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You can fly, you can move mountains. I believe that.
— Mike Wheeler, March 27, 1986

Michael "Mike" Wheeler, portrayed by Finn Wolfhard, is a main character in Stranger Things. The leader of the Party, he is the boyfriend of Eleven, the best friend of Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers, and Max Mayfield, and the younger brother of Nancy Wheeler.

In 1983, when Mike's best friend, Will, mysteriously went missing, he and his other friends, Lucas and Dustin, made it their mission to find him. However, while searching for Will, they stumbled upon an escaped girl named Eleven instead. Mike soon discovered that she knew something about Will's disappearance and enlisted her help in finding him. During their time together, Mike and Eleven formed a strong bond and quickly grew to like each other. Once Will was found, Mike was happy that he had returned home safely; however, he was greatly devastated by Eleven's sacrifice to defeat the Demogorgon.

Still devastated by Eleven's disappearance one year later, Mike called for her every night while also assisting Will with a new supernatural issue. Eventually, he reunited with Eleven. He, along with his friends and Steve, then worked on burning the sprawling network of another inter-dimensional threat, using it as a distraction for Eleven to close the Gate for good. Mike later attended the Snow Ball dance with Eleven, which he previously promised her.

Mike and El were seemingly inseparable until the summer of 1985, when their relationship faced new trials and tribulations. In an attempt to establish boundaries, El's disgruntled adoptive father, Chief Hopper, scared off Mike and jeopardized the teens' relationship; Will also expressed his frustrations with how Mike and Lucas’ relationships had disrupted the dynamic in the friend group. Their attention would turn to more pressing concerns, however, when Will alerted them to the presence of the Mind Flayer. After Max’s stepbrother Billy Hargrove was noted to be acting unusually, they learned Billy and various Hawkins residents had become possessed by the Mind Flayer, and began efforts to defeat it. Three months later, Mike and his friends had to bid farewell to Eleven, and the Byers who were moving out of Hawkins. Before leaving, Mike and Eleven made plans to visit each other at Thanksgiving and reaffirmed their love for one another.

By the spring of 1986, Mike was a dedicated member of the Hellfire Club, along with Dustin and Lucas. He headed to Lenora Hills, California to spend spring break with Eleven. She had sent Mike letters, telling him that she had adapted well to California; however, upon his arrival, Mike realized that Eleven was struggling more than she let on. When Dr. Owens whisked El away to work on regaining her powers, Mike joined Will, Jonathan, and Argyle in searching for her, all the while evading Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan and his forces, who held Eleven responsible for a murder spree in Hawkins. With help from Dustin's girlfriend, Suzie Bingham, they tracked down Eleven at a secret facility in Nevada, narrowly escaping Colonel Sullivan’s forces. Later, Mike and the others helped Eleven fight Vecna from afar by creating a makeshift sensory deprivation tank, allowing her to psychically project her consciousness to Hawkins. During El’s mind-battle with the enemy, Mike make it clear to her that he loved her, giving her the strength to momentarily overpower and defeat Vecna.

Two days later, the group travelled to Hawkins, and were shocked by the scale of destruction inflicted by a recent "earthquake". Upon their return, Will realized his psychic connection created back in 1984 was not to the Mind Flayer, but Vecna. He worriedly told Mike that he still sensed Vecna's presence, and that for the horrors of the Upside Down to end, Vecna needed to die. After assuring Will they will kill Vecna once and for all, Mike reunited with a very-much alive Hopper and witnessed the Upside Down beginning to merge into Hawkins.

History[]

Background[]

Born April 7, 1971,[1] Michael "Mike" Wheeler was the second child and the only son of Ted and Karen Wheeler. His older sister is Nancy Wheeler, born in 1967. The family lived in a culdesac in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. On the first day of kindergarten, around 1976, a lonely Mike saw a boy named Will Byers on the swingset. Mike asked if he wanted to be his friend, and Will happily agreed. Soon after, Mike's neighbor Lucas Sinclair joined his friend group. At some point the boys began playing Dungeons & Dragons, referring to their games as "campaigns". Nancy participated in their campaigns, dressing up as an elf for their Eldertree campaign, though this stopped by 1979, most likely due to Nancy getting older. In 1980, Nancy and Mike got a baby sister named Holly. That same year, the boys befriended Dustin Henderson, who had recently moved to town. The four boys would often gather to play Dungeons & Dragons in Mike's basement. They had a great relationship with their science teacher, Mr. Clarke, and were members of the AV Club which he ran. The boys participated in the annual science fair and won almost every year except 1982. Mr. Clarke said their loss that year was "political".

1980[]

On September 1, Mike and Lucas were being chased by bullies, using their bikes to outrun their pursuers. They eventually ended up hiding in a book shop where the owner was displaying miniatures from the battle of Waterloo and a new game called Dungeons & Dragons. Mike and Lucas became excited about the game, quickly telling Will Byers about it when they got to his house. They quickly took several books out of Will's house and piled it onto their wagon, intending to exchange it as trade for the D&D books that would allow them to play the game. On their way to the shop, the three were chased down by the bullies which forced Lucas to start hurling romance books at them as Mike continued to pull the wagon.

During the encounter, Mike accidentally let go of the wagon, causing it to slide down and cover the books in mud. As a result, the three had to work hard to convince the shop owner to give them a basic starter set for D&D while agreeing to take away the books from the shop. That night, the three played the game at one of their houses, becoming obsessed with it.

1983[]

The campaign[]

On the evening of November 6, Mike, Lucas, Dustin and Will played Dungeons & Dragons in Mike's basement. Mike, acting as Dungeon Master, summoned a Demogorgon, which ultimately defeated Will's character, although Will did not reveal this to Mike yet. Mike saw Dustin and Lucas bickering on whether Will should fireball or cast protection, and when will fireballed, the dice went missing, and the campaign was interrupted by Karen, who told him to go to bed as it was 15 after. When Mike argued for 20 more minutes, Karen reminded him that it was a school night and could finish on the next weekend. When Mike told her, that would ruin "the flow" and that he had to plan his campaign for two weeks and that he had be playing for 10 hours, Karen expressed shock to this, and when he attempted to negotiate with his dad, he reached no avail, causing his friends to go home. After Lucas and Dustin left, he revealed that his roll was a 7 and that the Demogorgon got him, and told him, he'd see him tomorrow, before biking home.

Searching for Will[]

Playing with the Heathkit

The boys try out the Heathkit Ham Shack

The next day, Will did not show up to school, which perplexed Mike, Lucas, and Dustin. After class, Mike asked Mr. Clarke if the ham radio arrived, to which, he told him it came, and showed it to them. As they played with Mr. Clarke's Heathkit Ham Shack, they were summoned by Principal Coleman to talk with Chief Hopper who told the boys that Will was missing. He asked the boys about Will's route home, and they told him Will took the road where Cornwallis and Kerley met. The boys casually referred to this road and the surrounding forest as Mirkwood.

The Vanishing of Will Byers S01-E01 SS 004

The boys search for Will

The boys investigated their friend's disappearance that evening. Despite heavy rain, they searched Mirkwood. They encountered a wet, shivering and scared young girl wearing a big Benny's Burgers t-shirt. The boys brought the girl to Mike's basement where Mike asked her if there was a number that they call for her parents and if she was in trouble, while Lucas and Dustin asked more personal and inappropriate questions. Mike told them to stop scaring the girl and that she was just cold and scared before, he provided the girl with clean clothes. When she was about to change clothes in front of the boys, and told that she can change in the bathroom with privacy and, when he was about to close the door, she told him, "no" and realized that she could talk and told her that, he was going to leave the door a few inches open.

After arguing among themselves on what they should do about the girl, Mike reached a compromise with the boys that, if they tell their parents about her, they would not be able to find Will and that she would pretend to arrive at their doorstep, which would prompt Karen to manage her. After the boys, who were suspicious and doubtful of the girl, went home, Mike allowed her to stay in his basement. Mike made a pillow fort for the girl to sleep in and asked her name, causing her to reveal the tattoo on her left forearm. However, Mike did not criticize her for having the tattoo and instead asked what the tattoo "011" meant, causing the girl to point to herself, revealing her name to be Eleven. Mike suggested that he can call her El, for short, which El nodded to, before introducing himself as Michael "Mike" and wished her goodnight before covering the fort with a bedsheet and going to bed.

Ep2-Mike and El4

Mike accommodates Eleven to his house.

Mike skipped school the next day to take care of El, providing her breakfast as well as showing her around his house. El recognized Will from a photograph and told Mike that bad people were looking for her. After school, Dustin and Lucas came to Mike's house. They discussed Eleven and what could have happened to Will. Lucas said that they should tell Karen about Eleven. El used her powers to prevent Lucas from opening the door to leave. Later that evening, El attempted to explain Will's situation; she flipped their Dungeons & Dragons board upside down and then placed Will's player piece on top followed by the Demogorgon piece. This gave Mike, Lucas, and Dustin a vital clue about what happened to Will.

The following morning, Mike, Lucas and Dustin decided to meet El after school and commence "Operation Mirkwood". They would use El to lead them through the woods to find Will. Before leaving, Mike gave his watch to El and asked her to meet them at 3:15 pm. After school, the boys met El and then the group looked for Will.

The kids witness

The kids witness someone being dragged out of the water.

They eventually arrived outside the Byers house, where El said Will was hiding. This statement confused the three boys because, logically, Will could not be there. After seeing police cars race by, they followed on their bikes. They saw Will's corpse being dragged out of the local quarry. This caused the boys to feel distraught. Mike thought Eleven had misled them to believe Will was alive. Mike rode home in tears and was comforted by his mother. Later, in the basement, Mike grieved Will's death as he looked at Will's drawings. As El tampered with his radio, Mike angrily berated her and accused her of lying to him about Will's well-being. Mike said that Lucas was right about El. Suddenly, Mike heard the sound of Will's voice over the radio, quietly singing. This was a result of El using the Supercom and her powers to contact Will. Mike realized Will was still alive, which El confirmed was true.

The next day, Mike told Dustin and Lucas that he had heard Will's voice on the radio. The other boys were skeptical. The boys decided to take El to their school so she could use the Heathkit to communicate with Will, which was much more powerful than the Supercom.

Journey to school

The kids bike to school, passing through downtown Hawkins

After dressing Eleven in a pink dress and blonde wig to help her blend in, the boys took her to Hawkins Middle School. The met Mr. Clarke in the hall near the AV Club room. Mr. Clarke told the group that they must attend a memorial assembly for Will before they could use the radio. During the assembly, the bully Troy made crude jokes about Will, which enraged Mike. After the assembly, Mike shoved Troy, causing Troy to fall. Troy attempted to attack Mike. Eleven froze Troy in place and made him urinate on himself, much to the amusement of the boys and their classmates. The boys and El then used the Heathkit. With El using her powers to contact Will. They overheard Will talking to his mother through a temporary portal to the other dimension. The radio overheated and caught fire. After returning to Mike's basement, the boys theorized that Will was stuck in the Vale of Shadows, a "dark echo" dimension of death and decay, which El labeled the Upside Down.

After Will's funeral, the boys discussed the possibility of alternate dimensions with Mr. Clarke. He described scientific ideas and concepts, utilizing the metaphor of the flea and the acrobat. He mentioned that a gate between dimensions would have adverse affects on the electromagnetic field in their dimension. Later that day, Dustin experimented with a compass, noticing that the needle did not point towards true north. The boys guessed that there must be a gate nearby influencing the electromagnetic field, like Mr. Clarke had said.

The kids look for the Gate

The kids search for the Gate.

The group followed their compasses believing it would lead to the Gate. However, Eleven manipulated the compasses to lead the boys away from the Gate because she considered it too dangerous. When the boys realized that El had been leading them away, they argued about her motives. Mike was more sympathetic and trusted her, while Lucas was critical of her manipulation. The two boys fought. Eleven used her powers to throw Lucas off Mike and into the air, injuring him. This angered Mike and made El upset. She left while Mike and the other boys were not looking.

On the run[]

A rift grew between Lucas and the two other boys as they continued to argue about Eleven. Mike and Dustin went in search of El, while Lucas attempted to once again find the Gate.

While Mike and Dustin searched for El, they were ambushed by a revenge-seeking Troy and his best friend, James, who both had knives. They were chased to the top of the cliff overlooking the quarry. Troy threatened Mike by telling him he would cut out Dustin's teeth unless Mike jumped from the cliff.

Mike decided to jump. As he did, Eleven intervened. Using her powers, she levitated Mike back to safety. She used her powers to break Troy's arm and pushed James to the ground. The bullies fled in terror. El fell to the ground due to exhaustion. Mike bent over her and asked if she was okay. El apologized and stated she was the monster for opening the Gate. Mike comforted her, saying she was not the monster because she saved him. Mike, Eleven and Dustin then reconciled, sharing an embrace together before returning to Mike's house. They were observed by an agent from Hawkins Lab as they entered Mike's house.

Lucas warned Mike, Dustin and El over the radio that the 'bad men' where coming. The three fled Mike's house on bicycles. They reunited with Lucas nearby. As the agents were closing in on them, Eleven used her powers to throw a van over the kids' heads. This opened an escape route and blocked the road behind them. The group escaped and evaded Dr. Martin Brenner and the agents of Hawkins National Laboratory. Mike and Lucas then reconciled.

