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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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Why Mike Referring to El as "Superman" is Byler Coded

*Note this theory has nothing to do with gender*

This is gonna be long. But don't worry. I think it's worth it.

El + Will

El and Will are intertwined. Interchangeable characters. Almost like doppelgängers or alter-egos. Yet sometimes behave or are placed in situations as if they are foils. Here's what I mean by this.

Season One

From the very beginning, Will and El are linked. When Will goes missing from Hawkins, El appears in the woods of Hawkins. Will is taken from the party and El is given to them (in a sense) when they find her. Immediately they are put in contrasting situations (foils) yet are interchangeable characters (I'll be calling this alter ego since doppelgänger isn't a completely accurate term

Physically she is smaller than the rest of the group, like Will, and she is also shy, like Will. She's not just shy because she doesn't know many words as we know from later seasons, when she knows a lot more English. Though she talks a bit more, she is still reserved with communication, just like Will.

And we can also see their characters mirror each other in the way other characters react to them. Not only just Mike but Lucas and Dustin eventually become protective over El just like they are with Will. Joyce becomes a motherly figure for El once she meets her. Not in season one but eventually Hopper becomes both of their father figures. The bullies make fun of her just like they make fun of Will. But from the very first few minutes, we understand Mike and Will have a special friendship compared to themselves with Lucas and Dustin. Will only tells Mike the truth about the dice. He doesn't lie. Mike's also very protective over and sensitive about Will. He notices he doesn't show up to school. He goes to his house to find him. He genuinely wants to help find Will, just like the others, but he's really adamant from the get go. He has a protector role. As soon as Will becomes lost and they find El in the woods, she takes Will's place in his absence. Immediately, Mike takes her under his wing and protects her. They have a thing about friends not lying, referencing the very first scene where Will doesn't lie to Mike, and only Mike. They both have a special relationship with Mike and it's emphasized by all the other similarities between Will and El. Such as...

Both of the characters being the only ones to have outwardly abusive, shitty fathers. Lonnie is a homophobic bully to his own son and would gladly exploit his death, while Brenner imprisoned El her entire childhood and did nothing but manipulate and exploit her. They both were taken from their mothers, who go crazy looking for them and never stop until they find them or are physically prevented from doing so :( They are the only characters alive who have been abducted, so they share a complex trauma that none of the others can relate to. Automatically this gives them a similar character profile starkly contrasted to the rest. They both feel a connection to the Upside Down and are the other characters main (only?) connections to the Upside Down.

Finally, in the final moments of season one, Will is brought back to the original Hawkins and El is taken into the Upside Down. Interchangeably. A transfer of their characters. The paralellism lol. And this brings us directly into season two.

But before that.

This next sentence is important, so pay attention. Essentially, the only major difference between Will and El is that Will has no powers. Remember this.

Season Two

So immediately in season two there is already another situational contrast between our mirrored characters; Will is now in Hawkins, placed back inside the party, and El was in the Upside Down until she was in the woods (just like Will except reversed) and then Hopper took her in (same person who saved Will), taken from the party. So Will is given back and El is taken. Almost like you can only have one because they're so interchangeable. So there are already many parallels.

**So many that I could stop here and make my Superman point honestly but this is too much fun. So if you want you can just skip to the end for the rest of the theory and it will still make sense. But I suggest reading the whole thing for it to really hit.**

Anyway. Now instead of El being the main character, Will is, at least in relation to the other party members. I would say both El and Will are the main main characters of s2, but regardless, Will takes her place as the main character in the party. So again, they switch places. Indicating they are interchangeable. Which is very important. Just like season one where the party members and eventually the other characters were protecting El from the bad men, they're now protecting Will from the Mind Flayer. He takes the place of protected and Mike is his main protector as far as the kids and teens. Not only that but there are tons of Byler moments in this season and they mirror how Mileven were in season one. If what's happening in a canon ship is happening in a supposed "unrequited" ship, then maybe that ship isn't so unrequited. If people even question it, maybe that ship isn't so canon.

But I digress. Lol

Just because Will and El are so alike doesn't mean they don't clash. That's why they're also foils, imo. And this is what we see in season three.

Season Three

So by clash I don't mean they don't like each other or have ill will for one and other. I mean the trope or role they hold in comparison to the other characters only has room for one, so it can create tension. Otherwise, they still pretty much mirror each other. Both are finally getting to grow up and not experience trauma (in the first few episodes). They are both recovering from their childhood being ripped apart by two heads of the same beast. El has girls night with Max before+after breaking up with Mike, Will has boys night before fighting with Mike. They're two peas in one pod that are constantly revolving around each other. The yin and yang. So similar but constantly moving in opposite directions. When one does this, the other does that. Mileven's breakup scene is funny, lighthearted, fun colored and sunny. Bylers fight is dreary, dark, mono toned color scheme, emotional acting and serious implications. El is seen having fun thinking of other things after the breakup. Will destroys Castle Byers, the place he felt was safe for him, which could even parallel when El destroys the cabin because Hopper won't let her leave/see Mike. They're in almost identical situations (lover/crush isn't reciprocating the feelings I have for them, or at least isn't showing it properly) yet their situations end up completely different. This mirrors their characters but also foils them. Regardless it creates a link between the two indicating they hold similar roles within the show. Other than Mike relations, while El is figuring out something is up with Billy/the Upside Down, Will knows the Mind Flayer is back. They both consistently represent the fantasy aspect and always facilitate that storyline. Now that they've finally been present together in a season, it becomes A LOT more obvious how their characters are so similar it causes clashes, which only further emphasizes how alike they are.

Let's just get into S4 because this is so long lol.

