| “ | I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but it turns out I’m actually a pretty damn good babysitter.
— Steve Harrington, November 5, 1984
|
” |
Steve Harrington is a recurring character in the first season and a main character in the second and third season of Stranger Things. He is portrayed by starring cast member Joe Keery.
A student at Hawkins High School, he was friends with Tommy H. and Carol and the boyfriend of Nancy Wheeler. When Nancy's best friend disappeared, she became distant and Steve thought she was cheating with Jonathan Byers. Following a few ignorant actions, Steve had a change of heart, told his friends off and set out to make things right. By coincidence, he ended up heroically saving the day and reconciled with his girlfriend.
In 1984, following a falling-out with Nancy, Steve became a proper ally to the main party, especially Dustin, with whom he formed an unlikely friendship. He became a sort of authority figure for the party and solidified himself into becoming a major player in the battle against the Mind Flayer.
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History
Background
Steve was a student at Hawkins High School and friends with Tommy H. and Carol. During a conversation, Nancy implied that he had several superficial sexual relationships with girls, including Laurie, Amy and Becky.
He did not have a great relationship with his father, at one point referring to him as a "grade A asshole."
1983
Steve and Nancy Wheeler started dating around November 1983. They had made out a couple of times and fooled around in the bathroom at school. On November 6, he convinced her to go on a date with him. In the evening, Steve climbed in through her bedroom window and helped her study for a chemistry test. He suggested they should take their clothes off and was leading up to have sex with Nancy, but she stopped him.[1]
Steve and Nancy have sex for the first time.
The next day, Steve’s parents were leaving town for a conference his father was going to and he invited Nancy to a party at his house. Tommy and Carol were also there, and Nancy brought her friend Barbara Holland along. Steve chugged a beer and persuaded Nancy to do the same. Apart from Barb, they all jumped into the pool with clothes and played around. Nancy slept over at Steve’s that night and they had sex.[2]
At school the following day, Nancy felt like people were watching her, but Steve swore that he hadn’t told anyone and kissed her by the lockers. During lunch, Nancy was worried because she hadn't seen Barb since last night, but Steve suggested that she was "probably just skipping."
Steve taunts Jonathan before breaking his camera.
Nicole informed Steve that she had seen Jonathan Byers in the darkroom, developing sneaky photographs from the pool party. Steve and his friends confronted Jonathan and took the photos, one of which was of Nancy getting undressed. Steve called Jonathan a pervert, ripped up the photos and broke his camera.[3]
Barb was still missing two days after the party and Nancy expressed her worry to Steve. However, he was more concerned that his parents would find out he hosted a party with beer. Nancy got upset, walked away and said “I can’t believe you right now.”[4] Steve did get into trouble with his parents, but went to Nancy’s home to apologize the day after. He explained that he panicked and “was a total dick.” He noticed that Nancy was still upset about Barb and suggested they catch a movie to “pretend everything is normal for a few hours.” However, Nancy was reluctant and said she couldn't.[5]
Noticing that Nancy was acting weird, Steve worried that something was wrong and decided to check up on her. He drove to her house with Tommy and Carol the same evening and climbed up to her bedroom window. There, he saw Nancy sitting on her bed with Jonathan Byers beside her. Jonathan placed a jacket on Nancy’s shoulders and held his arm around her back. Steve immediately concluded that Nancy was cheating on him.[6]
Nancy slaps Steve while Tommy, Carol and Nicole watch.
Hurt and angry, Steve went around downtown Hawkins with Tommy, Carol and Nicole as Tommy spray painted obscene messages about Nancy and Jonathan on walls and the marquee of the movie theater. Nancy confronted them and slapped Steve across the face. She inferred that Steve had come by last night and, though she tried to tell him that “it wasn’t like that,” was unable to explain what she and Jonathan had done in her room. Steve told Nancy to go to hell, spewed insults at Jonathan about his family and pushed him until they ended up in a fist fight. Jonathan kept punching Steve in the face while he was down on the ground, until the cops broke up the fight and Steve ran away with his friends.[6]
Tommy and Carol kept talking trash about Nancy until Steve finally had enough and told Carol to shut up. Steve regretted their actions and told Tommy he shouldn’t have spray painted that stuff about Nancy. He called them both out for never caring about or liking Nancy, called them assholes and miserable people and drove off. He then went to the movie theater to help them clean the spray paint off the marquee.[7]
Jonathan, Steve (spiked bat in hand) and Nancy after fighting off the monster.
