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Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard doesn't read Byler fan ships (And that's, you know, probably for the best)

No, Mike Wheeler and Will Byers are not going to get together in Stranger Things season 5, Netflix watchers. And furthermore, Finn Wolfhard isn't taking your suggestions as to how that might happen

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Fri Dec 12 2025

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Fan shipping can get, well, a little out of hand, and the kind between Stranger Things characters is no exception. Among those non-canonical romances are, we assume, quite a few stories about one of the series' most popular ships - that is, the one between Mike Wheeler and Will Byers, or as certain pockets of the internet call it, 'Byler.' One person who's not visiting those pockets of the internet, though, is the actor who plays Mike - Finn Wolfhard.

Speaking to Attitude in an interview published November 26, Wolfhard made it quite clear that your epic 280-page fanfic between Hopper and Elphaba has not crossed his desk.

"I don’t really look as much on the internet about stuff," said the actor. And honestly, even if his quote was taken out of this particular context, we'd still have to consider it a decent life philosophy.

That said, Wolfhard is very aware that "the shipping thing [is] something with fans of the show," and he didn't end the interview without addressing the possibility of Byler actually happening on screen.

"That’s something in the show that I feel like if it did happen," Wolfhard said of a romance between his character and Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, "It wouldn’t feel that earned. [...] What’s so great about the show is that people are able to sort of feed themselves and be accepted for who they are."

All in all, it sounds like Wolfhard is taking a pretty wise approach to all this. As should we all.

Stranger Things season 5 is on Netflix now, followed by volume 2 on December 25, and the ultimate finale of the series on December 31.

As we all collectively wait for Stranger Things season 5, here's the keys to getting ready:

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.