Season Four

El and Will becoming siblings heavily emphasizes them being each others alter-egos and the fact that El has no powers only maximizes this to the fullest. Essentially they're now the exact same character trope/profile whatever you want to call it. El is now being bullied for being "different" and because she no longer has powers. We all know Will has been bullied since the womb 💀 Without her powers, El has a very difficult time defending herself, and so does Will in general. She can't vocally speak up for herself, the only time Will does is when Mike has ticked him off so bad, similar to El without her powers. They both just don't fit in. So why don't they also show Will being bullied? It goes back to how they clash, reiterating how they're the yin and yang, switching situations constantly. When Mike first gets to Cali, Mileven are all over each other leaving Will dilly dallying somewhere in the background and Byler eventually fighting. Then Mileven fight and Byler make up. Both Will and El want to hear something from Mike that he's isn't ready to say. He dances around the issue with the both of them - telling El she's incredible and he cares for her, telling Will they're just friends, and indicating their relationship didn't warrant regular contact. Same situation (I want Mike to reciprocate my feelings) different outcome (Mike doesn't love me, Mike can't admit we were best friends ((or more than that)) and his behavior is weird). This is not for no reason. Writers (and no it's not just the Duffers, so please stop shitting on the writing when if you look into it there's some good subtext) don't parallel characters for no reason. They are trying to indicate something. That Will and El are so alike but constantly stuck in opposing situations.

Okay so that's my in depth analysis of why Will and El are essentially the same character while simultaneously contrasting each other. Alter ego foils. Let's get to the ACTUAL point 😭

Superman

So, in the van scene, before Will gives his speech, Mike has his own little semi-speech and towards the end he says "...that I'm just some random nerd who got lucky Superman landed on his doortstep. I mean at least Lois Lane is a reporter for the daily planet, right?"

Now this may seem like a simple analogy, not knowing much about Superman. However, even when I only knew the basics and tropes, it still stood out to me that he referred to el as Superman, not Superwoman, wonder woman or Supergirl. I've seen a few people for and against this theory and it always revolves around the idea that El is a girl not a boy so it should be Supergirl. And yes, I think that partially helps this analogy, it gives it more attention to an average viewer; but that's not the only reason it works. In fact, I don't think that's the main point at all. It's also important that Mike refers to himself as Lois Lane. Now hear me out...

In the original Superman comics, and some iterations of it, Lois Lane falls for Superman because of his super powers and subsequent charisma/attractiveness, while befriending Clark Kent and not realizing they are the same person. Are we seeing this comparison? Please tell me I'm not crazy.

If it wasn't obvious, Mike = Lois Lane, Will = Clark Kent and El = Superman.

Here's a description of the "love triangle" between Lois, Clark and Superman. Yellow is Will, blue is Mike and green is El.

Now obviously, Superman and Kent really are the same person. However, I think there's plenty of support for the idea that Will and El are nearly interchangeable characters without the powers. So the Writers used a clever reference to indicate this love triangle (or at least I think they intentionally did lol).

What supports this theory more is Mike's descriptions throughout the seasons of El. He's references her super powers more than twice, referred to her as a "machine" a "weapon in s1". In S3 and S4 he has trouble saying ILY which on its own could be plenty of things but coupled with all of the other subtext... let's just say maybe I choose to be delusional. In the monologue, he refers multiple times to her super powers instead of like "i love your caring soul, your warming smile, how you are literally always there for us". No its "you can move mountains, fly, do anything" etc. Clear romanticization of her powers which she probably doesn't like and isn't a healthy thing in a relationship anyway.

Lois Lane has a close personal relationship with both Superman and Clark Kent, yet she's unable to tell that they're the same person. Even though the only thing being different is a pair of glasses and obviously super powers. This parallels how Mike is unable to differentiate between his feelings for Will and his feelings for El. They're confusing because he thinks he's supposed to like El because of society (Lois is primarily attracted to Superman first over Kent because of the allure he brings with his fame and powers, which relates to social standing) and that he can't like Will because of the obvious implications - being gay would give him hardship. For Lois Lane, it means she has a lower social status than if she were to be with Superman. The way El and Will have so many parallels I feel like this analogy is too blatant to not mean something. Especially considering this is a sci-fi action show and Superman would attract similar fanbases, so some of them would be able to make the connection.

+++It's also NOT a coincidence that he says this RIGHT before Will confesses his feeling VICARIOUSLY THROUGH El. It just can't be sorry.

Now obviously this is all speculation, but this next part is really speculation.

So how is Mike's behavior explained in the context of this Superman analogy?

Now that El lost her powers, Will and El are essentially two peas in a pod. If you analyze closely throughout the seasons you would catch on to it, but now more than ever. Mike has too. They call and write all the time so presumably they talk A LOT about A LOT of things. This gave him the time to understand El apart from her powers. Not only that but they were physically separated so even if she did have her powers, he still wouldn't be as affected by them. He finally gets to know her. And that's not to say he doesn't like her. Or even love her. He just doesn't romantically love her. And he realizes that once he's confronted her true self, and once he gets to Cali it's thrown right into his face (as he may or may not have been expecting) causing him to ignore Will. Even though he's never, even in s3, acted this nonchalant and apathetic towards Will. It's noticeable, probably noticeable enough for the general audience. A stark contrast even. Yes it could be the distance so they grew apart but we know from their talks in Vol 1 that it wasn't intentional. Mike says he lost Will. When's the last time he lost Will? In s2 with the Mind Flayer and in s1 with the abduction. How did he react? Negatively, but urgently tried to find Will. This time he reacts negatively but avoids fixing it. Why? Because he, at least on some level, has recognized his feelings for Will. Perhaps the similarities are so glaringly obvious that he feels stupid and naïve.

And one last thing to drive the point home.

Mike, in episode 8, refers to El as "superman". You can brush it all off as oh that's just the most popular superhero, etc. But in the VERY next episode, Argyle refers to her as "supergirl". It shows that Argyle sees her as a girl, not a boy. Not that Mike doesn't know she's a girl but that he chose not to refer to her as such. Someone else pointed out that he has referred to her as "person" multiple times throughout the series. I don't have the proof in that but if it's true it supports this. It also shows that the writers (may) have used the word Superman intentionally.

Well that was super fucking long but I would love to hear opinions if you've gotten this far!!! I don't think it's that far fetched but I am deluded so I truly can't tell lol.

#Byler #Byler is real #Mike Wheeler is gay #Mike Wheeler queer #Mike Wheeler queercoded #Stranger things #Will Byers #Will Byers is gay #Byler is endgame #stranger things 4 #stranger things gay #byler theory #byler theories #mike and will #THIS IS TRUE IDC!!!!!!!#mike wheeler and will byers #byler endgame #Eleven

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nilemar · 2 years

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The Van Scene

Very detailed (And a little delulu xD)

I'm going to apologise in advance, my english it's not the best and i have difficulties to explain myself. But, I'm going to try to explain my analysis and why the van scene it's so important.

