꩜ 𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖊 ꩜

so... that's it? mike wheeler is just... a dork? a nerd? really? the whole show is about weirdoes, outcasts, and misfits, and mike fits into that category because... he likes superheros? and plays dnd?

dustin has a rare genetic condition that he's bullied and targeted for. lucas is a black boy in a primarily white town and is targeted by billy's racist ass for a full season. will is already called a "fag", "fairy", and a "queer" just in season one, then comes home to be bullied even more for surviving. jane was locked up, manipulated, and controlled her entire life, then when she does get a taste of normalcy (s4) she's bullied there too. max comes from an unloving household with an abusive brother who tries to control who she can/can't hang out with.

and mike is a white boy, with two married parents, from a nice home, with the golden girl for a sister. if mike chose different friends, he'd be completely fine. he'd never be popular per se, but he'd be fine. he'd most likely be one of those kids that just gets through school quietly, making good grades, having one or two close friends, gets invited to parties through other people. just like s1 nancy.

this is just one of the many issues i have with how mike's storyline ended. they gave him nothing. absolutely nothing. he's just a nerdy boy who fell in love with a superhero.

this is just one of the reasons i'm on the byler train too. giving mike internalized homophobia, or even just a slowly-realized bisexual/gay awakening would have actually added something to his character. it would give him a real reason to be an outcast.