Stranger Things Creators SLAM Backlash Over Will’s Emotional Coming Out Scene: ‘We’re Proud of the Episode and Proud of Noah’
- The Duffer brothers have hit back at fans who slammed the show’s handling of Will’s coming out scene, calling it ‘brave’ and ‘vulnerable’
- The scene, which aired in the penultimate episode of the final season, sparked a furious backlash online with some fans accusing the show of promoting ‘propaganda’
- The brothers revealed they were ‘surprised’ by the reaction, saying they had been building up to the moment for nine years and it was a ‘really important scene’ for the show
- Despite the backlash, the brothers stood by their decision, saying it was the ‘final step’ in Will’s journey and a crucial part of his battle against the villainous Vecna
In a shocking turn of events, the Duffer brothers have spoken out against the backlash they faced over Will’s emotional coming out scene in the final season of Stranger Things. The scene, which aired in the episode “The Bridge”, saw Will gather his friends and family to reveal his true self, sparking a furious reaction from some fans online.
Despite the backlash, the brothers are standing by their decision, saying they are ‘proud’ of the episode and proud of Noah Schnapp, who gave a ‘brave’ and ‘vulnerable’ performance. “We’re proud of the episode, and we’re proud of the scene, and proud of Noah, who gave a really brave, very vulnerable performance,” Ross Duffer told Variety.
Matt Duffer added that the backlash had caught them off guard, saying “the honest truth” is that they were surprised by the reaction. “Because it is, as Ross said, something we’ve been building for a really long time. I always say, Ross and I are many things, but subtle is not one of those things!”
The backlash was swift and furious, with some fans taking to social media to slam the show’s handling of the scene. One fan tweeted, “Woke ruins EVERYTHING. Netflix decided to RUIN their most popular show of all-time, Stranger Things, by focusing their final season on Will coming out as a homosexual, promoting the propaganda that Will’s superpowers are because he’s ’embraced his sexuality’ & the villain telling Will that his friends won’t like him if they find out he likes dudes.”
Another fan commented, “The Will coming out scene may be the worst in the entirety of ST. Making that the most important plot point for the penultimate episode of the show is such a waste. Plus it was super cringy too. A hard watch.”
But the Duffer brothers are standing by their decision, saying the coming out scene was a crucial part of Will’s journey and a key moment in the show’s narrative. “The coming out scene is something we’ve been building to for nine years now. It was a really important scene for us, and a really important scene for Noah — not just from a thematic point of view, but also a narrative point of view,” Ross said.
Matt added that the scene was the “final step” in Will’s journey, saying “Will is, in so many ways, the key to defeating Vecna. Volume 1 is really about self-acceptance, right? I mean, that’s sort of step one. And then step two is Will is talking to Robin (Maya Hawke) — it’s something that he wants to do. He’s trying to figure out how to come out, and he knows that he needs to do that, and that that’s the final step for him.”
The series co-creator added, “And he finds the courage to be able to do it. And it’s really the ultimate f**k you to Vecna. That was the intention.”