First things first, we have to understand that we can not trust what we see in S4. When Will is in any of the scenes, it's his POV. So, everything that we are seeing in S4 is through Will's eyes. (I don't think we are going to get anything from the script from Mike's POV, bc thats not what they want. I really think that Mike is going to be really important in S5, just bc we're going to finally know him).

For example, Will believes that Mike and Eleven are okay and they don't have any problems, that they are happy and in love. We can see this in Rink O Mania or when all of them are reunited again. But, we, as the viewer, know that is just not true. We have seen their fight and Mike's emotions when he reads Eleven's letter (the one that ends -From El).

So thats why I truly believe there are 3 POVs in the van scene. Will's, Mike's and Jonathan's. (I'm sorry, but i can't figure out how people make screenshots in netflix, so i don't have any photos)

With Will, it's just the current situation, Will talking about his own feelings that are covered by beeing Eleven's, and Mike's expressions. But at the same time, it's really confusing bc everytime Mike is on focus, only him, we don't see Will that crearly and he is, most of the time, looking in another direction, away from Mike's eyes. So Will's POV it's really uncertain.

Then we have Mike. Why, EVERY TIME, Will is on the screen, he has thIS BEAUTIFUL light, making the scene so bright and unreal? Will couldn't be looking at himself like that, is just, idk... But thinking that is how Mike sees Will, hits completely different. And also, it hints us more about Mike's character in the situation.

I truly believe the audience is Jonathan. Bc we are seeing the scene through the rearview mirror, not in the privacy of their conversation, and the scene it just fits... right. A clue may be the Pizza letters behind them, bc we can finally read them (but I'm not gonna go into that very much) and Mike's pocket points towards Will... something that is not happening in the other POVs. (And this is bc BOTH are clueless about the others feelings). I want to point out that Mike looks at Will, in this POV, really different than in the other POVs (this is more explained in another point).

Now, let's talk about the scenes.

First of all, we can not unnoticed that Mike has a Will voice. This has been analysed, so I'm not going saying much about it. But when his voice changes, it's bc he is really paying atention to Will and Will only. Then, Will talks about this (pretty smart) plan, saying:

``we can just play D&D and Nintendo for the rest of our lives´´

And Mike: ``Yeah. Totally´´

This sentences are actually really important to understand how their current situation is. Let's remember S3. Will was constantly asking if they could go and play D&D. And in their rain fight, Mike was hinting that playing was ``not maturing´´ (something that he thinks he needs to bc of the pressure of having a gf and the people around him). But Will really thought that they were going play together for the rest of their lives (Will basically saying that he pictured his future, all his life, with Mike it was just so cute omg). Then, we saw that in Luca's book, Mike was moping and he was all the time in the basement playing Nintendo, when El and Will moved out... In this scene we are basically seeing that Mike no longer thinks that playing was inmature and that maybe, just maybe, he really likes the idea of playing D&D for the rest of his life, with Will. (we can see that he smiles at the idea when the scene focus on Will ->Bc, Mike's POV).

Before going farder, i really want to point out how Mike ONLY trusts Will to open up, in all their scenes Mike talks about his toughts and feelings, bc 1.- he doesn't trust anyone that much and 2.- It's Will's POV (i'm going to point out the POVs a lot so it's easier to understand)

I want to point out too that when they are really talking about Eleven, and what she could be thinking or feeling, we don't have close ups of their faces. When Will's or Mike's feelings are involved, even if it stills being surrounded by El, is there when he can see their facial expressions. Bc it's really IMPORTANT to know how they feel, and them only.

Mike is afraid that Eleven wouldn't need him anymore, bc Mike likes to be needed, to help. Eleven only needed his help in S1, and when she started being herself, powerful and independent, we can see that their relationship started having problems. (But i don't really think this is really accurate, bc then he should have know how to help her when Vecna traped her, but he didn't to anything until Will encourage him. I have an explanation for this, but then i'll start with the speech analysis and that could be for another post)

Will is really speechless when Mike talks like that about El, refering to the dumb luck, bc he didn't know that Mike thought that way about El ( Will's POV.) He thought everthing was okay, but it wasn't. He was seeing that Mike had a lot of insecurities with his relationship AND himself. And this is what encourage him to give the canvas, he wanted Mike to see how Will sees him, how important he actually is.

My favorite character is Will, but omg, I'm a Mike apologist (i just don't like the hate he has over things that he can control on himself, and well, I see myself in him too much). I say this bc Mike, thinking about the situation, he backs up, and basically says that his insecurities don't matter, saying it's stupid, giving everything that was going on. And is just... sad, he doesn't want to worry anyone with something so ``stupid´´ as his feelings.

The Duffer brothers said that Mike wasn't all clueless about the van scene, that he got some of the parts. For me, that's a half lie. Bc right in the moment when Will says: ``You're scared of losing her´´, the next scene we have is Mike's face realizing where that sentence came from and where the conversation was going.( I really think Mike knows from the begining, he was just confused in some parts of Will's speech, and that is the clueless part that the Duffers talked.) And with that face there is the [tender, emotionial music playing], like omg.

I'm sorry, but why is Mike looking at Will when he's reaching for the canvas, instead of looking towards the thing Will is getting, like? (and then they call Mike straight when he is so obvius and the most queercoded...)

How happy both are when Mike sees the painting. Mike for the detail and Will bc Mike is happy and he likes it. Mike loves Will's art, he's being so suportive and proud of Will ( the book of drawings that he owns). He has more drawings than the rest of the Party, and he has a lot of them hanged on the walls. It's so funny (and sad Eleven u deserve the best) that Eleven's room is full of Mike's photos and cards, but Mike doesn't have anything from El (and we know that she sent him a lot of stuff) but he still has a lot of Will's drawings.

Then, it changes to Jonathan's POV (our's) and we see that Will is looking through the window, being uncomfortable by lying to Mike (and thinking about how to lie about the situation). Will doesn't like lying to Mike, and we know this from the first 10min of S1 ep1; And Mike is sad, dissapointed, bc he really wanted to be from Will's. He even looks again towards the painting, he is not truly believing him. (Idk if this is really accurate, i just like reading and investigating the body lenguage, but my resurces can be fake, so, I'm giving my thoughts in that, but don't relay on them too much)

The little and proud smile that Mike has when Will says: ``You're guiding the whole party, inspiring us. That's what you do´´ Mike feels valued. After long time not giving the Party what it needs, and stoped being the leader that he was, Mike really needed to hear Will's words. (Even bc he thought that he really was being an idiot for focusing ONLY in El. He apologized for that) Especially him bc he once said that Mike was ruining the party, and when Will moved out, Mike was afraid that Will would join another party.