The group hid from agents in an abandoned bus in the junkyard. Chief Hopper found them and took them to the Byers house to meet with Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy. El attempted to use her powers to locate Will and Barb, but was unsuccessful. El stated that she could contact them, using the "bath". Together they broke into the middle school and created a makeshift sensory deprivation tank for El to use to enhance her psychic abilities. El determined Barb was dead, but that Will was barely alive in the Upside Down.

Showdown with the Demogorgon[]

Hopper and Joyce left to infiltrate the laboratory. Nancy and Jonathan left to set a trap for the Demogorgon. The boys and Eleven remained alone at the school. Mike talked to El about their future life together. He invited El to be his date to the Snow Ball school dance. When he explained the Snow Ball, El didn't understand that people go with "someone that you like". In order to help her understand, Mike kissed her, revealing his feelings for her, and El accepted his invitation.

As part of an agreement with Dr. Brenner to gain passage through the Gate, Hopper revealed El and the boys' location. Agents went to the school, capturing El and the boys. Eleven killed most of the agents using her powers to crush their brains. This drained her of energy and caused her to collapse. Without her protection, they were captured by Dr. Brenner and several soldiers. The Demogorgon, attracted by pools of blood spilling from dead bodies, burst through the school wall. The surviving agents and soldiers were distracted. El and the boys escaped.

The three boys took Eleven and ran to Mr. Clarke's classroom. Mike tried to comfort El by promising that he would go to the Snow Ball with her. The Demogorgon broke in and attempted to kill them. El intervened using her powers to pin the Demogorgon against a wall while also throwing Mike backwards to prevent his intervention. El looked back at her friends and told Mike goodbye before turning to face the Demogorgon. She used the last of her remaining power to disintegrate the Demogorgon, but she also disappeared. Mike was left in tears as the boys frantically looked for her in the classroom.

Mike I would never tell you

Mike with the government agents.

After being unable to find Eleven, Mike was reunited with his parents and returned home where he was interrogated by government agents through a window, refusing to give any information on Eleven. Then, Mike saw a silhouette, similar to Eleven at the window. His reaction alerted the government agents and they went outside to investigate.

Mike, Dustin, and Lucas visited Will in the hospital when he regained consciousness. The three of them were overjoyed to see him safe and sound. They told Will about all the events which transpired in his absence.

Missing Eleven[]

In the days that followed, Mike spent a lot of time at his home's basement, sitting in the tent and waiting around with his walkie-talkie, waiting for any sign from Eleven. He continued to visit Will every day while he was in the hospital, but when Will was finally released to go home, he along with his friends were temporarily forbidden from seeing him. On November 26, Steve and Nancy looked in on Mike who was in tears. Seeking to distract Mike from his worries, they asked how Will was doing as well as the mechanics behind Dungeons and Dragons.

December[]

One month later, the four boys once again played Dungeons & Dragons. Mike summoned the Thessalhydra, but this time his friends' characters triumphed over the enemy. Will was picked up by his brother Jonathan to go home. Lucas and Dustin play-fought. Mike missed Eleven and looked back longingly at her old pillow fort, which he had kept in perfect condition.

1983 - 1984[]

Calling Eleven[]

Following her disappearance after the showdown with the Demogorgon, Mike tried to communicate with Eleven. He called her every night from the blanket fort using his Supercom. Unfortunately, he never got any responses.

1984[]

Before the storm[]

Mike and Dustin argue at the arcade

Mike, Dustin and Will at the arcade.

On the evening of October 29, 1984, Mike was sitting in Eleven's blanket fort when Dustin contacted him asking how much money he had for the arcade. After stealing money from Nancy's piggy bank, he, along with Lucas and Dustin, went to the Palace, with Will joining them soon after.

When Dustin lost a game of Dragon's Lair, Lucas gloated about still having the top score. Dustin countered that he still had the top score in Centipede and Dig Dug, but Keith, an arcade employee, informed him that was no longer the case. Checking the scores, the boys discovered that an unknown person using the alias "MADMAX" had beaten Dustin's scores on both. Keith stated he would tell them the identity of MADMAX in exchange for a date with Nancy, though Mike refused these conditions as he did not want to prostitute his sister. As they were arguing, Will began having an episode, being in an abandoned version of the arcade in the Upside Down. Concerned, Mike noticed, and was able to snap Will out of it by calling his name. He then led Will back inside.

In Mr. Clarke's class the next morning, the boys witnessed a new student, named Max, arrive. Because of her name's similarity to the alias used at the arcade, they suspected she was MADMAX, and they decided to spy on her after school. Will was called out as Joyce had come to take him for a medical exam, which prompted Mike, Dustin and Lucas to speculate about his health. That night, Mike tried contacting Eleven from the pillow fort for the 352nd day in a row. As he was about to give up, he heard what he believed to be Eleven, however, the voice faded as Dustin began talking. He told Mike that their assumption of Max being MADMAX was correct, but Mike, disappointed upon realizing the voice wasn't Eleven's, disregarded the information and turned the Supercom off.

Mike argue about ghostbustrers costume S02E02

Mike in his Ghostbusters costume

The next day, the boys went to school dressed in their Ghostbusters costumes, only to discover that no one else had dressed up for Halloween. After school, Mike rode his bike home with Lucas and Dustin when a car behind them started speeding up towards them. Mike and his friends tried to ride their bikes faster until the car suddenly swerved to the other lane to avoid collision with the boys. As Mike and his friends recovered, he and his friends saw that Max was in the car with her stepbrother, Billy Hargrove.

That night, as the boys were trick-or-treating, Max jumped out and scared them with her Michael Myers costume. She then joined them in their trick-or-treating which caused Mike to become upset, blaming Max to be ruining the best night of their lives despite Will not being bothered about it and Lucas and Dustin having fun with Max. When Mike reluctantly walked ahead to catch up with Dustin, Lucas, and Max, he left Will behind as he began having another episode after being scared and bullied by a bunch of kids in costumes. Mike eventually found him, again snapping him out of the episode and taking him back to his house, telling the others that he is done trick-or-treating.

Mike comforts Will at the basement

Mike talks to Will in his basement

Back in the Wheelers' basement, Mike listened to Will describe how he felt like. he was trapped in between the real life and the Upside Down. He then told Mike about his vision, detailing hearing a strange chirping sound coming from different areas around him and that he saw something. Mike asked if it was a Demogorgon, but Will said it wasn't and he saw a huge shadow-like creature in the sky, saying it was like a living being and it was coming for him. Mike asked Will if his visions are real or they are just hallucinations, but Will said he did not know. Mike promised that he wouldn't tell anyone about Will's vision as Will did not think that the others would understand. Mike also believed Eleven would understand what Will was going through as she always understood. Mike then explained to Will how he feels like he still sees Eleven and how she is still around, but knows deep down that she isn't and wonders if he is going crazy. The boys then cheer each up, saying that if either one of them were crazy, then they would go crazy together.

Later, Mike tried contacting Eleven again, revealing that he wished she was there. Eleven, who was simultaneously visiting him in her mental void, was about to make contact. Before she could do so, Mike, unaware of her presence, left.

Mike views Dart

Mike examining Dart

The next day, at school, Dustin arrived late to class and told Mike, Lucas, Will, and they all had to meet at AV Club after class as he had something to show them. brought a strange creature, which he had named D'Artagnan, to school the following day, showing it to Mike, Lucas, Will, and Max. He explained he had found it in his trashcan and that he believed the creature to be some sort of pollywog. When Mike noticed Dart starting to have a strange growth, he shined the light of a lamp onto Dart to further inspect him, only for the creature to shriek where Dustin explained how Dart hates heat. As Dustin concluded that he had discovered a new species, Lucas suggested that he show the creature to Mr. Clarke. However, after noticing it resembled a slug he had thrown up the year before, Will realized Dart originated from the Upside Down and informed Mike.

Once school was over, when Mike met with Will in the hallway, Will told Mike that Dart was from the Upside Down due being similar to a slug he puked last year after he was rescued from the Upside Down and making sounds he heard last night before he saw the shadow-creature. Before Dustin could show Dart to Mr. Clarke, Mike took the ghost trap Dart was in and urged everyone to meet again in the AV club room, excluding Max as they could not tell her about the Upside Down. Mike explained to Dustin and Lucas about Will's incident with the slug last year and the vision he experienced last night. Mike theorized Will could have "true sight," the ability to see into the ethereal plane, due to his visions of the Upside Down possibly being real. After Mike concluded that Dart was from the Upside Down, he agreed with Lucas to take him to Hopper, but Dustin disagreed as he refused to believe his new pet could be dangerous, despite coming from the Upside Down. When Dart started to emit a demonic screeching sound, Dustin opened the proton pack, where Dart came out and started growing a pair of hind legs, horrifying and disgusting the boys. Mike then tried to attack Dart, but Dustin stopped him which caused Dart to flee and run loose throughout the school. Mike blamed Max for letting Dart due to her unlocking and opening the door, prompting the group to spilt up to find Dart.

S2E03 Mike with Max

Mike and Max in the gym

As Mike was looking for the creature, he encountered Max in the boys' locker room. She followed him to the gym, where she tried to convince him to let her join the party as their "zoomer" by performing some skateboard tricks. While this was happening, Eleven, who was at the school in order to see Mike, witnessed them together. Jealous, she used her powers to pull Max's skateboard out from under her, causing her to fall. As Mike helped her up, Max explained that it felt like a magnet had pulled her board. Suspecting Eleven to be the cause, he quickly ran through the gym's doors, however, Eleven was gone.

Eventually, Mike received a transmission from Will, saying he had found Dart, prompting Mike, Max, Lucas, and Dustin to head over to his location. However, when Mike arrived to the bathroom with Max and Lucas, they only found Dustin who said he had not seen Dart before Mike realizes Will had disappeared after he made that transmission. This caused the kids to abandon the search for Dart and start looking for Will. Mike found Will out in the school's P.E. field as he was having another episode where his friends and Will's mom, Joyce came over to Mike as he tries to snap out of his vision to no avail. As Joyce tries to snap him out the vision, Mike watches in concern where unknown to him and to everyone else, Will was being possessed by the shadow monster until Will finally woke up. Then, as Will and Joyce leave, Mike and the others watch them go.

Helping Will[]

The following morning, Mike ate breakfast with his family while taking a notice that his baby sister, Holly was taking a liking to some grapes. Mike also heard Nancy ask their mom if she could spend the night at her friend, Stacey's house, which their mom said yes to. After Nancy asked her question, Mike continued eating breakfast with his family.

At school, Mike, Lucas and Max – who had no knowledge of the creature's location – searched for Dart in a dumpster behind the school. Later, Mike grew worried upon noticing Will's absence and tried calling the Byers' residence in order to check up on him, but received no response. He then told everyone, sans Max, to meet in the AV room. There, he explained to Dustin and Lucas that, on Halloween night, Will had a vision of a shadow-like creature. He then decided that he would go to Will's house to acquire more knowledge while Dustin and Lucas would look for Dart, since catching him could provide a vital clue on what was going on with Will.

After school, Mike went to the Byers' house to check on Will where Joyce initially didn't allow him inside. When Mike mentioned the shadow monster, however, she let him in.

Will explained his connection with the shadow monster, saying he was able to see what the monster saw. Mike tried to make the best of the situation, saying that it was a good thing because Will's connection to the Shadow Monster could lead to them figuring out how to stop him. He also assured Will that they wouldn't let the monster spy back on him.

Mike was awoken the next morning by Will, who had witnessed Hopper trapped beneath Hawkins through his connection with the Shadow Monster. While they were able to figure out where Hopper was in Will's drawings, they did not know the actual location.

Ep5-Mike, Will, Joyce and Bob

Bob explaining the tunnels to Mike, Will and Joyce

Just then, Bob arrived, and because of his talent in solving puzzles, Joyce enlisted his help. Bob realized that the drawings were a map of Hawkins, and was able to pinpoint Hopper's location. Arriving at the location, Joyce and Bob descended into the tunnels while Mike and Will waited above ground, who witnessed the agents arriving. Eventually, Hopper was found entangled in a mass of vines. After freeing him, soldiers from the lab arrived and urged them to leave shortly before burning the tunnels. Suddenly, Will collapsed and as Mike tried to ask him what was wrong, Will began convulsing on the ground. Mike went along with Joyce, Bob, and Hopper to Hawkins Lab, where Will was quickly treated.

When Will awoke, he could not remember Dr. Owens, Bob, or Hopper, and was barely able to remember Mike. In a test involving a severed vine from the Upside Down, Owens asked if Will could feel anything as another scientist used a blowtorch to burn the vine. Through this, they determined that Will had some sort of "virus" that connected him to all other infected hosts in a hive intelligence.

Back in the infirmary, Will informed Mike of a way they could possibly stop the Shadow Monster. Using images that the lab personnel had taken of the map, Will directed the scientists to an area, stating "he doesn't want me to see there."

As soldiers traversed the tunnels, Will revealed that the Shadow Monster made him deceive the soldiers. Realizing it was a trap, Mike tried to warn the scientists, but it was too late; the soldiers were ambushed and killed by a pack of Demodogs. Shortly after, Demodogs began invading the lab. To prevent the Shadow Monster from knowing their location, Mike urged them to sedate Will.