In the evening, Steve went to the Byers residence to make things right. Nancy was there with Jonathan and threatened to shoot Steve unless he left immediately. But, the Christmas lights hung all over the living room started blinking intensely and a monster broke through the ceiling. The trio hid in Will’s room until the monster disappeared and Steve, who didn’t understand what was going on, tried to call the police in a panic. Nancy told him to leave because the monster would come back, so Steve ran to his car. The lights started blinking again, so Steve want back inside and fought off the monster with a spiked bat, leading it into the bear trap in the hallway, where Jonathan set fire to it.[8]
A month later, at Christmas, Steve and Nancy had reconciled and he spent Christmas Eve at the Wheeler household with her family. Steve had bought a camera for Jonathan to replace the one he broke, which he had Nancy give to him as a Christmas present.[8]
1984
While in the school parking, Nancy was looking over Steve's college essay when they witnessed Billy Hargrove and Max Mayfield arrive. That night, Steve and Nancy had dinner with Mrs. and Mr. Holland. While there, they discovered the Hollands were selling their house in order to hire Murray Bauman, a private investigator, to investigate Barb’s "disappearance."
The next day, as Steve and Nancy were studying in the school library, Nancy noticed a person who resembled Barb, reigniting her grief. She then told Steve that they should tell Barb’s parent’s the truth about her death. After reminding her that it would be too dangerous to do so, Steve managed to convince Nancy not to say anything and to go to that night’s Halloween party so that they could have a normal night.
That night at the party, Steve had a confrontation with Billy, who had beaten his keg standing record. Nancy began drinking the spiked punch, despite Steve’s protests. She eventually became intoxicated, resulting in her confessing to Steve that she really did not have feelings for him. Upset, Steve left the party, later asking Jonathan to take Nancy home.
While Steve was in gym class, Nancy arrived to talk to him. Steve recounted the events of the party to her, including her confession. Nancy tried to assure Steve that what she said wasn’t true, but when she didn’t tell him that she loved upon his request, he left.
When Steve went to the Wheelers’ house to reconcile with Nancy, he was intercepted by Dustin, who urged Steve to come with him and to bring his spiked bat. On the way to his house, Dustin explained Dart to Steve, who initially believed that what Dustin found was some sort of lizard. When they entered the cellar, they discovered that, not only had Dart molted again, but it had also escaped through a tunnel it had dug in the earth.
As they were walking along the train tracks, Dustin explained to Steve he had kept Dart in hopes of impressing “a girl”. Steve then gave him relationship advice, telling him to “act like he doesn't care”. He also disclosed his hair-styling secret: Farrah Fawcett hairspray, but stated not to reveal it to anyone. They eventually arrived at the junkyard where they were soon joined by Lucas and Max. Together, they fortified the abandoned bus and created a trap to lure in Dart.
As the group were waiting in the bus, they suddenly heard a screeching sound. The sound's source was revealed to
Steve armed with his bat faces a demodog
be Dart, who arrived at the junkyard but didn't take the bait. So, Steve decided to confront him while telling Dustin to remain prepared. However, when Steve approached Dart, it was revealed that he wasn't alone and was joined by several other Demodogs. Steve, almost overwhelmed, managed to get back in the bus with the group after defending himself from the attacking demodogs. As the pack attacked the bus and nearly overwhelmed them, they suddenly stopped, leaving the junkyard. Following the Demodogs, they realized they were heading to Hawkins Lab. Arriving at the lab, they discovered Nancy and Jonathan, who were looking for Mike and Will. They were all forced to wait outside the lab, due to the lab's power being out. Eventually, the power came back and the group was finally able to get passed the gates. They reunited with Joyce, Hopper, Mike, and Will, and together they all escaped the lab.
Once it was determined that they’d have to interrogate Will in order to discover the Mind Flayer’s weakness, Steve assisted in remodeling the Byers’ backyard shed. During Will’s interrogation, he signaled in Morse code the way to stop the Mind Flayer: closing the Gate. Soon after, the phone in the Byers’ kitchen rang, allowing the Mind Flayer to know their location and send a pack of Demodogs their way. However, Eleven arrived and eradicated them. 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. Meanwhile, Steve stayed behind at the Byers’ house, along with Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Max.
When Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Max decided they’d burn the tunnels as a distraction to lure the Demodogs away from the lab for Eleven and Hopper’s safety, Steve refused to let them enact their plan. Just then, Billy arrived looking for Max and confronted Steve. Steve tried to conceal her location by replying that he had no idea of her whereabouts. But Billy discovered his lies and aggressively pushed him away before entering the house. As Billy tried to forcefully bring back Max by threatening Lucas, Steve intervened and the two ended up in a fist fight.