Omg, I'm so sorry that i don't have any photos, but pls, stop the times that u need and focus on Mike's face when Will says: ``Even El. Especially El´´. Mike knows. He has this SO LITTLE smirk. (Finn's acting skills are fucking amazing...) Is really little, is so discreet, but is there. And Mike is not loosing eye contact, bc he is trying to look through him (the eyes are the window of the soul).

Then, at that moment, he looks again at the painting. I don't think he is truly believing that the paint (where Max and Eleven are missing) was commissioned by El.

``This past few months, she's been so lost without you´´ In Jonathan's POV, Mike is focus on Will, and he is smiling. Bc Mike and Will felt the same, they both felt like their were losing each other.

Mike right now is only focus on Will, like fully. The intensity of the stare, but we don't know what is he thinking, bc is Will's POV and he is looking away, so Mike is blurry. But we know he is there and he is LISTENING to every single word.

When you're different...´´ Mike looks away, for a second, I think is bc he knows how it feels to be different, and knows how ``El´´ (Will, just in case) is feeling.``...you feel like a mistake.´´ Mike swallows. Bc those are harsh words, and they're dificult to process.

The next moment it's just soo uuggghhh... ``If she was mean to you or she seemed like she was pushing you away, it's because she's scared of losing you , like you're scared of losing her¨ I think Will slip there that he was actually talking about himself and it's really big information. Will didn't know exactly where Mike's and Eleven's relationship currently was. Yes, he knew about the fight (only what Mike told him) but he didn't know what the fight was about. And then, Mike just told him that he was afraid that Eleven would never need him again. Not losing, need. Mike never told Will that Eleven was mean to him and their never talked about being afraid of losing each other. Those were Mike and Will. The miscommunication that they had, Mike trying to reach and talk to Will but the telephone line was always busy bc of Joyce's work, and Will didn't want to push to much so he didn't call. Both waited the other one to call. And they both now when they talked in Rink O Mania. Then, Mike was the one saying to Will that he was afraid of losing him, bc both were being pushed away.

``And if she was going to lose you, I...I think she'd rather just get it over with quick. Like ripping off a Band-Aid.´´ Eleven, when she felt like she was losing Mike, she tried to talk to him (Their Fight). She didn't want to just get it over with quick, bc se really wasn't afraid of losing Mike. She would have understood. Will is afraid of what Mike would think or say about him if he knows his true feelings. Will is saying that he prefers to know the answer so he can get over it and stop thinking about it.

Mike, after Will says that, he looks concern about how Will could be feeling and thinking that way, bc it's sad. (the eyebrows and those eyes are the hints. Then Mike swallowing dry it's just...he's overwhelmed)

And that ``Yeah?´´ from Mike is what made me believe that he knows that Will is talking about himself. How he says it, with that smile, with the Will voice, with those bright and watery eyes and not losing eye contact. Then, after Will answers, Mike still has this soft face, like really happy, smiling at Will.

Before getting into the cry scene, I really want to point out that the body lenguage for both parts indicates that they are talking about themselfs (Will AND Mike are using El to talk about their own feelings). I talked about this before, but i'm going to get detailed in here. When u are talking with someone about a situacion that u are not involved with, is rare to hold the eye contact with the person that u are talking with about that.

If your friend is telling u how they feel towards another person, and the one talking to is u, u are possibly going to look at another spot in the room where u are (or place) and try to think or feel what the other one is explaining. Bc there is no conection between u and the person u are talking to. Less if u can't relay in anything. U would be thinking and imagine.

If u are in some way in the situation, it would be putting less efort to try and understand the situation, bc u were there. You'll be still strying to understand bc those emotions weren't yours.

Okay, now think about a situation where both of u were talking about both of your feelings. U will try not to lose eye contact bc u want the other one to feel what u feel and to see you. There will be physical aproximity and the tension will be palpable. If you are attracted to each other, there will be physical contact and u will look at the others persons lips or any feature of their face.

Why I'm saying this? Bc Mike was ONLY looking at Will. Yeah, maybe he looked at the painting once or twice, but he was desperated to lock his eyes with Will's. He wasn't trying to think about El, bc he was IMMERSED in Will's words. He glanced at Will's lips a couple of times. Is the same as their heart to heart conversations that we have seen in S4. It was THEIR own bubble. Jonathan and Argyle disappear, and Eleven in that converstion too. It was just them. They had the conection bc they were talking (Mike more like thinking xD) about their own feelings towards each other. Not anyone else. Their feelings.

And that explains why Mike didn't do anything when Will cried. Their conection broke, but Mike noticed (he stared at Will more than 1s). There were two possible ways why Mike didn't do anything: 1.- There were more people in the van and he was used to have their own bubble alone, talking and helping each other alone. Or 2.- He knows Will, so maybe he thought that Will needed his space to break, to let the tears fall, bc, it will be stupid to be talking about someone with that intensity and nearly crying bc of other person's feelings. Mike comforming Will would have been a hint that Mike knew Will was talking about himself, and doing that, may could have been worst for Will.

So here I end. I know there more points to talk about, but right now i feel like a said everything i had to say. Idk if this has helped you, or if you enjoyed. I was really happy doing it bc i realized more things that i didn't know. Maybe all of this u already knew, and I'm sorry for that. I really wish that maybe there was information that is new for you.

If u want to ask me anything or to analyse other things, tell me, I enjoy writing and analysing this show haha. Thank u very much for reading thiiiis. Byeeee

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chirpsythismorning · 1 year

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INTERESTING a storyline that ppl say would be impossible for Mike bc of x y z and yet here is Jack Mcphee in Dawson's Creek living his forced conforming lifestyle, dating a girl and denying his sexuality, having a mental breakdown in his nuclear family front hallway and everything...

