans who ship Mike and his best friend Will still speculate that he could be gay, or at least bisexual. This is despite the fact that throughout all 5 seasons of the show, Mike has never shown romantic interest in a guy. He also seems to view Will, who has a crush on him, as his best friend only, and not as a lover.
- Did you know? Fans who "ship" Mike and Will (i.e., hope they become a romantic couple) are called Bylers. According to pop culture commentator Corey Andrew, this name is a combination of the characters' last names: Wheeler and Byers.^{[1]
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- Even though the show is over and Mike's sexuality remains unconfirmed, many fans still believe that Mike is queer.

Section 2 of 5:

Is Mike bisexual in Stranger Things?

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It hasn't been confirmed if Mike is bisexual. The only romantic relationship Mike has in Stranger Things is with Eleven. While it's possible that Mike is also interested in guys, he never shows that preference on-screen. Since the show is over, it's reasonable to conclude that Mike is probably straight, especially given his enduring feelings for Eleven.
- Here be spoilers for the Stranger Things finale! At the end of the Stranger Things series finale, when the episode flashes forward to show where the main characters ended up, Mike is still thinking about Eleven. He even has a picture of her on his writing desk. The audience never sees him with another romantic interest—female, male, or otherwise.
  - This brief scene not only suggests that older Mike is still interested in women, but it also implies that he may never get over Eleven.

Section 3 of 5:

Evidence That Mike Is Not Gay in Stranger Things

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The biggest proof that Mike is probably not gay is that he's been romantically interested in Eleven since her appearance in season 1. After season 2, they became boyfriend and girlfriend. Apart from a brief rupture in season 3 and Eleven's doubts about Mike's love for her in season 4, the two remain a couple until the season 5 finale.
Further evidence that Mike is not gay can be found during and after Will's coming-out scene in season 5, episode 7, "The Bridge." During Will's speech, the camera pans over to Mike, whose face is completely neutral, even as he realizes he's the friend Will has been crushing on for years. Later, Mike apologizes to Will for not being there for him during his struggle with his sexuality. But he doesn't show or express any romantic interest. He's still loyal to Eleven.

Section 4 of 5:

Why "Byler" Fans Think Mike in Stranger Things Is Gay

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Mike's awkward kiss with Eleven in the season 3 finale Some of Mike and Eleven's interactions, like their kiss at the end of season 3, come off as a little awkward. This is probably due to their characters' lack of romantic experience, the actors' ages, or how they were directed to act. But some Byler shippers view this kiss in particular as an intentional choice to show that Mike secretly isn't straight. Here's how the scene plays out and why some interpret it as Mike's "coming out" moment:^{[2]
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- At the end of season 3, episode 8, "The Battle of Starcourt" (which is also the season finale), Eleven responds to Mike's profession of love in the Starcourt Mall by saying that she loves him, too. She then gives him a passionate kiss.
- Mike keeps his eyes open for the entire kiss. After they break apart and Eleven walks away, Mike has a bewildered look on his face.
- Some Bylers interpret Mike's open eyes and bewildered expression as him not enjoying the kiss, and thus realizing he's not actually straight. They say this realization is symbolized by a light turning on in the closet behind him, which is in his gay friend Will Byer's old room.
- However, this theory doesn't really hold water because Mike and Eleven remain a couple from this episode up until the series finale. Mike is most likely just confused by Eleven's behavior in this moment because she briefly broke up with him in an earlier episode.
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Mike's unconfirmed "internalized homophobia" Some Bylers also theorize that Mike has internalized homophobia. In other words, they believe that he's gay and knows it, but he dislikes that part of himself because it goes against social norms. It's never been confirmed on-screen or by the show's creators that Mike is actually going through this struggle. But some fans still support the theory by pointing to a specific scene in season 3 when Mike tells Will, who is later revealed to be gay, "It's not my fault that you don't like girls." Here's a breakdown of the scene and its possible underlying meaning:^{[3]
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- In season 3, episode 3, "The Case of the Missing Lifeguard," Mike, Lucas, and Will are playing Dungeons and Dragons. Mike and Lucas aren't really interested in the game and are waiting for a phone call from Eleven and Max. They get fed up and kill off the characters. Will becomes frustrated and leaves.
- Mike confronts Will in his garage before he leaves. Will claims that Mike is ruining their D&D campaigns because he's obsessed with Eleven. Mike then tells him savagely, "It's not my fault you don't like girls!"
- Some fans believe the line "It's not my fault you don't like girls!" coupled with Mike's delivery means that Mike is trying to convince himself that he's not gay. They claim he tries to accomplish this by insulting Will for not liking girls romantically, as he and Lucas obviously do.
- After his outburst, however, Mike calms down and says, "Look, I wasn't trying to be a jerk. It's just that we're not kids anymore." Here, Mike is expressing that he and his friends are growing up, and part of growing up is developing romantic feelings.
  - This calmer follow-up line could hint that Mike is just talking about maturing, not expressing internalized homophobia.
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Stranger Things season 2 coloring and activity book crossword clue Some observant fans found what they believed to be a major clue to Mike's sexuality in a coloring and activity book themed to Stranger Things season 2. One of the crossword pages has a series of clues that clearly point to Mike as the answer. One of those clues reads, "Who likes El/Will." "Likes" can refer to romantic or platonic love, depending on the context. But many Byler fans interpret this clue as confirmation that Mike "likes" Will romantically. But this theory doesn't hold up for 3 reasons, which we get into below:
- First, the Duffer brothers haven't confirmed that any of the supplemental Stranger Things material, other than the stage play, Stranger Things: First Shadow, is canon. "Canon" is a word that describes events that are confirmed to have occurred in a fictional universe.
- Second, Mike and Eleven are shown to have a romantic relationship throughout the entire series. But Mike's relationship with Will is always portrayed as platonic.
- Third, the clue is vague and doesn't really confirm anything other than that Mike cares for his girlfriend as well as his friend.

Section 5 of 5:

Is the actor who plays Mike gay in real life?

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His only publicly known relationship was with an actress named Elsie Richter from 2021 to 2023. So it's safe to assume, at least for now, that he's either straight or bisexual. In August 2025, Wolfhard told Variety that he's single, adding that he feels it's not the right time for him to be in a relationship given his many work and travel commitments.^{[4]
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