Ep8-Hopper, Mike, Joyce, Bob and Owens are surrounded

Mike, Joyce, Hopper and Dr. Owens as the Demodogs massacre the lab

Once Will was unconscious, the group took refuge in a surveillance room, where they witnessed the lab being overrun by Demodogs before the power went out. To restore the power and allow them a way out, Bob volunteered to go down to the basement and reset the breakers. Once the power was restored and the doors unlocked, Mike, Joyce, Hopper, and Will made it to safety while Owens stayed behind to guide Bob. Just when it seemed Bob was safe, he was tackled and killed by several Demodogs. Outside, the group met up with Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, Dustin, Lucas, and Max. Together, they escaped the lab.

At the Byers' house, Mike was unwilling to just sit and wait for help, and started speculating with Lucas, Dustin, and Max about the Shadow Monster's weakness. When they realized that the Shadow Monster controlled everything in a hive mind, they compared it to the Mind Flayer, a monster from Dungeons & Dragons that similarly controls the minds of its victims. They also speculated that, if they killed the Mind Flayer, they would kill everything it controlled.

Mike then proposed that, in order to discover the Mind Flayer's weakness, they'd have to take Will someplace he couldn't recognize and try to get through to him. After making the backyard shed unrecognizable, they attempted to interrogate Will. While the Mind Flayer had taken over a majority of Will's mind and body, a part of Will managed to subconsciously signal to them in Morse code. Deciphering his message, they discovered the way to stop the Mind Flayer; closing the Gate. Soon after, the phone in the Byers' kitchen rang, giving away their location.

Reunion and burning the tunnels[]

Reactions-Mike-Eleven-Stranger-Things

Mike reunites with Eleven

As the house was being surrounded by a pack of Demodogs, the group armed themselves. Before the pack could attack, however, Eleven arrived and eradicated them. Mike became relieved to see her alive and the two embraced each other. After an emotional reunion with Eleven, Mike discovered that Hopper had been hiding her the whole time and angrily blamed him; though they quickly reconciled.

When Eleven assured that she could close the Gate, Mike pointed out that it might also kill Will. So, together, the group came up with a plan: Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy would exorcise the Mind Flayer from Will's body while Eleven and Hopper would go to the lab and close the Gate. Before leaving, Eleven promised Mike that he will not lose her again.

Ep9-Steve, Mike, Lucas and Max at the tunnels

Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max and Steve in the tunnels

While waiting at the house, Mike, who was concerned about Eleven, planned with Lucas, Dustin, and Max and decided they'd distract the Demodogs by burning the tunnels so Eleven and Hopper could safely reach the Gate. Before they could begin their plan, Max's stepbrother Billy Hargrove arrived looking for her. Steve tried to intervene, but the two ended up in a fist fight, with Billy beating Steve repeatedly. With one of the syringes used to sedate Will, Max was able to puncture Billy's neck, making him lose consciousness. Using Billy's car, Max drove the group to the pumpkin patch where the entrance to the tunnels was located. Making their way to the hub, they doused the entire area in gasoline and set it ablaze.

On their way out of the tunnels, Mike was caught by the vines. As Steve helped him out, the group encountered Dart. Recognizing Dustin, Dart did not attack and was easily distracted by Dustin giving it another Three Musketeers bar, allowing the group to escape. Since the tunnels were burning, the group hurried to escape, but Steve and Dustin fell behind. Surprisingly, instead of attacking them, the Demodogs were relocating somewhere else. Mike and the others presumed that they were going for Eleven. As the group reached out of the tunnels, they witnessed the lights glowing brightly, indicating that Eleven managed to close the Gate.

The Snow Ball[]

Snow Ball dance Mike and Eleven

Mike and Eleven at the Snow Ball

On December 15, Mike attended the Snow Ball with his friends for the first time and waited for Eleven who arrived shortly after. When Mike and Eleven reunited again, Mike stated that she looked beautiful and asked if she wanted to dance. Eleven agreed, and they danced together and shared a kiss.

On Christmas Day, Mike and Lucas revealed they both told their parents that they would be spending Christmas at the Byers house without mentioning Eleven to them, with Mike saying his parents still believing El to be a Russian agent when they were interrogated by Dr. Brenner and his agents.

They were then picked up by Dustin and Steve and as they were on their ways to the Byers' house, they talked about Mike and Lucas's Christmas gifts to Max and El. Suddenly, Dustin freaked out and said he saw an unknown creature lurking in the woods, but Mike, Lucas, and Steve did not see anything so they decided to continue their route to the Byers' house.

After arriving at the Byers' house, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas were met up with Hopper and El and were welcomed in by Joyce while Steve left as Joyce was mad at him for putting a dead Demodog in her refrigerator. Mike, Will, Lucas and Dustin presented Eleven her present from all of them which was a walkie-talkie from Radio Shack that the gang had all saved their money for. Will and Jonathan then revealed that they had collected several Christmas specials in VCR form to help make Eleven's first Christmas celebration extra-special. The gang then took turns in explaining the plot of each VCR special to Eleven, with Mike explaining the story of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Dustin then began to insist that there was a creature outside in the snow, referencing Dart, which left Eleven confused.

Eventually, Mike and his friends decided to go out into the woods to find the creature. Mike then brought up how she had spent the last Christmas in the woods, asking her what she had eaten. Eleven implied that she had eaten a rabbit. Shortly after, the gang found the creature which turned out to be a rabbit caught in a trap. After freeing the rabbit from the trap, Mike and his friends decided to take it back to his house so they can help tend to his injuries. Once they got back to the house, Mike and his friends watched Joyce attended to the rabbit and shortly after, they all sat down to watch all of the Christmas specials together.

1985[]

Hopper-template-test
"Oh my god, none of this is real."
This information from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Stranger Things is non-canon.
According to one source, Mike and the rest of the Party had an adventure in New York City in early 1985, where they encountered cyborg versions of Demodogs, the maniacial scientist Dr. Baxter Stockman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The Summer[]

S03E01-Mike and Eleven making out

Mike and Eleven kissing

On June 28, Mike and El were kissing passionately in El’s room when Hopper noticed and tried to intervene, prompting her to telekinetically close the door. When Hopper entered the room, they tried to act innocent, though he was thoroughly unconvinced. After departing from the cabin, Mike spoke to her via walkie talkie and promised he’d see her immediately the following day.

Mike arrived at the Starcourt Mall where Lucas, Max, and Will were waiting for him. The Party headed toward Scoops Ahoy where Steve helped them sneak into the cinema through the back doors to view an early screening of Day of the Dead. During the film, there was a sudden power outage across Hawkins, resulting in the entire mall losing power. The power returned shortly after, allowing the Party to resume watching the film. Will felt a strange sensation at the back of his neck. Sensing something was wrong, Mike inquired if Will was alright, to which he responded that he was fine

Relationship Problems[]

S03E01-The Party traveling to Weathertop

The Party taking the disassembled Cerebro to Weathertop's summit

At the Henderson house the following day, Mike and the other Party members hosted a special surprise for Dustin to celebrate his return from summer camp. Dustin presented many of his inventions from summer camp, including Cerebro, a powerful ham radio he created to contact his girlfriend, Suzie. However, in order for it to work, it had to be located in a place of high elevation. While on their way up a hill to assemble the radio, El and Mike created an excuse to leave so they could spend time together.

That night, the couple was having another make-out session when Hopper interrupted them with the intent to have a “heart-to-heart” about boundaries. He failed, instead coming up with a lie about Mike's grandmother being sick in order to get Mike to leave. As Hopper drove him home, he told Mike to start spending less time with El, otherwise, he would stop allowing them to date.

Due to Hopper's threat, Mike didn't head to the cabin the following morning like he had promised El. When she called asking why, he responded that his grandmother was still sick. When El saw through his lies, he insisted he was telling the truth and ended the conversation. Later, Mike told what had happened to Lucas, who was disappointed by his actions and advised him to get El a gift to make it up to her. Mike, Lucas, and Will went to the Starcourt Mall to find a suitable present, however, their search yielded no results. The boys were preparing to leave when they unexpectedly met El and Max. El confronted Mike but instead of telling the truth, he continued to lie, resulting in her breaking up with him.

That evening in the Wheeler basement, Mike and Lucas discussed their break ups and came to the conclusion that they had done nothing wrong, because "girls act on emotion, not logic" and are a "different species".

The following morning, Mike and Lucas were woken up by Will, dressed in his Will the Wise costume urging them to play a campaign of D&D. When they did not take the campaign seriously, Will became upset and stormed out. Mike followed him outside where he tried to make Will understand, stating they were growing up and they could not spend the rest of their lives playing games in the basement. This had the opposite effect, causing Will to leave. Mike and Lucas later followed him to the Byers house in order to apologize. When they finally found him next to the partially destroyed Castle Byers, Will announced that the Mind Flayer had returned.

Hindering the Mind Flayer & Reconciling with El[]

S03E04-Will, Mike, Eleven, Lucas and Max discuss about the Mind Flayer

The Party discussing the Mind Flayer

Mike alerted El and Max the following morning, urging them to head over due to a code red situation. Once the Party had assembled in the basement, Will proposed that the part of the Mind Flayer that had possessed him the year prior was still in their world and had attached itself to a new host. When El relayed all that she had seen, they began to suspect that the new host may be Billy. While spying on Billy at the Hawkins Community Pool, Mike came up with a plan to trap him in the sauna to confirm his status as a host. When El entered a supply closet to retrieve a swimming mannequin for the plan, Mike followed and attempted to talk to her. El rebuked him, stating she should spend time with her “own species”. This caused Mike to realize that she and Max spied on him and Lucas; leaving Mike in a state of shock and disbelief.

SaunaTest TheParty

The Party at the sauna

Once the pool had closed and Billy was alone, the group enacted their plan, luring him into the sauna. Once he was trapped, the group looked on as Billy became more and more unstable due to the increasing heat and the Mind Flayer’s influence. When Billy was fully under the entity’s control, he escaped the sauna. While El was able to hold him off initially, he managed to overpower her, grabbing her by the neck and strangling her. She was saved by Mike, who struck Billy in the head with a barbell. When Billy tried to go after Mike, she retaliated by throwing him through the wall, which resulted in Billy’s escape.

The following day, Max, Lucas, Mike, El, and Will gathered in the Wheeler basement; they discovered that Hopper and Joyce were heading to Illinois through El's abilities. When Nancy and Jonathan arrived and explained Doris Driscoll had exhibited behavior identical to Will's when he had been possessed by the Mind Flayer at the same time as Billy’s sauna test, they concluded that Doris had also become "Flayed"-- a host to the Mind Flayer -- and suspected there were potentially several more hosts to the Mind Flayer. This led to the realization that Heather and her parents had also become hosts.

At the Holloway residence, they found no one home and that the inhabitants had consumed several household chemicals. After Will recounted never eating chemicals when he was possessed, Mike reminded Lucas and Will of a science lesson they learned in Mr. Clarke's class where chemicals can create new substances when mixed together. This led to Mike theorizing that those who are Flayed are not just eating chemicals, but could be creating some kind of substance within their bodies. When they investigated further, they surmised that Heather’s parents had been attacked, tied up, and taken to an unknown location where they were flayed. Will then proposed that they use Driscoll to find the source--the location where the Flaying was taking place.

Upon arriving at Hawkins Memorial Hospital, the party of teenagers were told only two visitors at a time were allowed to speak to Mrs. Driscoll. Nancy and Jonathan went first to speak with her, and left the others in the waiting room. While waiting for Nancy and Jonathan, Mike and Lucas tried unsuccessfully to get some snacks from a vending machine. In an act of kindness, El used her powers to shake the machine and help the boys get their candy. As they gathered it up, Lucas suggested that Mike make up with his girlfriend, who had just offered an olive branch. Hesitantly, Mike approached El. As Lucas and Max played a game of catching M&Ms in their mouths, Mike sat with El, offering her some M&Ms before complimenting her outfit and causing her to smile.

The peace didn't last long, however, as the kids noticed the lights in the hospital suddenly begin to flicker. Will sensed it was the Mind Flayer, present in the hospital. Scared, the kids began to look for Nancy and Jonathan, using the stairs after finding the elevators unresponsive. Mike and his friends were able to come to Nancy's rescue in time before a monster made out of flesh and bone got to her first. With just seconds to spare, El used her powers to knock the monster away from Nancy and threw a window. The group ran back outside to find the creature's remains sinking into a sewer.

S03E06-Mike's love confession

Mike, accidentally confessing his love for Eleven.

At the cabin, Mike and Max got into an argument over El's well-being, resulting in Mike confessing his love for her. Immediately after, El entered the room and announced she had found Billy sitting alone in his room. While everyone agreed it was a trap, El made the decision to return to Billy in the Void and through his memories, discovered Brimborn Steel Works to be the Mind Flayer’s lair. In doing so, however, she allowed the Mind Flayer to learn their location as well.

Seeing that the Mind Flayer was headed toward the cabin, the group prepared for battle. In the assault, the Mind Flayer grabbed El by the leg with one of his tentacles. After being freed from the creature’s grasp, El severed the Mind Flayer’s head in half, temporarily incapacitating him and allowing the group to escape.

The group went to Bradley's Big Buy to dress El’s wound and gather supplies. When they were alone together, Mike asked El, how her leg felt and she told him that is was "not bad", and commented that she would have an awesome scar and would look "bitchin". Mike told her that, he has been meaning to tell her something, and that being broken up has been hard for him, and he was glad that El and Max were friends, and said that, at first, he was jealous and angry at first, and which was why he said all that stupid stuff.