#stranger things #byler #< target audience #dawson's creek #lettergate #mike wheeler #is jack mcphee coded as hell #don't let the straights see this #when they find out rainbows are used for queercoding...#and that dating a girl doesn't equal straight...#and that having a fear of losing someone doesn't equal being in love...#oh they're not gonna like this...#their breakdowns in their front hallways got me feeling some type of way #jack's sexuality clicking after writing a poem about a boy = mike's sexuality clicking after writing a letter to will love mike...#yeah...#i don't expect loads of parallels in s5...#but at least one is very likely atp...

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rotisseries · 2 years

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I'm bursting at the seams to talk about mike to anyone who will listen, but I feel exhausted just at the thought of explaining will

#mike wheeler #will byers #byler #stranger things #st4 #stranger things 4 #it's like at this point if you need detailed analysis on will you've got more problems than I can fix y'know?#explaing mike's queercoding to someone feels like you're socrates gifting the youth of athens with philosophical enlightenment #whereas being asked to explain why will is gay feels like you've spent the past 10 minutes #explaining something that someone should ALREADY understand #AND THEN you realize they weren't paying any attention and you've got to repeat literally everything #anyway this is a little bit related to my post from a few days ago about me rambling to my friend about mike #bc I know if she'd said ''explain will'' i'd've been like ''in the nicest way possible are you fucking blind?''

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divinisable · 24 days

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Can't believe there was a time when we fought for our LIVES to prove that there's a chance that Will might be gay and THEN we had the audacity to say that he might have feelings for his best friend and that's CANON now

#i guess you could say we were ahead of our time #requited byler soon #mike is gay and in love with will #byler #miwi #stranger things #will byers #mike wheeler #mlm #gay #byler proof #byler is real #byler endgame #when blue meets yellow in the west #queercoding #queerbait #byler theory

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blingyu · 11 months

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since netflix wants to talk about hidden rainbows in their shows, i think this scene in vol 2 is funny

they show argyle and his silly little rainbow socks and then bam we’re gonna pan up to mike wheeler’s face

#byler #byler endgame #byler is real #mike wheeler is queercoded #they take whatever chance to frame him next to rainbows #it is beyond silly #i noticed this scene while rewatching vol 2 a while back #but seeing this netflix post reminded me of it #set design wardrobe and the way they frame and use the cameras are important #this scene seems very intentional idk #i might just be crazy

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lordystrange · 9 months

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Mike Wheeler’s queercoding with pride flags/rainbow colors 🌈

Max’ sleeves

Argyle’s socks

Him pointing to El whatever rainbow coloured is in front of Jonathan

Rainbow apple

Again idk what those are but rainbow colours anyway

Rainbow colors on his pillow case

El’s letters/drawings

And ofc the season 4 outfits

Comment or reblog with more!

#byler #mike wheeler #mike’s queercoding #stranger things #queercoding #queer mike wheeler #gay mike wheeler #byler tumblr #byler proof #byler evidence #mike wheeler kisses boys #anti mileven #anti milkvan #mike wheeler is not straight

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doriandrifting · 11 months

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One Way Signs as Queercoding: Subaru’s Gay St. Ad| Mike Wheeler’s bedroom

[Image one shows street signs on a pole outside businesses. One sign says “Gay Street”. The other says “One Way”. Below it is an ad featuring a Subaru. To the left it says, “KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING.” Underneath the car is their classic slogan, “It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.”]

[Image two shows the opening scene of Season Four with Mike Wheeler in his bedroom. Hung above him on the wall is a “One Way” sign pointed directly into his open closet.]

#byler #queercoding #stranger things #mike wheeler #i know what you are #will byers

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shutuperce · 2 years

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us when the duffer brothers

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oursonwithagirl · 1 year

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lmao i’d be terrified for season 5 if the character i’ve been trying to defend as straight had this introduction in the latest season

the rainbows???

the open closet????

the one way sign???

and even freddy mercury???

#byler #stranger things #st #mike wheeler #mike wheeler i know what you are #st4 #the queercoding of mike wheeler will always be insane to me

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counting-stars-gayly · 2 years

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Bitches be like, “Wow!! Such a cute couple!!!!” And it’s literally a gay man and a lesbian.

*Mike hides El in his closet*

*El kisses Mike in front of Will’s closet*

*“one way” sign points to Mike’s open closet*

“Our son with a girl?”

“…I’m gonna send some to Max Mayfield. And they will stop him— ” “Her.”

“Good.” “It’s good?” “Really good.”

“That’s blasphemous! Putting fruit on pizza?”

“No, you’re right. It’s good.”

*“In the closet (at rink o mania)” plays*

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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Proof Mike Picked Up on What Will Was Saying in the Van Scene from the Very Beginning.

This is a pretty long post but there are some really interesting things I noticed while finally properly analyzing this scene. I breakdown all of Mike's facial reactions and even other visual clues in this scene that points toward Byler. Hope you enjoy!

Here's screencaps of when Will asks Mike if he can show him "something." He keeps glancing up and down between Will's face and the poster, indicating nervousness/curiosity. He does this because he recognizes the poster from the airport. He also knows Will was painting something and El heavily implied it's for someone he likes.

They didn't just throw these two scenes/lines in the season for no reason. They put them in there to set a precedent that Mike knows about the existence of this painting, not just through El but also by physically seeing it. This establishes that he knows what this painting is and what type of person it's for (a crush).

His reaction to the painting. He's happy as indicated by the open mouth smile instead of the more flirtatious close mouth smile. He's genuinely happy that Will made him this, because at this point that is what he's assuming. He believes what El said (the truth), so at this point he's thinking "he painted this whole painting for ME."

Then this scene. He definitely knows Will's lying. As soon as he starts saying it was El's idea, Mike get's confused and looks back down at the painting. Kind of like "there's no way he's telling the truth cus the math just dont add up." When he looks back up, his lips are pursed, in a disapproving way. He knows Will is lying to him. And then he looks back down to reexamine the painting again. He's perplexed.

Not only that but this part is seen through the perspective of Jonathan, who definitely knows Will is lying. So when they flip to Jonathan's POV we can assume whatever Will's saying, is understood by both Jonathan and Mike, because they're the only one's on screen beside Will and they're both intently listening to him. (by on screen I mean Jonathan was just previously on screen intently listening to Will, creating a comparison between Jonathan and Mike, that essentially they are the same in this scene. Quiet but intently listening and having at least an inkling of the truth) Plus we already established other reasons why Mike knows. So this shot just emphasizes that point even more.

