Is Will Trent Autistic? The Character’s Disabilities Explained

There have been theories over whether the title character in Will Trent has autism spectrum disorder.

Will Trent is a popular drama series that premiered on ABC in 2023. Now in its second season, the show follows the eponymous Will Trent, an introverted yet forthright Special Agent for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Trent is canonically dyslexic but works past that particular disorder and handles his job. But many of those watching have also wondered if something more than dyslexia might be affecting Will.

Is Will Trent on the Autism Spectrum?

Since Will Trent began its run last year, certain qualities possessed by Trent have many of the series’ fans wondering if the character is autistic. There has been no official confirmation of such a diagnosis, however.

Trent’s straightforward bluntness, somewhat reserved nature, and detail-oriented powers of observation nature point to him possibly residing somewhere on the autism spectrum.

Nonetheless, Trent is indeed dyslexic. It’s worth noting, though, that the series has faced its fair share of backlash over its depiction of dyslexia.

In Will Trent, Will is often shown not being able to read, but the show instead chooses to paint his dyslexia as illiteracy. If one is dyslexic, this absolutely does not mean that one is illiterate.

People with dyslexia are perfectly capable of reading but may not do so fluently. Twenty percent of the world’s population is dyslexic, and many of those individuals have terrific critical and creative thinking abilities, like Will Trent.

Will Trent & the Pantheon of Autistic TV Characters

Will Trent is far from television’s only neurodivergent crime scene investigator.

Many shows over the past few decades have featured characters who may be on the spectrum working in fields that require a high level of mental analysis.

House had Dr. Gregory House, Bones had Temperance Brennan, Law & Order: Criminal Intent had Robert Goren, and Sherlock had, well, Sherlock. The list goes on and on.

It’s always interesting to see characters representative of autism overcome their difficulties and become great at their jobs. But there is also a stereotype pertaining to these types of characters.

This trope was common in years past, but it does feel like Hollywood has attempted to course-correct and become more sensitive to how neurodivergence is portrayed in shows and movies as of late.

On Will Trent, the protagonist might exhibit autistic traits. But most of the time, those elements of his character take a backseat to his officially confirmed diagnosis of dyslexia, even though some feel that the series doesn’t get much right about that either.

There have been theories over whether the title character in Will Trent has autism spectrum disorder. Will Trent is a popular drama series that premiered on ABC in 2023. Now in its second season, the show follows the eponymous Will Trent, an introverted yet forthright Special Agent for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Trent is canonically dyslexic but works past…