Stranger Things has always been ambitious with its ever-expanding ensemble and countless relationships. Each season introduces new fan favorites, like Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson, only to have us fall in love and be immediately heartbroken when they’re the ones to die! While we love getting to know new party members like Dipsh*t Derek (Jake Connelly) and Holly the Heroic (Nell Fisher), it’s disappointing when some of the original fan favorites do not get the same amount of time in the spotlight.
It has become increasingly clear that the Duffer Brothers are giving less screen time to the characters who connect with audiences the most, according to one Reddit user’s calculations. Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), and Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) have all had significant growth from their first appearances, but they keep getting pushed to the sidelines when they should be front and center.
Steve Harrington’s Character Growth Has Stagnated as of ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5
It’s fair to say that no other character in Stranger Things has grown as dramatically as Steve Harrington. He was introduced in Season 1 as a stereotypical ’80s jock and womanizer, but he’s now evolved into the show’s brave babysitter. After his relationship with Nancy (Natalia Dyer) Wheeler went south, Steve bonded with Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo). He acted as a big brother figure aiding Dustin in finding confidence, self-love and, most importantly, Fabergé Organics.
Yet Steve’s latest storylines in Season 5, Volume 1, seem to be diverging from his redemption arc and they have been disappointingly shallow. His narrative has gone from seeking penance for treating Nancy poorly to competing for her affection again as Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton). Rather than spending time exploring why Steve might want a relationship and how he has changed, all we see in Season 5, Volume 1 is surface-level machismo.
With so little time devoted to his actual character, Steve appears to be slipping back into his old jock persona we all thought he had grown out of, and it does a disservice to his previous storylines. Even his role at WSQK feels like a demotion. He was once the King of Hawkins High, but he is now relegated to sound-effects duty, squeezing a rubber chicken at intervals while Robin (Maya Hawke) hosts the show. With many fans fearful about the Duffers doubling down on the Eddie effect and killing off fan favorite Steve in Season 5, Volume 2, his reduced screen time of 122 minutes in Season 4 also serves to undercut the emotional impact if he does die in the final fight.
Max Mayfield Has Been Pushed to the Background in Season 5
Introduced in Season 2, “Mad Max” immediately reshaped the dynamic of the core group. Finally, a new fleshed-out female character who is portrayed as strong, intelligent, and a key part of the gang while still being different from Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Max brought tension, sarcasm, and vulnerability. She had a rocky start with Mike (Finn Wolfhard), who was deeply missing Eleven and saw Max as a replacement. She bonded with Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and was entrusted with the secrets of the Upside Down before dancing with him at the Snow Ball — this moment was later revealed as one of her happiest memories used to escape Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) grasp. Plus, she had a complex relationship with her villainous stepbrother, Billy (Dacre Montgomery). This relationship was made more complicated when he was later possessed by Vecna and killed, leaving Max to deal with her complicated grief alone.
Her arc in Season 4 was one of the strongest in the series, despite just having 14 minutes on screen. She was grief-stricken, haunted by and seeing hallucinations of Vecna, yet brave enough to use herself as bait to defeat him (for now) in the season finale. Max was the first to escape Vecna’s mindscape and triggered “Running Up That Hill’s” real-life return to number one. Now, Season 5, Volume 1 has reduced her importance and sidelined her to both a coma and a subplot, resulting in far too little screen time.
After years of speculation and a tight-lipped marketing campaign that didn’t reveal her awakening, we finally see Max trapped in Henry’s 1950s mindscape in “Chapter Two: The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler.” Now living in a cave after exploring all of his memories for a way out, Max conducts a new plan when she sees Henry’s latest victim, Holly Wheeler, enter the world. Max seems to be positioned as yet another babysitter and her spark, defiance, and humor that made her stand out has now faded.
Please ‘Stranger Things,’ Give These 10 Characters More Screen Time in the Final Season!
Give them their moment before it’s all over!
Stranger Things Season 5 Is Will Byers’ Turning Point and We Are Ready for Him To Take Center Stage
Despite his vanishing and minimal screen time, Will Byers was the central figure in Season 1, with the entire narrative revolving around his rescue. But after being found by his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Police Chief Hopper (David Harbour), Will’s importance to the story of Stranger Things has quietly eroded. He returned to school as “Zombie Boy,” the kid the whole town whispered about, but what has he been doing since then?
Most of Will’s storyline has revolved around him wanting to live his life in the same way it was before his disappearance, sitting in Mike’s basement playing Dungeons and Dragons. Yet the rest of his friends are now far more interested in pursuing girls. Since his return, Joyce has wrapped him in protective cotton wool since Season 1’s finale and forced his older brother Jonathan to do the same. Despite his importance to the story and the overall villain of the show, he is mostly absent from the fight. We’re reminded of Will’s connection to the Upside Down occasionally, but he was a harbinger of doom not someone chosen to fight against it.
Other than his abduction, Will’s biggest on-screen opportunity lies in accepting his sexuality and exploring his feelings for Mike, which has been largely subtext until “Chapter Eight: Papa.” His lack of screen-time has allowed some viewers to get to Season 5 still confused about who Will really is—the secret he has been hiding—and why his friendship with Robin matters so much. This has been a key component to Will’s character since Season 1. When Joyce originally goes to Hopper for help, she mentions his sexuality as a reason he gets bullied but Hopper brushes it off. The Duffers need to give Will more time on screen in Season 5 to complete his arc, which is pivotal for his character development toward self-love.
Thankfully, Season 5 Volume 1 hints at a shift where it is revealed that Will Byers now has powers. This should be the turning point—the moment he steps out of others’ shadows and comes into his own—guaranteeing more screen time. As Stranger Things heads toward its conclusion this year, it needs to address this imbalance with its characters. We don’t just want more spectacle or more characters introduced, we want meaningful screen time with those who made the show great initially.The groundwork has been laid for truly satisfying arcs to be completed. Steve Harrington, Max Mayfield, and Will Byers are fan favorites for a reason—the show is stronger when they’re at the forefront.