So now, since Mike understands the El commission thing is a lie, and that this painting was made for him by Will, he can reasonably presume that other things Will is about to say are lies or taken out of context. He can assume when Will refers to El, he's referring to himself, because Will has already set that precedent and Mike picked up on it.

Now, since he knows Will is lying, he gets nervous. Will starts talking about heart and pointing to it drawn on Mike's armor and that's when Mike get's excited. At first he's gazing down at it with a happy and inviting facial expression . Then it cuts to Mike looking at Will explaining how "we'd" all fall apart without (mikes) heart and Mike literally takes a huge deep breath. You can kind of see it in the screencaps, but I would suggest just rewatching the scene after finishing the thread with everything I point out in your mind.

Anyway, his chest rises and his throat gulps. Nervous. His demeanor slowly changes from lighthearted and happy (when Will gives him the painting and he can easily assume its for him from Will and nothing else) to a more hardened, serious expression (when he realizes Will doesn't feel comfortable enough to say it's from him, he's lying to him and he realizes the implications that creates.)

He's overwhelmed with feeling in this whole entire scene, just like Will is. Except Will has better access to his emotions than Mike who represses his. So that's why he's so quiet/stunned and doesn't say anything. Not because he's clueless but because he has TOO MANY clues. Lol.

This is right after Will finishes talking about heart and for the first time since Mike understood he was lying under the guise of El, he references El. He says "Even El (needs your heart) Especially El." Mikes reaction is pictured above. His face changes from overwhelmed/nervous to a serious expression. Almost confusion but more like an epiphany, like he's thinking. When Will mentions El again, he immediately looks back down at the painting. Like he can't understand how what is being explained to him is true. Look at the eyes. In the previous pictures, his eyes are just ever so slightly squinted which gives off an inviting, warm expression. In the pictures above, his mouth closes and his eyes "harden." He's looking back down at the painting realizing that Will has feelings for him. He put a damn heart on Mike and only Mike. That's why he's looking at it seriously and intently.

Because either he realizes that wow, my internal feelings were being reciprocated this whole time and I didn't notice or he's just beginning to understand that Will is gay and likes him.

However, Will is basically telling Mike I Need You, something Mike always wants to hear, and it's throwing him over board with feelings, so I honestly think this scene is more about reciprocation. Mike's too mixed emotions for me to believe he's not having gay panic inside.

Now either he didn't think Will had feelings for him or he didn't think they were that strong. But this scene is essentially a wake up call for Mike.

Now in the top two screenshots, it's from Jonathan's perspective again. And once again, he's referencing El by using the pronoun "she" to describe his experience not hers. That's why it goes to Jonathans POV because Jonathan knows his secret (so he knows his lie) and it only goes there when he starts referencing El. Happening more than once indicates meaning to the shot, and that meaning is Mike knowing Will is calling himself different not El. And then he switches to "you" pronouns to make it more vague, but at least it's not lying. And it switches right back to regular audience POV - so he's being truthful now and Mike can discern between the two. Not to mention, Will has his faced turned away, indicating whatever he's saying now is emotional for him, and then he turns back around with slight tears in his eyes. Most people would pick this up in a best friend so it's safe to assume Mike does too. Also Mike's completely focused on what Will is saying, so it's very important to him. He's not even slightly smiling, he has a completely serious look on his face meaning he's really taking in what Will is saying and he knows the implications of everything Will is saying is serious.

This shot pretty much sums it up like lets be real. Will basically apologizes for being a douche/being distant (even though he never was, Mike was) and Mike looks guilty because he feels bad for doing this exact thing to Will in the beginning of the season. He realizes how similar they actually feel. And he starts smiling/heart eyes in the last frame because 1) Will's apologizing to him when he doesn't even need to making him so selfless 2) his feelings are being reciprocated. Notice "seemed like she was pushing you away" Mike now knows Will wasn't intentionally pushing him away and that also makes him smile. He breaks his serious expression once Will admits he wasn't intentionally creating distance between them, meaning this is something Mike cared or thought about. This is the first time he breaks his serious expression since Will started explaining the heart metaphor, which initially caused Mike to be nervous.

Not to mention if he didn't know before this, then he definitely knows at this point. Many people have pointed it out but let me reiterate it: El never acted distant towards Mike, until the end of season 4. In fact she was heavily concerned with Mike most of the time, wanting HIM to be less distant, so it's quite the opposite. This means he 100% knows Will is talking about himself.

They don't pull away to Jonathan's POV even though he's talking as if he were El here because 1) they want the close up reaction from Mike, meaning its IMPORTANT and 2) Mike isn't thinking about why Will is using El as a cover anymore. Jonathan may be but we've already seen his POV for the last time, so at this point that fact that he was lying about certain things has been understood and moved past by Mike, as conveyed by the different shots. He doesn't care at this point because he's too engrossed in what Will is saying. He isn't thinking in Jonathan's POV anymore that "Will is lying" because he realizes Will's being more honest than he ever has in the entire series. Jonathan stills cares about Will lying, and we know that from the last shot in this scene being Jonathan panning out of the frame looking slightly upset. But they didn't go back to the mirror POV to indicate Jonathan was worried about Will - meaning there was a specific reason they were using the POV shot (to indicate Mike knows Will was lying just like Jonathan).

This is right after Will saying the bandaid line. Mike gulps and breathes heavy. Since Will is in this scene and we've established Mike knows Will is talking about himself and that he reciprocates the same feeling, he gulps because he thinks about losing Will too. He remembers losing Will. He doesn't want to lose will.

Then we have the "El needs you Mike. She'll always need you" with Will's tears about to pour down his face. And I know I sound like a broke record, but Mike knows he means "I need you mike. I'll always need you."

Then the "Yeah" "Yeah" which mirrors saying I love you to someone because you typically repeat it back to each other. You can't compare it to hello, or goodbye, or good day because it doesn't fit in the context. So what other comparison is there? Not only that but they also say it in different tones. Mike says it in a slightly questioning way, like he's needs reassurance that its true. He still doesn't believe it fully. But also with a smile indicating he's happy with this. That Will (the protected) is never going anywhere because he'll always need Mike (the protector). He's smiling because of this. Once Will reassures him, Mike's face soften with adoration for him. There's no other way to describe his face than adoration. He also glances back and forth at Will which I think indicates nervousness, uncertainty, awkwardness. Regardless it indicates Mike is feeling a lot in that moment.

