10 Best 'Stranger Things' Character Arcs, Ranked
Stranger Things creates a whole new universe of the characters created by Dungeons and Dragons, the table-top roll playing game. Hawkins, Indiana is under corruption when the characters discover mysterious disturbances that happen throughout their town.
As they fight to defeat the catastrophic creatures of Upside Down, the redemption arcs embark on a new journey in the development of each character. As their lives begin to unravel, their determination to protect others from Upside Down create the progression of vivid personality growth.
10 Johnathan Byers
Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), a loner becomes compassionate about his feelings. After his brother, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), disappears; he becomes distant which leads to becoming the victim of Steve Harrington's (Joe Keery) bullying. Once he finds out, his brother was taken by the Mind Flayer of Upside Down, he asks Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) for help.
The Christmas lights, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) creates to communicate with Will come alive as they attempt to defeat the Mind Flayer. His moral compass helps him as he believes in attacking it head-on rather than studying the material. His compassion and moral compass develop as he begins to grow.
9 Jim Hopper
Jim Hopper (David Harbour) the chief of Hawkins police, he investigates the strange disturbances of Hawkins. This comes to his attention when Joyce, reveals her son is missing. As he investigates, he uncovers a variety of different creations under Hawkins. As he keeps his investigation private, he learns of Eleven and eventually raises her as his own.
He becomes her adoptive father and shelters her from danger. In order to defend and save others, he sacrifices himself. He survives the explosion, but he is captured by the Russians. He learns the Demogorgon is not only residing in Hawkins, but the Russians have captured them. He develops from a lazy officer to a father and savior.
8 Eddie Munson
Eddie Munson (Joesph Quinn) is an idiosyncratic leader of the Hell Fire, a club to play Dungeons and Dragons. As Chrissy (Grace Van Dien) a cheerleader begins to experience the possession of Vecna, he helps her ease her pain. Vecna takes over Chrissy, and he is accused of murdering her. He is considered the unwanted scapegoat.
He teams up with Steve, Nancy, and Robin to find the portals to Upside Down. His social circle increases and gains more friendships. In order to rescue the group, he plays "Master of Puppets" by Metallica to distract the creatures of Upside Down. This led to his demise, but he sacrificed himself to protect those he cared for. "I love you man" is his last line to Dustin. His love for his friends grows as he realizes he is not unwanted.
7 Lucas Sinclair
Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin) is a nerdy kid turned jock. As he matures, his traits could be considered mean-spirited, but in fact, that is just the opposite. Due to his kind heart, he helps out his friends in need. He becomes infatuated with Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), and they begin their on and off again relationship.
When he becomes a part of the basketball team, he drifts away from the group. This creates a division between his friends, and he does not want to be a part of the destruction. He is guided back to reality, and he becomes a valuable contributor yet again to the group. His skeptical personality decreases as he becomes more in tune with his emotions as he begins to mature.
6 Mike Wheeler
Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) needed to mature in order to have redemption. When he and his friends found Eleven, he was mesmerized by the gifts Eleven had. He wanted to shield her from any dangers that came her way. Mike's maturity throughout the series gave him a sense of realization of the harm to Hawkins. He discovers his love for Eleven and realizes he will do everything in his power to protect her.
His protection for his friends is his determination to keep fighting off the dangers of Hawkins. His caring nature towards his friends helps surpass his immaturity. His loyalty is a great contributor to the group because he will do anything to protect his friends. His resourcefulness to strategize plans to vanquish the horrors of the creations made by Upside Down.
5 Max Mayfield
Max Mayfield in season two is the new girl in town. She is the stepsister of Billy Hargrove (Darce Montgomery). She is introduced as MAD MAX as she surpasses the score of Dustin, Will, Lucas, and Mike at the Palace Arcade. She becomes a part of the group when her step-brother is possessed by the Mind-Flayer from Upside Down. The loss of her step-brother takes a toll on her mental health, and she begins to experience nightmares which causes her to isolate herself from the group.
She makes the ultimate sacrifice herself when she discovers she is cursed by Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), an evil creature from Upside Down. Her possession begins to dominate her and blasting her favorite song, "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush helps her suppress the possession. She is placed into a coma because Eleven failed to protect her from the possession of Vecna.
4 Dustin Henderson
Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) is smart and goofy and brings the comedic relief needed to the group. His bond with Steve is genuine and caring. He is the brains of the operation and wants to protect his friends from the evils that come from Upside Down. Dustin is the first person to discover the Demogorgon when he saw it eat his cat. He recruits Steve to help him because of their unlikely friendship which grows tremendously.
Due to his vast knowledge of science, Dustin shares logical approaches. This is a beneficial component in their group due to the fact of Upside Down was created in Hawkins Laboratory. His contribution along with his girlfriend, Suzie from camp, helps them find new clues within the puzzle of destroying the evils of Hawkins is cursed with.
3 Eleven
Eleven (Mille Bobby Brown) was taken from her home by Dr. Martin Brenner and raised as a test subject at Hawkins Laboratory. Eleven has psychokinetic skills, and she becomes a useful member of the group. When she meets Mike in season one, she is frightened due to her low social interactions. She develops her skills and wants to help protect her friends from the harm of Upside Down.
Her powers begin to develop as she becomes a friend and savior of the group. When Jim Hopper takes her in as his own daughter, she develops a sense of dependability toward Hopper. Eleven develops her trust towards others as she realizes who her true friends are.
2 Nancy Wheeler
Nancy Wheeler is a strong character from the get-go, but she is a know-it-all. She becomes a strong independent woman as she helps the "kids" fight off the variety of different creatures luring from Upside Down. She becomes the mom of the group and wants to protect the "kids" as much as Steve does.
Her guidance and determination to protect Hawkins from ultimate destruction is what makes her the bravest of them all. Once she breaks up with Steve, she develops a relationship with Jonathan. She soon realizes she does not need a man in her life to protect her. She can protect herself from danger. Her friendships begin to grow as she begins to open up with Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke), a loyal friend of Steve.
1 Steve Harrington
Steve Harrington is a jock at Hawkins High as he constantly picks on Jonathan Byers and others. In season one, he is one of the least likable characters, but he develops his personality and becomes one of the most liked characters. He teams with Dustin to fight the Demogorgon in season two. He wants to protect the "kids" from Upside Down; he becomes the dad of the group because of the love he has for the "kids".
When he graduates, Steve works at Scoops Ahoy with Robin in season three, whom he eventually becomes closer to when they are both lucid at the movies. Steve has a dream he has a life with Nancy in an RV with six kids.
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