Mike attempted to tell El his true feelings for her. However, just as he had mustered up the courage, he was interrupted by Dustin calling on the walkie-talkie. Unfortunately, the signal kept cutting out due to Dustin’s walkie-talkie having a low battery. After El located Dustin, the group headed to the mall where they arrived just in time for her to save the Scoops Troop by throwing a car at the Russian soldiers. When El collapsed, it was revealed that a piece of the Mind Flayer was still stuck under her skin. Using her powers, El managed to remove the piece. Just then, Hopper arrived along with Joyce and Murray Bauman.

Battle against the Spider Monster[]

Once everyone was briefed on the situation, the group came up with a plan: Hopper, Murray, and Joyce would infiltrate the Russian bunker to shut down the Key and close the Gate with the aid of Dustin and Erica, who would be driven to Cerebro by Steve and Robin. Nancy, Jonathan, and the remaining Party members would seek shelter at Murray’s warehouse in Illinois.

In the Starcourt parking lot, Nancy discovered that the car wouldn’t start due to the car missing its ignition cable. With Billy blockading the mall’s parking lot, the group was forced to retreat back into the mall. While trying to get in touch with the Scoops Troop for emergency transportation, they realized they could use the ignition cable from the car El had thrown before.

Immediately after retrieving the component, the Mind Flayer crashed through the glass roof into the center of the mall. After successfully evading the creature, Mike, El, and Max managed to escape through the back doors located in The Gap, while the remaining group escaped through the front out to the car, distracting the Mind Flayer in the process. When the trio made it to the front, they were intercepted by Billy, making them turn back the way they came and alerting the Mind Flayer to El’s presence. Billy eventually caught up to them and knocked all three unconscious, taking El to the Mind Flayer while leaving the others behind.

When they awoke, Mike and Max made it back inside just in time to witness Billy sacrificing himself to protect El and the Mind Flayer’s ensuing demise. Mike and El were reunited and Mike watched as El tried to comfort distressed Max over Billy's death.

Farewell[]

S03E08-Eleven kisses Mike

Mike and Eleven before Eleven moves away

On October 4, Mike and his friends helped Eleven and the Byers prepare for their move to California. Mike protested when he saw Will dump his Dungeons and Dragons manual into the "Donation Box", but Will assured him that they would just use Mike's manual when they returned. He insisted that he could never join another party, and Mike grinned in response. In another room, Mike found Eleven struggling to reach a teddy bear on the top shelf, still without her powers. He helped retrieve it for her and comforted her by saying that her powers will come back and, he knows it, then made plans to see her and Will again for the various holidays coming up. Before Eleven left the room, she recalled how, three months earlier, Mike was talking to Max and confessed his feeling for Eleven, Mike pretended not to have much memory of it, but Eleven walked up to him and held Mike's head and revealed to him, that she loved him too, before she kissed him. Mike and Eleven embraced before they said goodbye to each other and left the Byers, which left Mike very saddened, and after watching them drive away in their moving truck, he sought comfort from his mother back at home, who gave him a hug.

1985-1986[]

High school[]

By the season of autumn, Mike became a freshman in high school and though he was considered an outsider, he joined the school's official Dungeons & Dragons club, the Hellfire Club, with Dustin and became close to the club's leader, Eddie Munson. Though Lucas joined the club too, he also had joined the school's basketball team. In addition, Mike would keep in touch with El and Will as they had moved to Lenora Hills, California with the help of Dr. Owens where Mike would call Will by phone while sending letters to Eleven, making sure she was adapting well without him as her powers still did not return.

1986[]

A Member of Hellfire[]

Mike, Lucas and Dustin

Mike, Lucas and Dustin in high school

On the last day of school before spring break, March 21, Mike, in his underwear, got distracted by reading a letter from Eleven on how she was adapting to California and because Mike had planned to see her during spring break, he also learned how she was looking forward to spending a whole week with him. As Mike finished reading the letter, he was interrupted by Nancy who told him it's almost time for school and warned him she'll leave without him in thirty seconds. This prompted Mike to get dressed and make a quick breakfast where his parents told him because his flight was at 6:30 in the morning tomorrow, he had go to bed at nine p.m. despite the fact he had to attend Hellfire Club tonight.

After being told by his parents to go to bed early tonight, Mike left with Nancy and they both arrived at Hawkins High School where Mike attended a basketball pep rally with Dustin and Max.

Spring Break[]

The next day, Mike left Hawkins and boarded his 6:30 a.m. flight to go to California to spend his spring break with El and the Byers family in Lenora Hills.

S4E2-Walking through the airport

Mike, El, Will, Jonathan and Argyle at the airport

Arriving at the Lenora Hills Airport, Mike was greeted by El who waiting for him by his gate. After Mike and El embraced each other and shared a kiss, Mike gifted El a bouquet of flowers by Mike that he handpicked from Hawkins before he left. After El thanked him for the flowers, Mike shared a quick hug with Will and noticed something in his hand. When asking Will what it was, he said it was just a painting he had been working on lately which Mike thought to be cool. Mike then met Jonathan's new friend, Argyle who made him feel awkward when he seemingly hugged him, only to tell him that the shirt he was wearing was "shitty knockoff", and assured him that he would hook him with the "good threads". Mike grew further awkward when Argyle mentioned Nancy before agreeing with Argyle how awkward things were getting and decided to leave.

As they began leaving the airport, Mike and El walked together where El told him for their first day of spring break, she wanted to take him to eat breakfast burritos and spend some time at Rink-O-Mania, a roller rink in Lenora Hills. Having been told by El that she made new "friends", Mike asked her if any of her "friends" would be joining them, she stated her "friends," Stacy and Angela, would not be joining them and promised Mike he can meet them later before stating she wanted today to just be about the two of them. At this, Mike gave El a kiss on her head and they left the airport with their friends.

Will, Mike and El at Rink O Mania

Mike, Eleven and Will at Rink-o-Mania

Argyle and Jonathan dropped off Will, Eleven and Mike at the rink. Mike went and got vomit green socks for skating, and he expressed surprise that he was able to get vomit green socks. Mike and El skated on the rink together happily before the three had milkshakes together. There, Mike met Angela, who was acting friendly. Angela and her friends dragged Eleven into the rink and then proceeded to circle around her, which concerned Mike.

When Angela and her cronies started taunting her, he went to the DJ and demanded that he stop the music, but the DJ stalled and, when he did stop the music, Angela's boyfriend Jake threw a milkshake onto Eleven's dress and she walked away from Mike and the crowd, who laughed at her, and Mike could not get through to Eleven as the crowd blocked his path. Mike and Will looked for Eleven and Mike searched multiple areas such as the females' bathroom before Mike told Will that, he should have told him about Eleven's problems and told him that he was being a douche to her all day by barely talking and moping which, basically sabotaged the day.

Will responded that he was being lied to by Eleven, ever since he got to California and that he ignored Will the whole day, and talked about their relationship before Mike suggests, they just find her. While continuing their search, Mike and Will heard screams near the cafeteria and went to check it out. When they found who was screaming, they saw a bleeding Angela and Eleven, who just struck her. Mike, in shock, asked what she had done before paramedics came to help Angela while Jonathan and Argyle picked Mike, Eleven and Will up.

S4E3-Mike, El, & Will eating risotto for dinner

Mike, Eleven and Will having Murray's risotto.

Upon arriving back home, they saw Murray cooking risotto. While eating dinner with Murray, Argyle and the Byers family, Mike listened to Murray explain he arrived in California on a business trip and decided to stop by the Byers's house to spend the night. Mike was then surprised to hear Joyce announce she was leaving tomorrow to go to Alaska for a business trip, leaving Jonathan in charge of Mike, El, and Will in the meantime. Mike then watched the high Jonathan express confusion over what his mom told as Argyle filled him in on what was happening before they mentioned the incident at the roller rink. When Argyle stated he believed Angela was going to be fine, Mike, still mad and upset over being lied to by El, made an offhand comment on Angela not looking fine. This caused El to abruptly excuse herself from the table, leaving Mike guilty for saying his comment as Joyce and Murray looked confusion over the tension between him and his friends.

The next day, Eleven skipped breakfast and attempted to repair her diorama of Hopper's cabin. Mike, worried for her, went to her room with Eggos as breakfast and warned her that, they were getting cold before asking, if what she was working on was Hop's cabin and asked, if she was ready to talk about the last night and, why she did not tell him of her bullying. He comforted her and said he knew what it was like to be bullied, but El told him he does not and that she is different and does not belong anywhere. When Mike said, that she cannot believe that, El said, no matter where she goes, everyone looks at her like, she is a monster, even Mike and reminded him, yesterday, of the way he looked at her and that, he was scared of her.

Mike said that was not true and that, he was not paying attention and he was caught off-guard and was surprised and maybe a tad upset in the moment, but said that, it did not matter and that he cared for her so much. El asked him if he doesn't love her anymore, when he asked why not, she mentioned that, in all of his letters to El, he has not written "love" it them. Mike said Eleven was being ridiculous, and told her that she was the most incredible person in the world, and cannot let those "mouth breathers" ruin her or them, and said that she's a superhero, but El said that she was not, anymore.

Their conversation stopped when, two policemen arrived at the house and arrested El, much to Mike, Will and Jonathan's concern and shock. When the policemen exited the house with Eleven, he asked if the cuffs are necessary and demanded that they answer him before talking to El through the window and asked if she would look at him, and promised that he would fix this and get her out of there and that, he she needed to do is to trust him before the vehicle went off.

The boys went to the facility that held Eleven, and asked the receptionist about Jane Hopper and told them that she is still being processed and when Jonathan asked, what that meant, she said, El was being put in the system and would be transported to Juvenile Hall after, and Mike asked if they were going to put her in jail, the receptionist said that it was a detention hall for juveniles. When Jonathan asked if they could just see her, she told them to find their parents.

When Mike exited the facility, he ran over behind and watched the van that carried Eleven, before it drove away. Later that night, the boys tried to find ways to get El out of prison and ways to contact Joyce through Alaska Airlines however, the boys were surprised to see government agents, Ellen Stinson, Harmon, and Wallace arrive at the house. Letting the agents inside his home, Mike, Will, and Jonathan were told by the federal agents that they, along with Dr. Owens, had rescued El and dropped the charges against her. In addition, they also revealed to the boys that Dr. Owens had escorted El away to help her regain her powers as there was a murder spree which was connected to the Upside Down occurring in Hawkins.

S4E4-Mike receiving a letter from Agent Stinson

Mike, Will and Jonathan listening to Agent Stinson

Completely shocked and confused by these turn of events, Mike asked Stinson where El was being taken, only to hear her refuse to give up El's location, saying it was for his girlfriend's protection. After Stinson revealed she was unsure when El would get her powers back and informed the boys that they would be under the protection of Wallace and Harmon in the meantime, both Mike and Will protested they were not the ones in danger, but rather their friends and Mike's family due to them living in Hawkins with the murder spree happening in the town.

Though Stinson promised to handle the situation in Hawkins until El was ready, she then told the boys to not say anything about the matter to anyone to which Mike objected to, as he did not want to obey the agents. As a result, Mike, Will, and Jonathan heard Stinson reveal that there was another faction within the government hunting for El right now as its official erroneously believed El to be the behind the murders. Because of that, Mike, Will, and Jonathan were also told they could not risk contacting their friends as it would endanger them and their loved ones. Mike questioned Stinson if they were suppose to just trust whoever they are and she reassured him that she and her colleagues worked for Dr. Owens while asking the boys to trust them.

Mike was then given a letter from El by Stinson and he went into El's bedroom to read it. Once he opened the letter, Mike read El reassuring she had gone to regain her powers, but had signed it with the word "from" rather than "love," making Mike feel extremely more guilty for his argument with his girlfriend earlier this morning.

Searching for Eleven[]

S4E5-Mike trying to stop the bleeding

Mike trying to save Agent Harmon

While on the road, after escaping from the US soldiers, Mike, Will, and Jonathan attempted to tend to the wounded agent Harmon as Argyle continued driving his van. Harmon told the boys to not take him to a hospital and revealed to them that the soldiers would soon figure out where El was located and that they had to warn Dr. Owens. Mike watched Jonathan question Harmon on how they would find Owens where he heard Harmon mutter the name "Nina". Mike, Will, and Jonathan were then given a pen by Harmon, and realized, Harmon had a phone number that could be used to contact Nina. The boys tried to get Harmon to write down the phone number, but became shocked to watch Harmon succumb to his injuries and die. As the boys let the moment sink in, they spotted a car tailgating them, prompting them to shout at a paranoid Argyle to drive off road. Once Argyle did what he was told, Mike and his friends eventually lost their pursuer and fled into a desert.

S4E6-We really need your help

Mike, Will, Jonathan, and Argyle requesting Suzie's help.

On March 26, Mike and his friends were able to reach Salt Lake City, Utah by morning and arrived at Suzie's house, tired and exhausted from the drive. Knowing Suzie and her family were Mormons, Mike and Jonathan tried to explain the Binghams' religion to Argyle before Mike rang the doorbell to the house. Meeting Suzie's younger brother, Cornelius, Mike asked him if Suzie was home, only for the boy to shoot a toy arrow into his forehead. Entering the house uninvited, Mike and his friends saw all of Suzie's siblings engaging in various activities, but none of the younger children were willing to help the boys as they were too engaged with their hobbies or duties. Seeing Suzie's older sister, Eden putting Cornelius on a time out, Mike and his friends followed her upstairs and asked her where Suzie is where she gave them directions to Suzie's bedroom. When the boys entered Suzie's bedroom, Mike saw a window open, making him realize she is outside. Spotting Suzie on the roof of the house, Mike and his friends told her they were friends of Dustin's and that they needed her help.