Will, on the other hand, says it with finality, like end of discussion it will never change. It mirrors their relationship dynamic because Will knows he's never going to not need Mike in his life but Mike doesn't know that... Until now. We assume he does know things like this because to us, the audience, it's obvious but Mike doesn't see Will the way we see Will. It also goes back to the connection between Will and El (read my theory about that here if you're interested). They mirror each other. And just a few minutes ago he was talking about how scared he is of El not needing him. Their scenes are so byler coded this season if you really look into them. Lowkey has me thinking this is the most byler-y season lol.

And really quickly back to Heart Eyes Mike Wheeler - he's smiling yet he doesn't say anything else. He returns his focus to the painting and stays quiet. This is very atypical of Mike who also usually has something to say.

This is because he just realized his feelings are reciprocated and he's overwhelmed with Will liking him back. He's literally holding his feelings in this whole scene between the deep breathes and serious faces and slightly opened mouths.

And lastly we have the crying scene. People say Mike just ignores Will and goes back to looking for El but that's not at all what happened here. Look deeper.

Before I analyze the actual actions in the scene I first want to point out how this shot references Will's Boys Don't Cry poster, because it's very important and is more queer coding for Mike. Basically, boys crying = accepting of their feelings, boys dont cry = repressing their feelings, toxic masculinity etc. So while Will is accepting his feelings and having less shame about them, Mike is repressing his. Or at least has been. That's why he's rigid. He's not moving and only just glances at Will. He's feeling a lot too. Furthermore, the poster is yellow and blue, with blue in the bg and yellow in the fg, along with a pyramid in the sunny desert with three trees. Mike in the bg with a blue shirt, Will in the fg with a yellow shirt. The pyramid represents the Love Triangle between Byler and Mileven and the three trees represent each one of them. They're also in a sunny desert and majority of that time they're by themselves until they find El. After that, they're in a nightime desert along with El and we don't get to see them in the sunny desert again I believe (don't quote me on this). Mike went from being in the light with Mike to being in the dark with the both of them. The visual references are actually insane once you start looking into them. A lot of thought was put behind this.

But let's get to analyzing the actual scene.

Firstly, he's staring down at the painting.. They never moved it off his lap so he's literally in silence, kind of stunned just looking at Will's painting. All he said was "You painted this? It's amazing" and "Yeah?" the entire conversation. He barely had a response. To me that indicates nervousness/being overwhelmed. To Will this probably indicates his feelings aren't reciprocated :(

Secondly, he glanced at Will for a second. This doesn't show he's "ignoring" him; if anything the opposite. He most likely heard him sobbing quietly and was checking on him because he cares about him. He can't resist taking a glance at Will. But he knows how Will is, and the fact that they're not alone, so he just lets Will cry quietly.

Thirdly, he's most likely dealing with his own feelings in this scene internally. Mike and Will are queercoded very differently (as I have mentioned in my other posts). Mike represses, ignores his feelings, hence why he is shown just staring at the painting in silence not moving. Will accepts his feelings but letting them out both relieves and upsets him. It's overwhelming but he had to finally say it.

So, imo, Mike's glance at Will wasn't judging or ignoring, he looked over and saw exactly how he wanted to react but couldn't because he's still scared of the repercussions of being gay/dating Will. As seen by the his heavy breathes and mixed facial expressions.

Lastly, why would any of Mike's behavior be appropriate if he thought Will was talking about El by the end? It wouldn't. How would any of Will's behavior be appropriate if he were really talking about El? It wouldn't. There's no need to cry over someone else's relationship and Mike knows this. He saw Will with tears in his eyes and then breakdown. Those have PERSONAL implications. If he thought Will were really talking about El, it would've been a discussion not a Will speech. He would've chimed in like "yeah but I don't know if I actually believe she needs me" "im nothing in comparison to her" or SOMETHING because this is typically what people do when they're being praised, especially someone with low self esteem.

So the fact that Mike lets Will ramble about "El's" feelings completely uninterrupted, with comments that are praising him, is sus on it's own.

The fact of the matter is he recognizes that Will is way too emotionally attached to what he's saying.

And that's the end. This is soooooo much longer than I thought it was going to be. Mike Wheeler is definitely gay. And no one can tell me otherwise.

#byler #byler is real #byler is endgame #stranger things 4 #stranger things gay #mike wheeler gay #mike and will are endgame #will byers #will byers is gay #byler truther #mike wheeler queercoded #queercoding #be gay make byler canon #MIKE WHEELER I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BOY #byler theory #byler theories #stranger things theory

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bit-of-a-nerd · 9 months

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What Mike’s Room Means About Byler

we’ve all talked and hear about mike’s rooms queercoding. people talk a lot about the posters, which have two things: fantasy and men. men is obvious queercoding when you look at other characters rooms. the lack of women is interesting when making the case that hes gay not bi. but theres something that people dont talk a lot about

mike and el have a very strong sci-fi coding. that makes sense, its a sci-fi show, and their biggest season together was the season based as an homage to classic 80’s sci-fi films. creators have made comparisons to et, her powers in s1 had a strong “alien” vibe from sci-fi, and imagery with things like star wars.

however, byler has a strong fantasy coding. their first scene (both at all, but also their first one on one scene) had to do with dnd (fantasy game). this coding does go away for a bit in s2 when dnd takes a bit of a backseat (except for dustin coining the name of the mind flayer). but its back again in full force for s3. their major s3 fight (with TONS of queer mike coding and byler coding in general) was after the failed dnd game. will’s dnd game had some of the most pure fantasty vibes that we’ve seen of st dnd games. the music he used, the costuming, the village all screamed medieval fantasy.

not to mention dnd used to point towards mikes conformity. him leaving it in s3 is a sign of conformity, but him returning shows him starting to embrace himself. his costuming at rink o mania show’s thats not fully the case, pointing towards something else being the root of the conformity. then one of the (if not the) biggest byler scene, and the crux of what will be a major byler focused plot point, is will’s painting and the van scene. the painting? A FANTASY DND FIGHT! there’s a reason people love cleradin au’s and love the ship names cleradin and wiseheart. because dnd, and by extent fantasy, are woven into byler.

