Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp has found himself at the center of an online debate after an interview clip showed him describing his character Will Byers’ orientation as a “superpower.”
The conversation took place during a sit-down interview with co-star Jamie Campbell Bower, who portrays Vecna, the psychic villain who manipulates victims by exploiting their deepest and most private traumas.
The actors discussed Will’s emotional confrontation in Season 5, where he finally comes out to his friends and reveals he does not like girls.
“Vecna thought Will’s secret was his weakness, but it’s his superpower!” Schnapp said in the interview.
The clip caught the attention of those entrenched in the culture war, such as YouTuber Jon Root, who accused Netflix of trying to indoctrinate children with “LGBT propaganda.”
A YouTuber said Strangers Things’ Will Byers’ coming out scene was “LGBT propaganda”
“The actor that plays Will Byers in Stranger Things confirms that homosexuality is his character’s ‘superpower’ & that his ‘coming out’ scene is LGBTQ propaganda targeted at children,” the YouTuber wrote.
“Wokeness ruins everything.”
Root’s post, shared on December 31, has amassed nearly 2 million views at the time of writing.
Fans, however, swiftly countered his interpretation, accusing the YouTuber of purposely misinterpreting Schnapp’s words in order to generate outrage and bring attention to his social media channels.
“That’s not what he’s saying,” a user wrote. “He’s saying that this secret shame he was dealing with and fear that if he was exposed — everyone would reject him, is what Vecna used to control him.”
“Grifting really is an art form,” another added.
“He literally just said the opposite of what you think he said.”
Schnapp’s actual words made reference to the fact that, by facing his fears, his character was able to diminish the series’ antagonist power over him and his traumas, thereby becoming stronger.
“What a powerful message to send to kids,” Schnapp explained. “‘No, this isn’t your weakness. This is how you defeat the big, bad, evil monster of the entire show.’”
Stranger Things Season 5 was met with a mixed response by audiences
As Bored Panda previously reported, Stranger Things Season 5 has received a mixed reaction from audiences. Will Byers’ coming-out moment, in particular, has been cited as a source of tension online, with critics believing the moment felt tacked on and awkward.
Chapter Seven currently sits at 5.4/10 on Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
Some viewers complained that Will’s emotional reveal delayed the action leading into the final battle.
“Btw the Will coming out scene may be the worst in the entirety of ST… a hard watch,” a viewer wrote on X.
Others argued that the storyline was always part of the show, arguing that Will’s identity has been hinted at since Season 1, including past references from his father and emotional sequences in later seasons.
Beyond the Will Byers controversy, many viewers argued that the show had been losing its spark for years, and that Season 5 failed to deliver the intensity and stakes that once defined Stranger Things.
“We still have the finale to go but this season honestly is weak so far. I mean we all know it doesn’t come close in terms of tone and atmosphere, but even compared to Season 4, this is a huge step down,” a viewer wrote.
Meanwhile, the same episode faced separate backlash for its action sequence featuring Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), which some accused of being unrealistic “girl boss” writing.
Critics argued the stakes were artificially lowered in an effort to bring the show to a close
A common complaint focused on Vecna. After being introduced in Season 4 as a genuinely horrifying villain compared by viewers to A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger, his presence in the final season has been criticized as significantly less imposing.
Detractors joked that he went from “eldritch horror” to a monster “who seems unable to handle a bunch of kids.”
Viewers praised Season 4 ending, which saw massive portals tearing across Hawkins and beginning a full-scale invasion.
Because of this, many expected Season 5 to embrace that apocalyptic setup. Instead, when the new season began, viewers watched as the rifts were quickly sealed with makeshift barriers.
The result, fans say, is that the promised end-of-the-world tension has been replaced by a more conventional adventure, one in which heroes survive scenarios that previously would have been fatal.
“Truly special.” Fans defended the actor, praising his character’s development