Help from a Hacker[]

Reunited with Eleven[]

Thanks to Suzie's assistance, the boys were able to locate the Nina Project in the desert of Nevada and wasted no time in heading there. By the time they were nearly there, Lt. Colonel Sullivan and his army had unleashed their forces upon the location with the goal of eliminating Eleven, believing her to be the origin of Hawkins' mysterious and ritualistic murders. Though Dr. Martin Brenner was shot by a sniper while carrying Eleven to safety, she ultimately managed to disorient and force the helicopter to crash into the ground with her restored powers. A few moments later, Eleven was surprised from behind by Mike, who could not be more happy to see that the love of his life was alright. The couple shared an emotional reunion and embraced before Eleven went to also hug her adoptive brother Will. Their reunion was interrupted by Eleven's power-dampening collar being deactivated and unlocked by a dying Brenner. Eleven refused to forgive the man who raised her away from society and left him alone to die in the desert. Once Argyle drove the group away, Eleven warned the boys that they needed to try anything to return to Hawkins or all of their friends were going to die.

Helping El fight Vecna[]
S4E9-You actually think this could work?

Mike hearing El's plan to fight Vecna within Max's mind.

Eleven explained to the boys the plan their friends in Hawkins had formulated to kill Vecna, a creature from the Upside Down who is the true perpetrator of the murders and was also the first child test subject of Hawkins Lab, "One", which involved Max as bait for the creature while the others attacked his physical body in the Upside Down as Vecna had been opening portals to the alternate dimension through his murders. Upon seeing Jonathan had failed in finding the soonest flight back to Hawkins, Eleven suggested creating a makeshift sensory deprivation tank to enhance her abilities to a point where she can protect Max from their current location, insisting that it would be just like the times when she infiltrated her mother and Billy Hargrove's minds. Argyle drove the group to a nearby pizzeria and Jonathan and Will began filling a freezer with salty water. While the Byers brothers worked on the tank, Mike showed Eleven some glasses he had just crafted from a pizza box and they shared a good moment until Argyle interrupted them with pineapple pizza, which was approved by Eleven, much to Mike's shock until he tried and liked the pizza upon being playfully being forced by El and Argyle to take a bite of it.

Once the tank was ready, Eleven's psychic projection transported her to the abandoned Creel mansion, where she found Lucas and Max trying to communicate with Vecna. Eleven shared with the boys that Vecna was not taking the bait prior to watching as Max confessed to the creature that there was always a part of herself that wanted Billy to disappear from her life due to all the abuse he inflicted upon her throughout their relationship as step-siblings. When she was truly vulnerable, Vecna placed her in his "curse" for a second time and Eleven went almost immediately into her best friend's mind to rescue her.

Eleven soon found herself in a skate park in Hawkins with dozens of young skateboarders around her. Among them, she found a younger Max and saw she was unable to interact with her in any form. After exploring the memory for some time, Eleven saw a desk with DJ equipment above a bridge, which was part of Max's happy memory of 1984 Snow Ball in which she was hiding from Vecna. When Eleven found her way into the illusionary Snow Ball, she arrived just in time to prevent Vecna from killing Max and telekinetically pulled Vecna away from her before revealing herself. After sarcastically greeting the creature, she telekinetically launched him towards the gym's bleachers. Before the girls could leave, Vecna emerged from the bleachers and managed to overpower both girls before taking them to his mindscape, where he proceeded to bind them to pillars with his vines.

Seeing Eleven was having trouble breathing as a result of a vine Vecna had summoned to pin and suffocate her, the boys grabbed her and placed her in a table. Following Will's advice that he was the "heart" of the Party, Mike finally admitted to Eleven that he loved her since the day they met in the woods and that he loved her with or without her powers, calling her his "superhero." With her strength and confidence restored by this speech, Eleven began forcing the vines to release her and she ultimately managed to break free and fling Vecna towards a pillar before he could kill Max.

Though Vecna was apparently killed by Nancy, Steve and Robin, Max's limbs were horribly broken and she was left blind prior to dying in Lucas' arms, much to Lucas and Eleven's devastation. After a while, Mike begged his girlfriend to wake up but before awakening, Eleven focused her telekinesis to restart Max's heart.

Return to Hawkins[]

Nearly 48 hours later, Argyle, Eleven, Jonathan, Will and Mike were beginning to enter into Hawkins, only to witness several residents leaving the town as a result of the constant death and destruction occurring there. They heard the news that a recent "earthquake" had destroyed countless buildings and taken twenty-two lives while leaving many other civilians injured or disappeared. They made a stop in the Wheeler house, where Mike was immediately embraced by his mother Karen, who insisted that he would be forgetting college and staying right there with her, visibly emotionally shaken as a result of the "earthquake." While Jonathan reunited with Nancy, Mike, Will and Eleven shared an embrace with Dustin, who informed them of what happened while they were absent.

Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Jonathan and Nancy went to Hawkins Memorial Hospital, where they found Lucas and Erica keeping company to a barely-alive and comatose Max. Lucas told his friends that the doctors were skeptical of Max ever awakening and that they believed it was a miracle she was still alive due to her heart technically stopping for over a minute. Eleven secretly went into the Void to locate Max, but was unable to find her consciousness, much to her horror.

The Beginning of the End[]

Argyle, Eleven, Jonathan, Will, Mike and Nancy travelled to Hopper's abandoned cabin in the woods and decided to clean and restore it. As Eleven cleaned her bedroom and Nancy and Jonathan took care of the windows, Mike and Will discussed El's struggle against Vecna, whom Mike believed was dead and rotting. However, a fearful Will confessed that in the moment they stepped foot back in Hawkins, his link to the Upside Down was restored, allowing him to sense that Vecna was still alive despite the massive injuries inflicted by Nancy, Steve and Robin. Will went on to guarantee that Vecna would not stop until he had eradicated them and the rest of mankind, which meant they had to kill Vecna if they wanted to put a permanent end to the threats of the Upside Down. Mike reassured his best friend that they would find the means to destroy Vecna once and for all before hearing a car approaching the cabin. The people who came out of the car were none other than Joyce and Hopper, the latter of whom had survived the Starcourt Mall final battle and had been tortured and held captive in Kamchatka for the last eight months.

As Joyce reunited with her sons and Eleven, Hopper and Mike had a reunion of their own, with Hopper commenting that Mike had grown and Mike in turn humorously commenting that Hopper had shrunk, and embraced one another. However, the reunions were interrupted by mysterious white spores falling down and dark clouds spreading throughout the sky. Walking towards Weathertop Hill, Mike, Eleven, Will and their friends and family witnessed in horror as smoke and dark clouds that emitted abnormal red lightning were emerging from the passage between the two worlds created by Vecna's curse gates. The Party and their allies realized that they were witnessing the beginning of the invasion Vecna had planned upon the world .

Personality and Traits[]

Mike is shown to be optimistic, morally compassionate, and highly committed to his friends, usually going to great lengths to help them. His D&D role as Dungeon Master suggests that he, like Will, is a creative thinker. Out of the four boys, he is the most emotionally open and rather gullible, being willing to accept fantastical explanations behind complex situations. After Will disappeared, he quickly drew a parallel to Will's defeat at the hands of the Demogorgon. After witnessing Eleven's psychic powers, Mike became faithful to the idea that she could help find Will. While his friends were initially skeptical about Eleven, Mike wholeheartedly trusted her to guide them and even developed a close relationship with her. Mike's slightly unorthodox approach led him to connect some of the dots explaining the mysterious Upside Down.

Mike's sheer resolve to helping his friends was so great that at one point, he jumped off the cliff to protect Dustin before Eleven came to rescue him. Additionally, Mike displayed strong morale and courage when he confronted Troy about his joke of Will's presumed death, showing just how much, he cares for his friends. Even after Will was saved, Mike perceived that Will was struggling due to his connection with the Upside Down and tried to help him. Mike was also the only one out of his friends to stay with Will in the lab when he was suffering from memory loss and was manipulated by the Mind Flayer, proving that he was always ready to put himself in harm's way to protect his friends.

Moreover, when Eleven disintegrated the Demogorgon and vanished, Mike was severely traumatized by her disappearance and struggled. Yet he still believed that she was alive and continued to try contacting her for 353 consecutive days, until his determination was rewarded when he finally reunited with Eleven after almost a year. His undying love and concern for her were also explicit when he endeavored to convince the group to distract the Demodogs from Eleven, defying Steve's orders, as well as keeping his promise to her by attending the Snow Ball.

As he started dating Eleven, Mike showed a more romantic side to his personality. He was protective of Eleven as he feared losing her again, but he eventually shed his overprotectiveness of Eleven after reconciling with her. Mike was also shown to be more mature as he admitted that he was being too overprotective of Eleven and apologized to her for it. Even when El dumped him, he still cared for her and loved her, even if she did not realize it.

In 1986, after Eleven moved away from Hawkins with the Byers family, Mike kept his relationship with her strong by keeping in touch with her. However, because of his parents' loveless marriage and his fear of losing Eleven, Mike had difficulty in telling Eleven how much he loves her, which puts a strain on their relationship. In addition, Mike struggled to keep his friends together as they started drifting apart with Will no longer living in Hawkins, Lucas joining the high school basketball team in order to gain popularity, and Max growing reclusive over her stepbrother's death. Yet, after hearing of a new evil terrorizing Hawkins, Mike was determined to return to his home to save his family and friends, along with searching for Eleven who had gone to regain her powers. After Will told a downhearted Mike how he always acted as the "heart" of the Party by keeping their friends together, Mike's spirits were lifted, and he was able to help Eleven fight Vecna by finally confessing his love for her, which in return saved their friends.

Abilities[]

  • High Intellect and elaborative thinking: Mike Wheeler is a very smart and wise young man who possesses wits in being clever enough throughout every situation that he and party members face against outsmarting treats and enemies. When Nancy and Jonathan came to investigate with him about Ms. Driscoll and Billy, he told them that both were Flayed by the Mind Flayer due their bond from the results of their Sauna test and hospital, then went to find more clues at the Holloway residence and upon entering they spotted multiple chemicals in the kitchen and suggested what they were being used for. So Mike used an example from his teacher Mr. Clarke about the outcome of mixing them together to create a new substance and concluded the Flayed were creating something new in themselves by consuming them.
    • Master Strategist and Leadership: As being the Paladin party member of the group, Mike has shown to have great courage, strategy, and nobility at all times, especially in the face of adversity. He was rebellious against Chief Hopper's demands of not investigating in finding Will, so he brought Lucas and Dustin out to the road of "Mircwood" to search in the woods and fought Jane/Eleven instead and brought her to his house. He suggested for them to go back and find Will but kept Eleven as a secret guess hiding in his basement until they found her own residency, until they found out about her powers and that the government baddies were hunting her down, opened a portal to the upside down where the Demogorgon came from was loose, along with being responsible for Will’s disappearance he hatch a plan to find their base of operations first. And when realizing Eleven could talk to Will over his Super-com, he planned to sneak her into the Hawkins AV club room and used the technology to communicate with Will which they succeeded in doing so. Then in Season 2, he found out a lot about Will's episodes and learned that he acquired psychic abilities that allowed him to see in the upside down and now-memories that allowed the Mind Flayer to inhabit into his body becoming a spy. After surviving the attack in the lab, he lead the group into avenging the death of Bob Newby by figuring out the Mind Flayers weakness and knew that Will would know it and knew how to not be spied on by hiding their location, then when Eleven and Hopper went to close the gate he and the others sought to distract the Demodogs from the lab and to burn the creature’s core into the tunnels which providing them some time to make it there and they destroyed it completing the mission.
    • Indomitable Willpower: Mike has an unbreakable will, never giving up on being there for Eleven or defying the devices of Vecna.

Equipment:

  • Supercom Walkie: Mike is equipped with a telecom device capable of communicating with his friends mostly with Lucas for he was the closest from his house, but uses it when Eleven needs to focus her powers with along in alerting in emergencies.

Relationships[]

Familial[]

Mike and Nancy were could have been closer when they were younger; Nancy would dress up for some of Mike's early D&D campaigns. However, the two drifted apart, likely due to the large age gap between them and the fact that they attended different schools. Nancy was often dismissive of her brother, calling him "gross" and a "douchebag", and in turn Mike was dismissive of her relationship with Steve Harrington​. However, when Mike briefly went missing, Nancy was genuinely worried about him. After he was found, he and his sister agreed to stop lying to each other and to always tell the truth. However, this was short-lived, as both siblings immediately started lying to each other again. Despite this, however, Mike and Nancy are still shown to care for each other, despite getting on each other's nerves. Mike even refused to give Keith a date with Nancy, not wanting to prostitute his sister in exchange for discovering the identity of "MADMAX". However, he is not above stealing from her piggy bank that consequently forces him to give away a box of his toys.

In 1985, Mike's relationship with his sister seemed to have improved greatly after all they have been through in the past two years. When Nancy urged Mike to open the door, Mike did so as he could tell by her voice that something was wrong. The two worked together with their friends in investigating the Flayed and the Mind Flayer's plot. Mike even came to Nancy's aid when she was being attacked by a monster at the Hawkins Memorial Hospital. As they waited for Eleven to find the Flayed, Nancy was shocked to hear that Eleven broke up with Mike and criticized him for controlling Eleven, stating that Eleven is her own person, fully capable of making her own choices. However, when Mike admitted that he's afraid of losing Eleven and that he truly loves her, Nancy is surprised to hear this. Later, when the Mind Flayer attacks Hopper's cabin, Nancy does everything to protect her brother and his friends. Nancy continues to help and protect Mike before the Mind Flayer is killed at Starcourt Mall. Three months later, Nancy and Mike share their grief together as they watch the Byers family and Eleven leave Hawkins.