so keeping all that in mind, lets talk about rooms. rooms are usually a place for self expression. posters and things that express who you are and your interests. we've seen the duffers use rooms to express this in the past. but, they’ve also used rooms to show attraction. we dont see the second point much in mikes season 1 room, but we see the first. his room is a reflection of his nerdy interests and his friends mainly (also closet imagery!!!). but now that hes growing into a teenager it makes sense that we would begin to see the second part when we finally get his room again in s4.

so: interests, we see his fantasy posters and his guitar. his fantasy posters line back up with his participation in hellfire. not TONS there, but some signals to him adopting eddies style due to some facsination/hero worship/crush(???) of the guy (an example being the guitar).

but attraction is where his room gets REALLY interesting. he has MULTIPLE posters of shirtless men. his one way sign to the closet. does more need to be said? it does. because attraction to men and being closeted, doesn’t mean much for being in relationships. (again bi people do exist!! he could be closeted and still in love with his gf)

In this scene he’s reading a letter from his girlfriend, in their ‘perfect’ relationship, their sci-fi coded relationship. so, even with the attraction to men coded, maybe the duffers didnt see the need to recode his female attraction, they just added coding of his relationship into his room, right? he might just not be the guy to have a shrine to his partner, he might just be more subtle?

except all the posters are more fantasy leaning. which is a different genre from scifi. his room does not point towards his relationship with el. but we fantasy is the coding behind his and will’s relationship. the same relationship that in their time apart he’s somehow managed to start acting weirder around his best friend, and feel the need to assert that they. are. just. friends. the same friend who just got confirmed in love with mike, and is now a love interest.

I know theres been a lot of talk about mikes room but people haven’t really talked about the fantasy aspect, or bylers fantasy coding and mlvns sci-fi coding. I think it’s a lot more important than people are giving it credit for.

#byler #mike wheeler #stranger things #analysis #media analysis #mikes room #queercoding #stranger things analysis

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gayofthefae · 3 months

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They said "just give all the over queer coding to Mike's bedroom walls Will's can be subtler he's fine"

Also, just now noticing that the one way sign points from the super buff green dude to his closet. Never noticed where it started before 👀

#byler #byler details #stranger things #mike wheeler #mike queerler #queercoding #byler meta

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mikewheelerlikesboys · 3 months

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Honestly if byler isn’t endgame we still aren’t delusional, the duffers are, because there’s no way they wrote the best gay slowburn and added so much subtext and queercoding without even realizing it

#like there’s no way it wasn’t intentional #the queercoding basically punches you in the face #byler #will byers #mike wheeler #byler tumblr #stranger things #byler endgame #byler is endgame #byler is real

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wheelercurse · 10 months

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Mike Wheeler + Closets

or a brief guide to Mike's queercoding.

Using a closet is the most basic and overused way to queercode a character. This is one of the classic symbolism. Of course, not every time a character is framed next to a closet means that they're queer-coded, it depends on the context, but Mike has this motif when the scene is related to his relationship with El or Will.

The closet is used as a metaphor to represent an LGBT person hiding or repressing his true identity because they conform to society's expectations. Mike's arc has been about accepting his true self and stopping conforming.

Here are some examples of when they used the closet motif to queercode Mike (and Will too):

This is the loudest one of them. El told him she loved him too, and Mike couldn't say it or kiss her back. And that scene happens when Mike is perfectly framed in an open closet. They're telling you what's the reason he couldn't say it.

In the last shot, he's literally left confused, and the closet illustrates his inner conflict: the tension between embracing his true self or conforming.

This scene is after his heartfelt moment with Will, which works as the resolution to their conflict in this season. They promised to keep playing d&d.

During the rain fight, Mike revealed his mindset. He believed that growing up meant stopping playing games and starting dating girls. He clearly was conforming.

The first shot of Mike this season is him reading El's letter while next to an open closet. And then they gave us a shot with a big "one way" sign pointing at his closet. The same way they introduced Will painting his gift to present his subplot this season. Mike's first scene showed his inner conflict this season: embracing his true self or keep conforming.

Then we saw him putting on his Hellfire Club shirt. It seems like he was accepting himself and embracing who he is. That he keeps wanting to play d&d.

But then, he arrives in California dressed as how he thought Californians wear and start acting weird with Will, and he can't even write "love" to El.

3. In the closet (at Rink O' Mania)

I can't believe they got away with this one. The track that plays during their fight at Rink O Mania is called that, and it starts playing when Mike is in the frame.

Yes, it's also called that because El was in the employees-only room hiding, and it's like a closet. But again, who was the one perfectly framed in front of it while arguing with Will that they were only friends? Mike.

Of course, the song is also to queercode Will, who is also in the closet, because this season, his whole arc is about hiding his true feelings for a boy.

Fun fact: This melody is a variant of another called Tribulations, which means troubles and events that cause suffering. It's like they're suffering because they're in the closet.

4. Will's room.

The closet is present when Mike apologizes for his fight at Rink O Mania. You can see Mike sitting in front of the open closet. Again, it’s a symbol for both of them. Mike is opening up more about his feelings, but they still hide their true romantic feelings.

At the end of this scene, Will takes his painting. They’re a step closer to being honest with each other. I talk more about the painting subplot here if you’re interested in reading it.

What if I told you Mike’s queercoding has been there since season one?

This scene alone doesn't give us queercoded vibes because, yes, Mike was hiding El from his mom to protect her. But then... we have this conversation with Karen and Mike.

Karen brought up Will in the conversation and said she didn't want Mike to feel like he had to hide something from her. And Mike was hiding a girl (his future girlfriend) in his closet. It's self-explanatory.

And it's more incriminating that Jonathan and Will's scene, when he's clearly talking about Will's sexuality, it's worded similarly.

Both invited them to talk and assured them they would always be there.

Conclusion: Mike is also queercoded, and saying he's written as straight, it's just plain wrong.

#byler #byler analysis #mike wheeler #mike <3 #the queer subtext is THERE learn to read it #I can't believe some deny Mike is also queercoded #the closet motif is a joke to YOU???

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