Initially, Steve had the upper hand and dealt some quick blows, before Billy countered and brutally maimed him. 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. Steve came to his consciousness and realized that the kids were already entering the tunnels, despite his refusal. Even though Steve protested, Dustin ultimately managed to convince him to help them. Making their way to the hub, they doused the entire area in gasoline and set it ablaze. On their way out of the tunnels, 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.
Steve drives Dustin to the Snow Ball
On December 15, Steve drove Dustin to the Snow Ball, giving him another pep talk on how to win the hearts of girls. After Dustin left, Steve waited and saw Nancy through the window of the middle school gymnasium, serving drinks at the dance and slowly accepted their failed relationship, before driving away.
1985
Sometime after the inauguration of the shopping center Starcourt Mall by the mayor of Hawkins, Steve began working in one of it's food courts, the Scoops Ahoy, alongside Robin.
Personality
Initially, Steve was shown as a typical popular boy who had an interest in Nancy. He displayed some insecurities, as he instantly believed Nancy was sleeping with Jonathan when he saw them together in her bedroom. Despite his flaws, Steve shows that he has a brave side and truly cares about Nancy, as he helped her beat the Monster. At the end of The Upside Down (episode) it is revealed that Steve and Nancy got back together and purchased Jonathan a new camera to replace the one he and Tommy broke.
In Season Two, after Nancy breaks up with him, Steve is at a low point. Between the breakup and Billy Hargrove quickly taking over his status as 'King Bee', Steve hasn't a lot going for him.
While trying to make amends with Nancy, Dustin intercepts him and ropes him into assisting with catching D'Artagnan. Steve and Dustin bond over methods of attracting girls and become friends. Steve takes on the role as 'babysitter' for the kids and is shown to be more kind and responsible, breaking out of the stereotype of 'popular boy'.
Skills
One of Steve's incredible skills is his proficiency with his spiked bat. His adeptness with his bat was revealed when he displayed significant feats to fend off the vicious Demogorgon from attacking at the Byers house. Steve used his spiked bat again during the events at the junkyard where he was almost overwhelmed in an ambush by the demodogs, if not for defending himself with it.
He was also shown to be physically robust during his fist-fight with Billy, dealing some quick blows to defend Lucas. And even though he received major injuries in the process, Steve was still able to help enter and guide the kids out of the demodogs' tunnel after setting it afire. He is also able to knock out a Soviet Soldier with a phone in a fight.
Relationships
Familial
It is implied Steve doesn’t have a close relationship with his parents, or at the very least his father. While his parents were out of town, he held a party at their house without their knowledge. He later feared having to tell the police about the party, the reason being that his father was an “asshole”. In “MADMAX”, Steve tells Nancy that he will likely end up working for his father, something he didn’t seem very enthusiastic about.
Non-familial
During the events of the second season, Steve and Dustin formed an unlikely friendship. Steve was enlisted by Dustin to help him handle Dart when no one else was available. During this time, the two bonded over their relationship problems. Upon finding out that Dustin had kept Dart as an attempt to impress a girl (Max), Steve gave Dustin advice, telling him to “act like he doesn’t care.” He also willingly disclosed his hair styling secrets. When everybody else failed, Dustin was the one who convinced Steve to put aside his responsibility of protecting the group and instead assist them in burning the tunnels. The two were shown to still be friends by the time the Snow Ball arrived, with Steve driving Dustin to the event and giving him a pep talk before wishing him luck.
A year later, Dustin and Steve are still shown to remain friends when they greet each other at Scoops Ahoy after Dustin returns from Camp Know Where. Dustin tells Steve about his new girlfriend, Suzie and asks for his help with translating a Russian broadcast he picked up when trying to contact Suzie, which Steve accepts. When Robin hears of the message and translate it for them, Dustin and Steve work together, along with Robin, to find Russians and what the back room of the mall. After getting into the room with Erica Sinclair's help, Dustin stays by Steve's side as Steve opens a box of unknown chemicals, not wanting him to die, which touches Steve. When they are spotted by the Russians, Steve, along with Robin, help Dustin and Erica escape before Dustin tells him that he'll come back for him. Eventually, Dustin comes to Steve and Robin's rescue and helps them escape the Russian base, while looking out and protecting them as they were drugged with truth serum. After Steve and Robin were cured, Steve reveals to Dustin that he told the Russians his name while being drugged, much to Dustin's shock, as Steve apologized.
