I don't actually think that's Wil. I believe we've seen a similar looking bartender prior to Wil getting a job there. Posting this as a placeholder while I do a forum dive (or while someone else does it faster and finds it first ).
EDIT THE FIRST:
Ok, so here's the current strip Strip 2022
And here's a strip where we see Wil in work uniform Strip 1688
I think the cheekbones on the bartender in 2022 are higher and the eyes seem different. They don't look like the same person to me. Going to keep digging and see if I can find the strip I'm actually looking for...
It's him. He's not wearing glasses in 2022. That's why his eyes and cheekbones look different.
Yup. I do believe you're right.
Strip 1480 shows the guy I was thinking of. My memory played tricks on me. So I guess that means we're seeing Wil, Marten, and Elliot all together in one scene. I wonder if Wil is going to actually partake of the conversation.
EDIT FOR ADDITIONAL RESPONSE
If he does indeed like Padma, then why was he talking about her within earshot when Marten/Hanners first go to the bakery? I'm going to assume Jeph hadn't decided who he would like yet, and chose Padma later on when he knew it would lead to maximum awkwardness.
I am guilty of overanalyzing that very point myself, but am gradually realizing the futility of such an exercise. Your theory may be as good as any.
I don't know, if Jeph plans the plot carefully enough for details like that to fit in seamlessly. I don't know, if he should? Probably he has planned the major plot developments several months ahead of time, and leads up to them so that when they happen, they make sense. But when it comes to details, playing by the ear seems to work for him.
I read that strip as being from across a room. If it was a TV show there would have either been a pan to Elliot's part of the conversation or a cut with a long view of the room to show that they weren't actually right next to each other. Dagnabit. Now I have to find that strip...
EDIT FOR MORE CONTENT!
Ok,
Here we go. 1845. They are pretty close together. Given that we see the side of the display case in panel 3 I guess they're probably about six feet apart or so? I think the only thing I could think to say would be that Padma is
probably distracted enough by the "blender thing in the back" being on fire to miss out on the conversation.
On further thought, I think the odds are good that Elliot and...the other dude whose name I can't recall...know Padma well enough to know that if they just talked in pronouns "If you're so 'in love' with
her..." she'd never figure out who they were talking about even if she overheard every single word.
Alright, I'm going to bed now.