In 1986, Mike, now a freshman, carpools with Nancy to Hawkins High. The last day before Spring Break, she barges into Mike's room and yells at him he has thirty seconds to get ready and pesters him to leave as he grabs Pop Tarts for breakfast. Later in the day, Mike storms into the school's newspaper room where Nancy is and asks if she would like to join the school's D&D club, Hellfire. Nancy glares at Mike in annoyance as he's embarrassed her in front of her newspaper peers. Due to Mike being in California, he doesn't have immediate contact with Nancy once Vecna's killings begin. However, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for Nancy's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his sister. Two days after Vecna's disappearance, Mike arrives to Hawkins alongside the Byers and Argyle. Nancy tags along with the California crew to repair Hopper's cabin, and jokes the cabin's condition is better than Mike's bedroom.

Mike had a healthy but somewhat strained relationship with his mother. He knew that Karen was always there to comfort and protect him. However, he disobeyed her orders to not go looking for Will and frequently lied to her. He also did not trust her to handle the situation surrounding Eleven. Karen appeared frustrated that both Mike and Nancy seemed unwilling to be honest and open with her. However, Mike went home to his mother and cried in her arms when he thought that Will was dead. After being unable to accept Eleven's presumed disappearance, Mike started behaving peculiarly which caused Karen, unaware of the cause, to force him to pack most of his toys into a garage sale donation box, frustrating Mike even more so. Mike also gets annoyed when his mom takes so many pictures of him in his Ghostbusters costume and his outfit for the Snow Ball.

However, in October 1985, after saying goodbye to Will and Eleven, Mike sought comfort from his mom in the form of a hug, showing that he truly loves her.

In the spring of 1986, Karen lets Mike visit Will and El in California for Spring Break. However, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for his mom's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his mother. After the supposed "earthquake", Karen is shocked yet relieved to be reunited with her son, who traveled back to Hawkins alongside the Byers via van. As Karen hugs her son tightly, she tells him he can forget about going on vacation again or college because he is staying right by her side.

Mike and Ted did not appear to have the strongest relationship. Ted was often at work and so had less time to spend with his son. Ted's tactless nature could sometimes annoy his family, Mike included. Mike also kept Eleven's existence a secret from Ted. When Mike was urged by his mother to sell a big portion of his toys, Ted said that Mike's toys were "chunks of plastic." In 1986, Ted dismisses Mike's D&D club, the Hellfire Club, as the "high school drop-out club". Yet, he allows Mike to visit Will and Eleven during spring break and reminds him to go to bed early as he has an early morning flight. However, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for his dad's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his father.

Mike doesn't seem to be that close to Holly as he is with Nancy. However, in 1986, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for his Holly's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his sister.

Non-Familial[]

"
Mike motivating Eleven by telling her that he loves her

Mike and Eleven developed a special relationship in the six days they knew each other. He allowed her to stay at his house, provided meals for her everyday and also built a pillow fort for her in his basement. Mike was the first of his friends to trust El, even falling in love with her. Eleven, in turn, was clearly at her most relaxed while alone in the company of Mike. Unlike Dustin and Lucas, Mike understood right away that despite her powers and strange appearance, she was ultimately just another kid. His respect for her deepened when she aided and defended him and his friends in their search for Will.

While in the cafeteria, Mike invited Eleven to be his date to the Snow Ball, an offer which she happily accepted. He then tried to explain that he liked her as more than a friend, and when she didn't understand what he was trying to say, he kissed her in an attempt to demonstrate his love for her. When they were found by the "bad men", as Eleven calls them, Dr. Brenner hugged and comforted her, but in pain, she called out for Mike, instead. When the Demogorgon attacked, Mike and his friends took the chance to carry Eleven to safety. Eleven then disintegrated the Demogorgon, leaving Mike and his friends in safety, but disappearing in the process. Watching her apparent death devastated Mike, and he mourned her loss.

However, he never gave up on her, calling her on his Supercom for 353 days in a row as well as keeping the pillow fort in perfect condition. Unbeknownst to him, she was actually alive and attempting to communicate back. When they finally reunited after nearly a year apart, they shared a long awaited hug -- only to be separated again as they needed to close the gate in the lab. Mike told Eleven that he couldn't "lose her again” and she promised he won't. At this point, Eleven leaned in to kiss Mike but was interrupted when Hopper called her name. Concerned about her, Mike convinced the group to create a distraction in order to clear the lab of the Demodogs. With their help, Eleven managed to close the Gate. Afterwards, on the night of the annual Snow Ball '84, Eleven showed up late to the dance, keeping her promise to Mike. Mike and Eleven then shared their second known kiss - and first of the season - as they danced to the song "Every Breath You Take".

In 1985, their relationship was blossoming more and more, much to her father's dismay. Hopper even became concerned to the point of threatening Mike into not spending time with Eleven. Fearful, Mike did as he was told and kept his distance from El, lying to her and claiming his nana was sick. With the help of Max, Eleven quickly saw through his lie, and when Mike refused to explain himself, she broke up with him, quoting Max's advice from before: "I dump your ass". Max and Eleven quickly hopped on a bus, leaving Mike heartbroken with Will and Lucas. Eleven was angry at Mike for seemingly wanting to control her and not believing in her, though he later revealed to everyone except Eleven (who wasn't present in the room) that he was only behaving like this because he loved her and he couldn't lose her again. Mike then later revealed that he only avoided Eleven because Hopper had threatened him, and they reconciled in the hospital while waiting for Nancy and Jonathan to return.

Mike saved Eleven's life three times; when her leg was seriously injured, he helped her walk and took care of her. When she was in pain, he was extremely worried about her. When the Mind Flayer's strange growth continued to pulsate from Eleven's left leg, making El scream in severe pain, Mike kept holding onto her, trying to comfort her and help keep her still while Jonathan attempted to get the creature out of her left leg. After the battle, they are seen hugging and then are seen together in the back of an ambulance. Three months later, Eleven was getting ready to move out of Hawkins with Will's family. Although she was still unable to use her powers, Mike was hopeful that they would come back and comforted her by saying, "They'll come back, I know they will." El then recalled how Mike had expressed his feelings for her at the cabin and kissed him, telling him she loves him too. During their final goodbyes, they shared long, tearful hugs outside of the Byers house. After El left, Mike returned to his home for a tearful hug with his mom.

By the spring of 1986, Mike and El keep contact through letters. El has made a box shrine full of letters and pictures of Mike. However, El and Mike have begun suffering from communication problems; El has been lying about being bullied by a girl named Angela and struggling in school, while Mike has continued to struggle saying he loves El, ending his letters with "From, Mike". When Mike arrives in California, he presents El with flowers he handpicked from Hawkins. El was visibly disappointed that the letter in the flowers read "From, Mike" yet again, but hides her emotions and tells Mike she loves them. El continues to lie and say she has friends she wants Mike to meet but first wants to take him to the town's roller rink, Rink-O-Mania. There, El is unexpectedly confronted by Angela and her posse, who take advantage of El's lies that they're friends by taking her to the center of the rink and publicly humiliating her. Mike, shocked, does his best to stop the situation, but it proves futile when one of Angela's friends throws a milkshake on El and cause her to fall to the floor. El, embarrassed, skates away from Mike as the crowd laughs at her and hides. Mike and Will scour the rink looking for El only to find her when they hear Angela's screams. They run to El and discover she had struck Angela in the face with a roller skate and caused her nose to split open. Mike, in the heat of the moment, shockingly asks what she had done. After being taken home and having dinner with Joyce and Murray, Jonathan and Argyle discuss the roller rink incident as an "accident" and tell a confused Joyce and Murray that Angela would be fine. Mike muttered that she didn't look fine, causing El to glare at him and storm off to her bedroom.

The next morning, Mike goes into El's bedroom with Eggos for breakfast and asks her why she didn't tell him she was being bullied. He attempts to comfort her and say he know what it's like, but El shuts his argument down and tells him no matter where she goes, everyone looks at her like she's a monster, even him. Mike says that's not true, but El reminds Mike about the way he reacted at the Rink-O-Mania. Mike tells El he was caught off-guard in the situation, and it doesn't take away how much "he cares about her". El then asks if Mike doesn't love her anymore. Mike asks who said that he didn't, causing El to stand up and tell him that not only does he ever say it, but he also can't even write it, presenting him all of his letters that end with "From, Mike". Mike tells a tearful El that she shouldn't let her bullies ruin her self-esteem and she's a superhero, but El says she's not a superhero anymore. Their conversation ends unexpectedly, and police arrive to arrest El for assaulting Angela. As she's taken away, Mike tells El through the police car window that he will fix this. Due to Joyce being out of town, El is sent off to juvenile hall, but is picked up by Dr. Sam Owens and his agents. The agents arrive at the Byers house to tell Jonathan, Will, and Mike that El is being trained to get her powers back to fight a new evil in Hawkins. Agent Ellen Stinson gave Mike a letter from El that informed him she's gone to become a superhero again, ending with "From, El".

The next day, as the boys were under house arrest, Mike sulked over the letter, causing Will and Jonathan to make a plan to get back to Hawkins through Jonathan's best friend, Argyle. With the help of Suzie Bingham, Dustin's girlfriend, they discover that El is in Nevada. They all proceed to drive there. When Mike spots El, she is lying in the middle of the desert. After El takes down a helicopter with her newly equipped powers, Mike jumps out of the van and runs up to El. She is caught off-guard but happily embraces Mike as they press their heads together. Once they escape in Argyle's van, Eleven tells Mike and Will, that they have to get back to Hawkins immediately, due to Vecna's attacks. They later stop at a gas station, and Jonathan frantically calls many airlines, trying to see if there is a way for them to get back to Hawkins. El realizes that she can "piggyback" in order to fight Vecna. She explains that she will need a sensory deprivation tank in order to enhance her abilities. The group proceeds to go to a pizza shop, because there is enough salt there to create a tank for Eleven. They sit together at the shop, and Mike makes El giggle after he jokes about "looking so cool" with the glasses that he made on. Eleven then took his hands and talked about how she missed him. He said that he missed her as well, and began to talk about his feelings for her, but they were then interrupted by Argyle. Argyle placed a pizza on the table, telling Mike and Eleven to try it. Mike immediately refused, due to there being the pineapple as a topping. El tried the pizza and says that it was "really good". El and Argyle playfully forced Mike to eat the pizza which made him like it in the end.

Later, while Eleven was in the sensory deprivation tank fighting Vecna, she started choking due to being trapped by tentacles in Vecna's Mind Lair. In order to help El get out of it, Mike proved to be the heart of the group when he finally said he loves her. In the Void, El becomes emotional when Mike tells her he's always loved her, and that he was afraid to say it out of fear that if El ever left him, it would make that day hurt even more. He goes on to say that his life started the day they met in the woods, and that he loves her no matter who or what she is, calling her his "superhero". Motivated to fight, El temporarily took down Vecna. Later on, El and Mike returned to Hawkins and leaned on one another as they looked over a comatose Max before they worked to rebuild Hopper's cabin and witness the Upside Down beginning to merge into Hawkins.

Mike and Lucas lived next door to each other for most of their childhoods and quickly became best friends. However, this friendship was tested following the disappearance of Will and the arrival of Eleven. Mike was sympathetic towards Eleven and believed she could help find Will while Lucas suspected that she was manipulating them in order to gain food and a bed. Mike and Lucas began to occasionally argue about Will and Eleven due to their differing opinions. This even broke out into a full-fledged fight, though Eleven brought the scuffle to an abrupt end. Mike and Lucas were on bad terms for a time, each refusing to apologize to the other. Dustin suspected that Lucas was jealous that Mike's attention was primarily going towards Eleven. However, after Lucas realized that Eleven had good intentions and saved them from the agents of Hawkins Lab, he apologized and made up with both her and Mike.

In 1984, when playing at the Palace Arcade and trying to figure out the identity of "MADMAX," Lucas tried to urge Mike to give Keith a date with Nancy, which Mike refused. When Mike found out that Lucas, along with Dustin, had invited Max Mayfield (who was "MADMAX") into the Party without informing him, Mike was upset. However, he showed no hostility towards Lucas for it. When Mike worried for Eleven (after she revealed herself to alive) as she went with Hopper to close the Gate, Lucas tried his best to reassure him. When Billy Hargrove attacked Lucas, Mike was greatly concerned for him and once he was rescued by Steve, Mike embraced Lucas. After Max sedates Billy, Mike and Lucas, along with the rest of their friends, work together in burning the tunnels to distract the Demodogs.

In 1985, Mike and Lucas still remained close as both them now had girlfriends. However, after Jim Hopper complicated Mike's relationship with Eleven, Mike sought Lucas's help in fixing his relationship with Eleven. When Mike was dumped by Eleven, he was comforted by Lucas. After discovering the Mind Flayer had returned and possessed Billy, Lucas wanted to burn the Mind Flayer out of Billy, but Mike said that they also needed to stop the Mind Flayer other than Billy. When Mike blurted out his love for Eleven, it caused Lucas to smile at his declaration of love. Both Mike and Lucas continued to work together in battling the Mind Flayer before the Gate was closed once again.

