Return null in OData operations, results in different errors

Hello, I encountered ome problems when returning null in OData operations (actions and functions). I cannot provide my actual code, so I made a sample project which result in similar errors.

Here the sample code using Microsoft.AspNetCore.OData 8.0.10 followed with some of the errors which I encountered with this sample project.

public class Startup
{
	public Startup(IConfiguration configuration)
	{
		Configuration = configuration;
	}

	public IConfiguration Configuration { get; }

	// This method gets called by the runtime. Use this method to add services to the container.
	public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
	{
		services.AddControllers()
			.AddOData(options =>
			{
				var builder = new ODataConventionModelBuilder();
				builder.Namespace = "MyNamespace";

				var entityType = builder.EntitySet<Article>("Articles").EntityType.Collection;
				var function = entityType.Function("GetName");
				function.Returns<string>();

				var function2 = entityType.Function("GetEntity");
				function2.ReturnsFromEntitySet<Article>("Articles");

				var action1 = entityType.Action("GetEntityAction");
				action1.ReturnsFromEntitySet<Article>("Articles");

				options.AddRouteComponents("odata", builder.GetEdmModel());                    
			});
	}

	// This method gets called by the runtime. Use this method to configure the HTTP request pipeline.
	public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IWebHostEnvironment env)
	{
		if (env.IsDevelopment())
		{
			app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
		}
		else
		{
			app.UseExceptionHandler("/Error");
		}

		app.UseODataRouteDebug();
		app.UseRouting();
		app.UseAuthorization();
		app.UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
		{
			endpoints.MapControllers();     
		});
	}
}

public class ArticlesController : ODataController
{
	[HttpGet]
	public IQueryable<Article> Get()
	{
		var articles = new List<Article> { new Article { Id = 100, Name = "First" } };
		return articles.AsQueryable();
	}

	[HttpGet]
	public string GetName() => null;

	[HttpGet]
	public Article GetEntity() => null;

	[HttpPost]
	public Article GetEntityAction(ODataActionParameters parameters) => null;
}

public class Article
{
	public int Id { get; set; }
	public string Name { get; set; }
}

Calling the GetEntity(): Article function results in the following exception and same with the GetEntityAction(): Article:

GET http://localhost:32345/odata/Articles/GetEntity()
GET http://localhost:5000/odata/Articles/GetEntityAction

System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationException: Cannot serialize a null 'Resource'.
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.OData.Formatter.Serialization.ODataResourceSerializer.WriteObjectInlineAsync(Object graph, IEdmTypeReference expectedType, ODataWriter writer, ODataSerializerContext writeContext)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.OData.Formatter.Serialization.ODataResourceSerializer.WriteObjectAsync(Object graph, Type type, ODataMessageWriter messageWriter, ODataSerializerContext writeContext)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.OData.Formatter.ODataOutputFormatterHelper.WriteToStreamAsync(Type type, Object value, IEdmModel model, ODataVersion version, Uri baseAddress, MediaTypeHeaderValue contentType, HttpRequest request, IHeaderDictionary requestHeaders, IODataSerializerProvider serializerProvider)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ResourceInvoker.<InvokeResultFilters>g__Awaited|27_0(ResourceInvoker invoker, Task lastTask, State next, Scope scope, Object state, Boolean isCompleted)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ResourceInvoker.<InvokeFilterPipelineAsync>g__Awaited|19_0(ResourceInvoker invoker, Task lastTask, State next, Scope scope, Object state, Boolean isCompleted)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ResourceInvoker.<InvokeAsync>g__Awaited|17_0(ResourceInvoker invoker, Task task, IDisposable scope)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Routing.EndpointMiddleware.<Invoke>g__AwaitRequestTask|6_0(Endpoint endpoint, Task requestTask, ILogger logger)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization.AuthorizationMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext context)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.OData.Routing.ODataRouteDebugMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext context)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Diagnostics.DeveloperExceptionPageMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext context)

Calling the GetName(): string function results in the following response:

http://localhost:32345/odata/Articles/GetName()

Response in IIS profile:
{
	"@odata.context": "http://localhost:32345/odata/$metadata#Edm.Null"

And no response in Kestrel profile but this exception inside the console:
Microsoft.OData.ODataException: Cannot write the value 'null' in top level property; return 204 instead.
   at Microsoft.OData.WriterValidator.ValidateNullPropertyValue(IEdmTypeReference expectedPropertyTypeReference, String propertyName, Boolean isTopLevel, IEdmModel model)
   at Microsoft.OData.JsonLight.ODataJsonLightPropertySerializer.WriteNullPropertyAsync(ODataPropertyInfo property)
   at Microsoft.OData.JsonLight.ODataJsonLightPropertySerializer.WritePropertyAsync(ODataProperty property, IEdmStructuredType owningType, Boolean isTopLevel, IDuplicatePropertyNameChecker duplicatePropertyNameChecker, ODataResourceMetadataBuilder metadataBuilder)
   at Microsoft.OData.JsonLight.ODataJsonLightPropertySerializer.<>c__DisplayClass9_0.<<WriteTopLevelPropertyAsync>b__0>d.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at Microsoft.OData.JsonLight.ODataJsonLightSerializer.WriteTopLevelPayloadAsync(Func`1 payloadWriterFunc)
   at Microsoft.OData.JsonLight.ODataJsonLightOutputContext.WritePropertyImplementationAsync(ODataProperty property)
   at Microsoft.OData.JsonLight.ODataJsonLightOutputContext.WritePropertyAsync(ODataProperty property)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.OData.Formatter.Serialization.ODataPrimitiveSerializer.WriteObjectAsync(Object graph, Type type, ODataMessageWriter messageWriter, ODataSerializerContext writeContext)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.OData.Formatter.ODataOutputFormatterHelper.WriteToStreamAsync(Type type, Object value, IEdmModel model, ODataVersion version, Uri baseAddress, MediaTypeHeaderValue contentType, HttpRequest request, IHeaderDictionary requestHeaders, IODataSerializerProvider serializerProvider)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ResourceInvoker.<InvokeResultFilters>g__Awaited|27_0(ResourceInvoker invoker, Task lastTask, State next, Scope scope, Object state, Boolean isCompleted)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ResourceInvoker.<InvokeFilterPipelineAsync>g__Awaited|19_0(ResourceInvoker invoker, Task lastTask, State next, Scope scope, Object state, Boolean isCompleted)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ResourceInvoker.<InvokeAsync>g__Awaited|17_0(ResourceInvoker invoker, Task task, IDisposable scope)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Routing.EndpointMiddleware.<Invoke>g__AwaitRequestTask|6_0(Endpoint endpoint, Task requestTask, ILogger logger)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization.AuthorizationMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext context)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.OData.Routing.ODataRouteDebugMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext context)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Diagnostics.DeveloperExceptionPageMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext context)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Diagnostics.DeveloperExceptionPageMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext context)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Watch.BrowserRefresh.BrowserRefreshMiddleware.InvokeAsync(HttpContext context)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Builder.Extensions.MapWhenMiddleware.Invoke(HttpContext context)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core.Internal.Http.HttpProtocol.ProcessRequests[TContext](IHttpApplication`1 application)

Note the missing end bracket? Also I would expect "value": null or like the exception said a 204. This happends when using the IISExpress profile.
Using the Kestrel profile does not return a response, which is easily reproduced with WireShark.