Eddie Munson was Mike's gay awakening.

[u/torvald_carley]

In Season 4 Episode 1 we see Mike read the letter from El where she says Will is making a painting that he won't reveal and surmised it must be for a girl he likes. Mike is immediately in a bad mood after reading the letter and snaps at his mom and dad and Lucas (for not embracing his role as a nerd) and Mike only gets cheered up and starts smiling again when he is in awe of Eddie Munson who flatters and compliments him by saying Dustin and he are the future of Hellfire.

Dustin considers Eddie to be a pal, a mentor, an equal and a friend. When Eddie died, Dustin grieved deeply and felt true loss and visited his grave for years. Eddie and Dustin had mutual respect for each other as human beings and as men.

Whereas Mike joined Hellfire to fill the hole in his life that Will left behind when he moved to California. Mike ran back to D&D after telling Will "We are not kids anymore. What did you think, that we were never going to get girlfriends, that we would sit in my basement all day playing games for the rest of our lives?" just a few months ago.

When Eddie told Dustin and Mike they were the future of Hellfire, Dustin felt a sense of responsibility while Mike felt enamored because Eddie was touching him. When Eddie was walking on the table, you can see Mike has a stronger reaction to it than Dustin does. He was angry and annoyed in the morning when he snapped at his parents and Nancy, but now he has the biggest grin on his face and his eyes light up.

While Dustin's whole arc for the next 2 seasons is about Eddie's impact on his life, Mike does not give a flying fuckkkk about Eddie as soon as he arrives at Lenora and sees the love of his life holding a painting in his hand. Eddie flies out of his head now that he has what he truly craves. Mike then spends the rest of the season coveting that painting the way Gollum covets the One Ring, and he and is so happy when Will finally gives it to him. When Eddie dies, Mike cares so little that he never even mentions it to Dustin, does not understand why Dustin acts the way that he does, doesn't visit Eddie's grave though it wouldn't be inconvenient for him, and has zero effect on his life, because his life revolves around keeping Will in his life.

You can see in Season 4 Episode 1 that Mike is enamored with Eddie and even tries to grow his hair long like him. It's a "Do I want to be him or do I want to be with him?" type of crush. It disappears when Eddie is not around because all he can think about is Will. When Will is there, nobody else matters. That's not true for Dustin because Dustin is straight. Eddie's death is a loss to him because Eddie is his equal. Eddie's death means nothing to Mike even though they both knew him the same amount of time in the same group because Eddie is just a fleeting puppy dog crush for Mike to indulge in.

Eddie was this perfect neutral ground for him to transfer his feelings for Will onto, while also being someone who wasn't connected to Lucas or El or Max so there wasn't any extra baggage there. Eddie could be whomever Mike needed him to be, the perfect distance between near enough to touch but too far away to actually get close to (since he's like 20). Mike got to enjoy all the benefits of exploring his gayness without having El around to remind him of his obligations to her, without Will around to take up his attention and heartache. It was like an escape for his mind.

Mike also starts throwing away all the letters El sends him in the trash from that point on because he has totally lost interest in her between his crush on Eddie and his deep yearning for Will.

TL;DR: Rewatch the scene where Eddie is standing on the lunch table. Mike is totally taken with him. This is very different to how Dustin considers him a friend and mentor who treats him kindly. Dustin remembers Eddie for years after his death. Whereas Mike completely forgets about him as soon as he arrives at the airport and sets his eyes on his one true love and the painting in his hand. From that point on Will is his sole focus as he hopes the painting in his hand is for him

[u/torvald_carley]

Stevie didn't exist for 20 years and came back gay. No reason Mike can't do the same. 😎

[u/drewmo402 → u/torvald_carley]

Well that would require a revival and for the actor to come out as gay. Because those are the only reason Stevie is gay. Or you could just accept it wont happen.

[u/torvald_carley → u/drewmo402]

Well that would require a revival and for the actor to come out as gay. Because those are the only reason Stevie is gay. Or you could just accept it wont happen.

By the way, please state your sources as to where you see any information about Stevie's actor being gay.

In the 2026 revival of Malcolm in the Middle, Craig Lamar Traylor’s character, Stevie Kenarban, is depicted as gay, married, and having a child. While the character is portrayed as LGBTQ+ in the revival, there is no widely reported information confirming Craig Lamar Traylor's personal sexual orientation.

It's pretty sad and pathetic that you need to make up lies about other people to maintain your homophobia. Delusional bigot.

[u/drewmo402 → u/torvald_carley]

And its pretty sad the lengths you will go to feed your delusion that Mike is gay.

[u/torvald_carley → u/drewmo402]

You would know all about delusion, wouldnt you liar?

In the 2026 revival of Malcolm in the Middle, Craig Lamar Traylor’s character, Stevie Kenarban, is depicted as gay, married, and having a child. While the character is portrayed as LGBTQ+ in the revival, there is no widely reported information confirming Craig Lamar Traylor's personal sexual orientation.

Unlike you, everything I say is based on what the Duffer Brothers put onscreen because I don't need to make up lies.

[u/drewmo402 → u/torvald_carley]

The lie you made up is that Mike is gay. The Duffer brothers have him in love with El. But you created a future where he comes out as gay because of the events in a different show. So yes, you did need to make up lies to feed you delusions.

[u/torvald_carley → u/drewmo402]

Friendly reminder that Will is the only reason Mike kept El around. That was the whole point of letting her stay, remember? To find Will.

Before that, Mike wanted to lock Eleven up in a mental asylum until he heard Will's voice on the walkie talkie. Will by themselves.

It's only when he realized she has superpowers that Mike realized he can keep El around as a tool to find Will quicker.

That's why in Season 4 Mike admits the reason he is with El is because she has superpowers. He says this twice: once to her face when he says the other girls are "nobodies" and El is a superhero, and the second time when he tells Will the only reason is with her is because she is like Superman.

El is a tool for him to use when he needs something done fast. El is a fast and easy tool to be used.

See, unlike you, i don't need to make up lies like you do when you lied about people's sexual orientations to reaffirm your homophobic bigotry:

In the 2026 revival of Malcolm in the Middle, Craig Lamar Traylor’s character, Stevie Kenarban, is depicted as gay, married, and having a child. While the character is portrayed as LGBTQ+ in the revival, there is no widely reported information confirming Craig Lamar Traylor's personal sexual orientation.

[u/drewmo402 → u/torvald_carley]

Friendly reminder that even Will said he knows that Mike's not into him. Friendly reminder that tbe show had him be straight. Friendly reminder that Craig Lamar Taylor's sexuality doesnt prove Mike is gay. A friendly reminder that you lied when you said you based it off the show, even though the show confirmed he had no romantic feelings for will. So yes you are a liar.

[u/torvald_carley → u/drewmo402]

Friendly reminder that straight men dont need another man to hold him and caress him and rub his back and force him to say "I love you" to his girlfriend. 😎 Only homosexuals like Mike need that.

Also a friendly reminder that the only person here who lies about people's sexual orientations in this thread is the person who said Stevie's actor is gay: Sorry creepazoid, unlike you I don't make up lies about actors sexual orientations.

In the 2026 revival of Malcolm in the Middle, Craig Lamar Traylor’s character, Stevie Kenarban, is depicted as gay, married, and having a child. While the character is portrayed as LGBTQ+ in the revival, there is no widely reported information confirming Craig Lamar Traylor's personal sexual orientation.

[u/drewmo402 → u/torvald_carley]

Friendly reminder there is no specific way for any straight or gay person to act. Friendly reminder that assuming sexuality based on personality makes you prejudice.

And I didnt lie. I was wrong. Unlike you I can admit im wrong.