In 1986, the two remain close friends, but have to spend less time together as Lucas is on the basketball team. However, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for Lucas's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his friend. Upon returning to Hawkins, Mike and Lucas embraced and looked over a comatose Max together.

Mike met Dustin in the fourth grade, long after meeting Lucas and Will. Despite their shorter time together, Mike considered Dustin to also be one of his best friends. Dustin was level-headed with Mike, supporting his relationship with Eleven while also being willing to call him out on any questionable behavior. When Dustin was held at knifepoint by Troy Walsh, (who was seeking revenge on them for being publicly humiliated at the school), Mike willingly jumped off Sattler Quarry to save Dustin before Eleven arrived and saved the day.

In 1984, when Mike found that Dustin, along with Lucas, invited Max Mayfield to join the Party without his being informed, Mike became upset but showed no hostility towards Dustin. However, after Dustin introduced Mike to D'Artagnan, Mike was disgusted by D'Artagnan, otherwise known as "Dart." Once he realized that Dart was from the Upside Down, Mike didn't hesitate to attack Dart before he was stopped by Dustin. Later, both Mike and Dustin worked together with their friends in burning the tunnels and Mike looked on as Dustin managed to convince Dart to let them pass. At the Snow Ball a month later, Mike remained on good terms with Dustin and playfully teased him about his hairstyle.

In 1985, Mike welcomed Dustin back from Camp Know Where and was surprised to hear that Dustin had found a new girlfriend named Suzie. However, Mike decided to leave early on their journey to the top of Weathertop (a trip made in order to build Cerebro), so that he could spend romantic time with Eleven. His decision left Dustin confused and upset. As Mike focused on repairing his relationship with Eleven, he did not bother to figure out where Dustin was and what he was doing. However, when the Mind Flayer returned to Hawkins, Mike did try to contact Dustin and became worried when he couldn't. When he finally received a transmission from Dustin, Mike was overjoyed to hear his voice before the transmission was cut short. When Mike came to Dustin's rescue at Starcourt Mall, he hugged him and was reconciled with his friend. After the Mind Flayer's defeat and the Byers' move, Dustin allowed Mike to use Cerebro to contact Eleven.

In 1986, when Lucas joined the basketball team, Mike and Dustin appear to spend even more time than before together. On the championship game before spring break, Mike and Dustin had trouble finding a substitute for Lucas to play in a D&D campaign held by the Hellfire Club. However, when Dustin decided to ask Erica to play in the campaign, Mike agreed with his decision, and they would go along to play D&D with Erica and the members of Hellfire Club. After winning the campaign, Mike and Dustin celebrated their victory before Mike left to visit Will and Eleven in California for spring break. However, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for Dustin's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his friend. Upon returning to Hawkins, Mike and Dustin reunited.

"Do you remember the first day that we met? It was...it was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends...and I just felt so alone and so scared but...I saw you on the swings and you were alone, too. You were just swinging by yourself. And I just walked up to you and I asked...I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done."
Mike attempting to refresh Will's memory after the Mind Flayer possessed Will, "The Mind Flayer"


Mike and Will met each other on their first day of kindergarten and became very close friends. Mike approached Will while he was on a swing set and asked to be his friend, which Will agreed to. He later described this as the best thing that he had ever done. When Will vanished, Mike and his friends quickly decided to search for him. Mike became very upset during the brief period he believed Will was dead, morosely looking back through an old collection of his friend's illustrations. However, after Eleven proved Will was still alive, Mike became more determined than ever to find him. Upon eventually reuniting with Will, Mike was overjoyed to have his best friend home safe and sound.

A year later, when Will was having visions and being overwhelmed by the Mind Flayer, Mike became even more committed to helping him. Trying his best to comfort him, Mike was the only one of his best friends to remain with him at Hawkins Lab when he suffered from memory loss.

Their friendship was still mostly strong in 1985, but Will was upset with how much time Mike was spending with Eleven, and would have preferred more time for D&D campaigns. That said, Will still tried to help Mike when he grew dangerously close to getting dumped by Eleven, and aided him and Lucas in looking for an apology gift in the mall. When their effort failed and Eleven dumped Mike, Mike and Lucas were eager to amend the relationship as soon as possible. Will, however, had a different approach to the situation and likely believed it would've been better to wait, using the extra time for D&D and other friend activities. During a D&D campaign, Mike and Lucas' disinterest greatly disheartened Will to the point where he snapped and cut the campaign short. After they realized what they'd done, both of the boys attempted to apologize, but he brushed them off. Will left the house in a rage, and Mike caught up to him. In a heated argument, Mike told Will that they're grown up and left their days of playing games in the basement behind. However, Mike immediately regretted what he had said as he watched Will leave in tears.

When discovering that the Mind Flayer had returned to Hawkins, Will worked with Mike to stop it. Will eventually managed to reconcile with his friend and smiled when Mike confessed how much he loved Eleven. The two later continued to work together in defeating the Mind Flayer. Three months later, Will said goodbye to Mike before he and his family moved away from Hawkins. He assured him that he would never join another party, resulting in a big smile from Mike. Mike suggested to Eleven that she and Will return to Hawkins for Christmas as he thought that it would be fun to open their presents together on Christmas Day.

By 1986, Mike had become rather disinterested in keeping contact with Will, only calling him a few times as opposed to Eleven, who has a box of letters from him. Before Mike's arrival to Lenora Hills for Spring Break, Will began working hard on a painting he refused to show anyone. At the airport, both Will and El were eager to greet Mike at his gate, with Will bringing the wrapped-up painting with him. Unlike El, however, Mike's reunion with Will was extremely flat, with Mike awkwardly hugging Will. When Mike asked what he was holding, but Will simply said it was a painting he's been working on. As they leave the airport, Mike was not informed by Will that he was being lied to by El about her "friends" (who are actually her bullies). At the Rink-O-Mania, Will grew more annoyed over El's lies and believed they were hurting Mike. When Angela took El to the center of the rink to humiliate her, Will tried to tell Mike that El hasn't been telling the truth, but Mike did not believe him until El got embarrassed in front of the entire rink and ran off. As Mike and Will searched for her, Mike called Will a "douche" for being so rude to El during the whole day and not telling him about her problems earlier. Will finally snapped, saying El had been lying to Mike and he felt he had been a total third wheel all day. Mike was dismissive of this at first, but Will told him that he was not interested in anything he had to say anymore. Mike said that wasn't not true, but Will pointed out his lack of contact with him as opposed to El. Mike said that it was because El is his girlfriend and Will is just his friend, but Will said they used to be best friends. At a loss of words, Mike told Will he should've reached out more and asked why he was the bad guy. Not reaching a conclusion, the two continued to look for El until they witnessed their friend striking Angela in the face in retaliation for her bullying.

After El was arrested and later taken away by Dr. Owens to regain her powers, Will ranted to a sulking Mike over how the agents believe they can contain the evil in Hawkins without Eleven. He took notice of Mike looking over a letter El gave him, and listened as Mike lamented over how he had yet to say that he loved El. Mike was comforted by Will, who told him that whatever he wanted to say to El, he can say it when they find her. As the boys came up with a plan on hitching a ride to Hawkins through Argyle, Mike came to Will's room and thanked him for comforting him while also apologizing for his behavior towards him. Will attempted to say that he deserved it since he was being a jerk to Eleven, but Mike insisted he didn't deserve anything. Much to Will's surprise, Mike said that he had begun to notice how empty Hawkins felt without him and that they would work better if they were a team, or "best friends". The boys smiled as their friendship had been repaired once again. When the doorbell rang, Will grabbed his painting and placed it in his backpack. As the army raided the Byers home, Mike and Will held on to one another as they and Jonathan followed Agent Harmon to escape. After burying Harmon's body in the desert, Mike commented how he struggled to say things at the heat of the moment, and Will said that sometimes it's hard for people to say the things they want to say out of fear of being rejected. In Nevada, Mike grew worried over El not needing him anymore and that he was lucky to have someone like El in his life. Then, Will showed Mike his painting, revealing it to be a large poster of a dragon and knights. Impressed and happy, Mike asked if Will made this, and Will lied and said El had commissioned it for him to draw. Will pointed to a knight that's supposed to be Mike, and told him he's the heart of the group, and without him, the Party would fall apart. Will became emotional as he substituted El for how he truly feels, saying "El" had been lost without Mike and would always need him, no matter how far apart they are. Though Mike had become more motivated and happier, he does not notice Will turning away and crying, unaware that his friend was in love with him. Mike and Will continued to work together, with Will reminding Mike he's the heart when El began to hyperventilate in the Void while fighting Vecna. After returning to Hawkins, two days later, Will disclosed to Mike of Vecna's survival, saying that he won't stop until he's killed everyone. Mike comforted Will and said they will be able to kill Vecna once and for all, showing that their bond has improved significantly.

Mike and his friends had a great relationship with their school science teacher, Mr. Clarke. He was more than willing to help the boys further their interest in science, even purchasing a ham radio for them.

Mike had a great deal of respect for Bob, given his significant contribution to the funding and raising of Hawkins Middle AV Club, along with his close friendship with Will. After Bob's heroism saved their lives, Mike grew inspired by his efforts and urged the group to find a way to avenge him by defeating the shadow monster, reminding them that they couldn't let the man die in vain.

Mike and his friends first met Max Mayfield when Mr. Clarke introduced her to the class. While Dustin and Lucas grew curious about her since she had beaten Dustin's high score on Dig Dug, Mike wasn't interested with her and was reluctant to let her join the Party. However, his apparent apathy towards her was because he was still reeling from Eleven's disappearance. Despite his hostility, he still cared for Max on some level, as he appeared concerned when Eleven caused her to fall while skateboarding. After Mike eventually reunited with Eleven, he gave up his hostility towards Max and accepted her as one of the Party.

In 1985, Mike has fully accepted Max into the Party and treated her as an equal like the rest of his friends, being on friendly terms with her. However, after Jim Hopper complicated his relationship with Eleven, causing Eleven to hang out with Max, Mike grew irritated and upset as he did not want Eleven to be with Max, believing Max to be influencing Eleven into conspiring against him. This along with Max, blaming Mike for wanting to control Eleven, put a strain on their relationship and became even more strained after Max and Eleven spied on him and Lucas. However, when Mike admits he's worried for Eleven and that he loves her, this causes Mike and Max to reconcile, as they both care for her, as her boyfriend and best friend. When El asks Mike to trust her, he looks at Max, who nods for him to say yes, which he does. Mike later admits to Eleven that he does enjoy her being friends with Max, and that he was just jealous at first of their friendship. Both Mike and Max continued to care for Eleven after she was injured and help each other out during the battle against the Mind Flayer at Starcourt Mall.

By 1986, Max had grown distant from her friends due to her depression over Billy's death, Mike included. Max sits next to Mike and Dustin during the school's pep rally and explains the rules of the basketball tournament to them. In California, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for Max's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his friend. When Mike returns to Hawkins, he was saddened to find Max in a comatose state.

Initially, in 1983, Mike seemed annoyed that his sister was dating Steve and her obsessive over him. When Mike snuck out to search for Will, Mike noticed Steve sneaking into Nancy's bedroom and rolled his eyes in annoyance before riding away on his bike.

In 1984, Mike and his friends were looked after by Steve who rejected Mike's to distract the demodogs with Mike insisting "this isn't a stupid sports game." After Steve is knocked out by Hargrove, Mike and Steve went down into the tunnels and drew the dogs away from the gate.

In 1985, Mike seemed to be on very good terms with Steve now as he and his friends get a hookup from Steve where he helped them sneak into Starcourt Mall's movie theater. Later, Mike came to Steve's rescue before he, Dustin, Erica, and Robin were killed by Russian soldiers. They, along with their friends, worked together in battling the Mind Flayer's avatar.

In 1986, Mike and Steve remained close. Upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from agents Ellen Stinson, Harmon, and Wallace, Mike grew worried for Steve's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his friend. When Mike returned to Hawkins, he reunited with Steve.

Hopper and Mike did not get off to a good start. While questioning the boys about Will's whereabouts, Hopper ordered Mike and his friends to not go searching for Will, but Mike secretly disobeyed him and went in search of Will anyway. When Hopper contacted Mike through Will's super-com and told him he could protect him and his friends from the government agents, Mike decided to trust the Chief and reveal the Party's location.

In 1984, Mike went with Will, Joyce, and Bob to rescue Hopper in the Upside Down tunnels, demonstrating his willingness to come to Hopper's aid. However, when Mike found out that Hopper had been hiding Eleven for nearly a year, he became furious with Hopper, blaming him for hiding her. Although Hopper initially tried to justify his actions, he stopped when he saw how broken Mike was and comforted the sobbing boy, apologizing to him as he realized how wrong he was to have kept Eleven hidden.

By 1985, Hopper and Mike weren't on good terms again, especially when Hopper became irritated with how much time his adopted daughter, Eleven, was spending with Mike. It eventually boiled over when Mike became too arrogant and disrespected the Chief. Having lost his temper, Hopper forced Mike to distance himself from Eleven, which eventually led to their breakup -- an event that brought Hopper much joy. However, despite their differences, Hopper still wanted Mike to be safe and told him to be careful before the final attack at Starcourt Mall. These words of concern hinted that he did care for Mike and was beginning to support his relationship with Eleven.

In 1986, Hopper returns to Hawkins after being rescued by Joyce and Murray in Kamchatka, Russia. Mike slowly approaches Hopper and greets him. Hopper tells him he's grown, while Mike says that he's shrunk. Hopper chuckles and the two embrace, showing that Hopper and Mike do care for another despite their history.

Mike was well-acquainted with Will's older brother, Jonathan. When meeting up with Jonathan, after being rescued by Chief Jim Hopper, the two worked together in building a sensory deprivation tank so Eleven could use her powers to locate Will in the Upside Down.

In 1984, Mike and Jonathan met up again after escaping from Hawkins National Laboratory when a pack of Demodogs massacred nearly everyone in the lab. The two worked together, along with their friends, in communicating with the possessed Will in order to figure out a way to stop the Mind Flayer.

In 1985, Mike and Jonathan met again and worked together investigating the Flayed and attempting to stop the Mind Flayer. When Mike and Max argued about Eleven's well-being and independence, Jonathan did not jump into the argument and in the end, he looked shocked when Mike blurted out his love for El. After discovering the Mind Flayer's true plan, Mike and his friends were protected by Jonathan when the Mind Flayer's avatar attacked them. The two continued to work together where they removed a piece of the Mind Flayer out of El's wounded leg and fought against its avatar at Starcourt Mall before it was killed when Joyce turned off the Key that was opening a gate. Three months later, Mike assisted Jonathan in packing up his belongings and said goodbye to him before sadly watching him leave Hawkins with El and his family.

In 1986, Mike met up with Jonathan again after arriving in Lenora Hills, California to visit Eleven during spring break. Mike greeted Jonathan and met his new friend, Argyle. Later, El got arrested for assaulting Angela, Mike and Jonathan tried to get El out of prison before Agent Ellen Stinson informed them that she had been rescued from police custody and left with Dr. Sam Owens to regain her powers so she can help fight a new evil threatening Hawkins. The next day, Mike, Jonathan, and Will all agreed to escape from the watch of Agents Wallace and Harmon to find El and return to Hawkins to save their friends. When soldiers led by Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan ambushed and attacked them, Mike and Will were protected by Jonathan before they along, with a wounded Harmon, escaped with Argyle.

After Agent Harmon died from his wounds, Mike and Jonathan buried him in a junkyard with Will and Argyle's help. When they found the number Harmon gave them that would help find El's location, Jonathan, Mike, and Will went to call the number, only to realize they were calling a computer. When Mike suggested they request Suzie Bingham's help in using the number to hack into the government system, Jonathan disagreed as he had listened to Suzie's duet with Dustin Henderson when fighting the Mind Flayer last year, but eventually relented. Upon arriving at Suzie's house, they asked for her help and were successful in finding the location of the Nina Project facility where El was.

However, while traveling to find the Nina Project, Jonathan became frustrated, thinking they were lost, despite Mike's reassurance until Argyle pointed they were in the right direction by finding tire tracks belonging to military vehicles. As a result, they were able to rescue Eleven and escape from Colonel Sullivan and his forces in time. Later, they tried to book a flight to Hawkins to save their friends from Hawkins, but when that failed, Mike and Jonathan worked together in building a sensory deprivation tank so Eleven could use her powers to fight Vecna in Max's mind. And as El fought Vecna, Mike and Jonathan kept watch over her before she was able to defeat him.

Two days later, Mike and Jonathan returned to Hawkins together where they reunited with their friends and loved ones before working together to rebuild Hopper's cabin.

Troy Walsh and James Dante were bullies of Mike and his friends. Mike was given the cruel nickname "Frog-Face" by Troy and James and Mike often did his best to ignore them. After Will went missing, Troy and James cruelly joked about Will's disappearance, and Troy said that Will was dead. Mike tried to walk away, but Troy tripped him, causing him to hit his chin off of a rock. At a memorial assembly, at Hawkins Middle School, Mike noticed Troy and James laughing during the assembly and angrily confronted the two boys. Though Troy brushed him off and called Will homophobic slurs, Mike reached his breaking point and angrily shoved him to the floor. Troy stood up to hit Mike back but Eleven used her powers to freeze Troy, shocking Mike where he became amused when Eleven caused Troy to urinate on himself.

However, Troy blamed the incident on Mike. When Troy and James tracked down Mike and Dustin in the forest to get revenge, Mike and Dustin attempted to run away, but the pair chased after them. Troy and James managed to trap Dustin and Mike at Sattler’s Quarry. Despite attempting to fight back, Mike was horrified when Troy grabbed Dustin and began threatening him with a knife. Troy demanded to know how Mike made him freeze and urinate himself, thinking he had used something scientific on him. Though Dustin told Troy that Eleven made him urinate on himself, Troy did not believe him and forced Mike to jump off the quarry, threatening to cut out Dustin's teeth. Mike submitted to Troy's demands and jumped off the quarry, but he was saved by Eleven who proceeded to break Troy's arm and scare him and James away. After the incident, Mike was never bullied by Troy and James again.

In 1986, Mike was taken in by Eddie at the start of his freshman year in Hawkins High. Mike respected Eddie and would always attend to his club's campaigns. The two didn't have as close a bond as Dustin had with Eddie, but Eddie did mention that he saw Mike and Dustin as the future game-masters of Hellfire Club, reflecting how he first saw Mike wearing clothes his mom bought for him from Gap. It is unknown how Mike reacted to Eddie's death after returning to Hawkins.

In 1986, Mike first meets Argyle when arriving at the airport. When Jonathan introduces them to one another, Argyle at appears to hug Mike, when in reality he checks the tags on his California-like outfit and tells him that his shirt is a "shitty knock-off" but he'll hook him up with the "good threads". After a moment of silence, Argyle tells Mike that Jonathan has told him a lot about his sister, Nancy, causing even further awkwardness. Argyle soon reluctantly joins Jonathan, Will, and Mike to drive across the country back to Indiana to save Eleven. Argyle later teases Mike for not wanting to try pineapple on pizza, telling him to "try before he [denies]". Yet, the two were able to work together in helping Eleven fight Vecna and two days later, Mike and Argyle traveled to Hawkins together.

Appearances[]

Season One appearances
The Vanishing of Will Byers The Weirdo on Maple Street Holly, Jolly The Body
The Flea and the Acrobat The Monster The Bathtub The Upside Down
Season Two appearances
MADMAX Trick or Treat, Freak The Pollywog
Will the Wise Dig Dug The Spy
The Lost Sister The Mind Flayer The Gate
Season Three appearances
Suzie, Do You Copy? The Mall Rats The Case of the Missing Lifeguard The Sauna Test
The Flayed E Pluribus Unum The Bite The Battle of Starcourt
Season Four appearances
The Hellfire Club Vecna's Curse The Monster and the Superhero
Dear Billy The Nina Project The Dive
The Massacre at Hawkins Lab Papa The Piggyback

Comics[]

The Other Side appearances
Issue 1* Issue 2* Issue 3* Issue 4

*Can be seen in flashbacks

Video games[]

Video game appearances
Stranger Things: The Game Stranger Things 3: The Game Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales Stranger Things: The VR Experience
Dead by Daylight Fortnite Smite Roblox

Family tree[]

note: family trees are only visible on desktop.

 
 
 
Ted Wheeler Family Tree icon
Ted Wheeler
 
Karen Wheeler in Season 4
Karen Wheeler
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nancy Wheeler Family Tree icon 002
Nancy Wheeler
 
 
Mike Wheeler Season 4
Mike Wheeler
 
 
Holly Season 4 icon
Holly Wheeler

Memorable Quotes[]

Mike:

  • "What was your test on again? Human anatomy?"
  • "It's a trap!"
  • "You want her? You have to kill us first!"

Mike to Eleven:

  • "Maybe we can call you El, short for Eleven."
  • "Friends don't lie."
  • "No, El, you're not the monster. You saved me, do you understand? You saved me."
  • "I was thinking, maybe we can go to the Snow Ball together."
  • "It's day 353. I had a bad day. I don't know, I guess I wish you were here. We all do. If you're out there, just please, give me a sign....Eleven?"
  • "Blank makes you crazy."
  • "I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods. You were wearing that yellow Benny's Burgers T-shirt. And it was so big, it almost swallowed you whole. And I knew right then and there, in that moment, that I loved you. And I've loved you every day since. I love you on your good days. I love you on your bad days. I love you with your powers, without your powers. I love you for exactly who you are. You're my superhero."

Mike to Dustin, Lucas & Will:

  • "Something is coming... something hungry for blood. A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in darkness. It is almost here..."

Mike to his mother:

  • "If anyone asks where I am, I've left the country."
  • "MOM! GET OFF THE PHONE! HOW MANY TIMES?!"

Mike to Will:

  • "Well, if we're both going crazy, we'll go crazy together, right?"
  • "You're a spy now, Will. A superspy."
  • "Do you remember the first day that we met? It was... it was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends... and I just felt so alone and so scared but I saw you on the swings and you were alone too. You were just swinging by yourself and I just walked up to you and I asked... I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done."
  • "I'm not trying to be a jerk. But we're not kids anymore. I mean, what did you think? We were never gonna get girlfriends? We were just gonna sit in my basement and play games for the rest of our lives?"
  • "I think we would work better as a team. Friends. Best friends."

Mike to Lucas:

  • "We're no use to Will if we're dead."
  • "Real mature, Lucas.

Mike to Max:

  • "I'm our paladin, Will's our cleric, Dustin's our bard, Lucas is our ranger, and El's our mage."

Mike to Hopper:

  • "You're a stupid, disgusting lying piece of shit!"
  • "You're crazy!"

Mike to Steve:

  • "First of all, this isn't some stupid sports game. And second of all, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench.

Mike to the Party:

  • I'm just trying to demonstrate how careless Max is with Eleven's powers. In fact, how careless all of you are. You're treating her like some kind of machine when she's not a machine, and I don't want her to die looking for the Flayed when they've obviously vanished off the face of the Earth. So can we please just come up with a new plan because I love her and I can't lose her again!

Behind the scenes[]

Character development[]

Originally, Mike's character was intended to be more like "a straight man", a typical American boy on the cusp of adolescence who had a fervent desire for escapist adventures. However, after Finn Wolfhard was cast as Mike, the Duffer Brothers sought to readjust Mike by incorporating Wolfhard's charisma and winning optimism into the character.[2]

The Duffers likened how Finn was "less cliché" and more "fidgety" as opposed to how they imagined Mike and adjusted the character, giving him more of a leadership type of role. Ultimately, Mike's character became funnier. In the original plan, Mike also had a birthmark on his cheek, but the Duffers decided to remove it as they thought him being natural was better.[2]

Casting[]

Due to sickness, Wolfhard had to film the entire audition tape for Stranger Things from his bed. The Duffers saw great potential in his performance and invited him for a screen test in mid-2015 with Gaten. Four weeks later, Wolfhard was cast as Mike.[2]

While Wolfhard auditioned for the show around the same time when he auditioned for the 2017 film "It", but as the movie was pushed back, he was able to star in the show.[3]

Gallery[]

View Gallery For this subject's gallery, see Mike Wheeler/Gallery.


Trivia[]

  • When playing Dungeons & Dragons, Mike usually plays as the Dungeon Master.[4] However, his DMPC is a Paladin.
  • In the Worlds Turned Upside Down companion book, he is erroneously stated to be a Cleric.
  • The clothes he gave Eleven to change into the first night she stayed with him were the same clothes he was wearing the day before.
  • The blonde wig that Eleven wore was given a backstory; it originally belonged to Mike's grandmother, who passed away due to cancer.[5]
  • In the original pilot script, he had a crush on Jennifer Hayes. Also, he had a birthmark on his cheek and was originally intended to be the first character to enter the show's alternate dimension.
  • Mike is the first character to refer to the show's alternate dimension as "the Upside Down".
  • His first name is a reference to Michael "Mikey" Walsh from the 1985 film The Goonies, who his character was originally based on.[6]
  • Mike Wheeler and Jim Hopper are the only characters to appear in all episodes of season 1, season 2, and season 3.
  • In early development, Mike was referred to as Elliot.[7]
  • In "E Pluribus Unum", Mike mentions Eleven's mother Terry Ives, before Eleven goes into Billy's mind; hinting that Mike and the rest of the Party now know about Eleven's mother and what happened to her.
  • In the comic Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons, his birthday is on April, 7th. He was 10 years old in 1981 and thus 12 during the events of Season 1.[1]
  • In the Hawkins Middle School Yearbook, he was shown to be voted as the "Friendliest Face". His career goal is also stated to be a Writer. His favorite subject is English. His hobbies are watching movies and being the Dungeon Master for his D&D campaigns. When he's not studying he is listening to the airwaves on his walkie-talkie. The extracurricular activities he did are the AV Club and the Science Fair. He was also one of the editors of the yearbook.
  • Mike's favorite Christmas movie is Santa Claus is Coming to Town.[8]
  • Finn Wolfhard has stated that he believes that in 2022, Mike would be "working a cool job" at a bowling alley.[9]
  • Mike was convinced he would hate pineapple pizza until Eleven and Argyle convinced him to try it. In the end, he discovered he liked it.
  • His streak of appearing in every episode of the series ended when he was entirely absent in the episode "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab", but then appeared in the last two after.
    • After his absence, Dustin and Lucas became the only characters to have appeared in every single episode.
  • After the writers of the show released a snippet of the season 4 script, a line spoken by Mike suggests that he thinks badly of himself, leading many fans to believe he's dealing with insecurity issues.[10]

References[]

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