Steve and Nancy first began seeing each other shortly before the events of the first season. While Nancy initially believed that Steve wasn’t serious about their relationship, this turned out to not be the case. In truth, Steve really loved Nancy, claiming she’s “not like other girls”. After having sex at party held at Steve’s house, they officially entered a relationship. However, when Nancy became distant due to the disappearance of her friend Barb, Steve grew worried. When he visited her house to check on her, he witnessed Nancy and Jonathan together in her room, making him believe she was cheating. When Nancy confronted him, Steve gave her a chance to explain herself, though, due to the extraordinary nature of the events, she was unable to. After realizing his mistakes, he went to the Byers’ house in order to apologize. There, he unexpectedly helped Nancy and Jonathan fight the Demogorgon. A month after these events, Steve and Nancy had gotten back together.
The two had dated for nearly a year when their relationship was once again put in jeopardy; no longer being able to bear the guilt of Barb’s death, Nancy told Steve they should tell the Hollands the truth. Steve rejected this idea, reminding her that doing so would put them and their families in danger. At a Halloween party, Nancy became intoxicated, leading her to reveal that she did not have feelings for him. This emotionally crushed Steve, and he broke up with her the following day. Yet, Steve still had feelings for Nancy, and after being goaded by Tommy and Billy, attempted to apologize to her. He eventually came to terms with Nancy’s feelings for Jonathan, and told her she should be with him instead. After dropping Dustin off at the Snow Ball, Steve spotted Nancy and accepted she will never love him.
A year later, in 1985, Steve confessed to Robin that he no longer loves Nancy and considers her a friend, as he's now looking for the perfect girl for him.
During most of the first season, Steve had an antagonistic relationship with Jonathan, viewing him as an outcast. When Steve found out Jonathan had taken photographs of the pool party, including a candid photo of Nancy, he labeled Jonathan a pervert and broke his camera in retaliation. Following a misunderstanding, he believed Nancy was cheating on him with Jonathan, causing Steve to lash out at him. This resulted in a fist fight between the two, which ended with Jonathan getting arrested and Steve with a wounded face. After realizing he was in the wrong, Steve decided to go to the Byers’ house in order to apologize to Jonathan, resulting in him inadvertently helping with fighting the Demogorgon. In the epilogue of the season finale, taking place a month later, Steve and Jonathan were shown to be on good terms.
Steve and Jonathan were shown to still get along at the beginning of the second season. After accepting Nancy’s feelings for Jonathan, he supported them getting together despite the fact he still had feelings for Nancy.
Tommy and Carol are former friends of Steve. While the three spent a lot of time together, Steve did not appear to be exceptionally close to them. It is also possible his behavior was being influenced by them somewhat. Upon realizing that the couple were actually not very good people, Steve effectively ended his friendship with them.
In the second season, Tommy still held a grudge against Steve, and gladly joined Billy in mocking him.
Billy Hargrove was an antagonist to Steve and quite provocative from the day they met. After Billy's arrival to Hawkins High School, he was quick to gain reputation from the other students and ignited a rivalry with Steve after breaking his keg standing record. Even though Steve didn't bother much about his fame, Billy was always quick to taunt him for his failures, such as losing against him in basketball and failing to deal with his broken relationship with Nancy.
Ultimately, Steve realized Billy's violent nature when he returned to the Byers residence to forcefully take Max and threatened the boys. This prompted Steve to intervene and a fist fight ensued. While Steve managed to protect the boys, Billy brutally wounded him before he was sedated.
Robin and Steve attended Hawkins High School together. Though Steve didn't know her during his schooling, they eventually became friends after working together at Scoops Ahoy. At first, they expressed a dislike towards one another. Robin would endlessly tease Steve and Steve would more often than not simply ignore Robin. However once they are swept into the mystery of the Russian messages and the Mind Flayer's plan, the two learn more about one another. Steve started to develop feelings for Robin as they worked together and became concerned for her safety and well-being when they were captured. After getting rescued and wearing off the truth serum by vomiting in the bathroom, Steve confessed his feelings for Robin to her. But Robin told him she's a lesbian and the reason why she disliked him was that the girl she liked had feelings for him, and not her. Steve, although surprised, accepted it and quickly began talking about his tastes in women with Robin to make her feel at home. Their friendship stays strong and the two end up working together at their local movie rental store.
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 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 |
Memorable Quotes
Steve:
- I'm stealthy, like a ninja.
- I'm sorry? What the hell am I sorry for?
- …It’s finger-lickin’ good.
- Hey! Dickheads! How come the only one helping me out is this random girl?
Steve to Dustin:
- How do you know it’s not just a lizard?
- You’re gonna slay ’em dead.
- She's only gonna break your heart, and you're way too young for that
- Yeah, Farrah Fawcett. You tell anyone I just told you that and your ass is grass.
Steve to Mike:
- Alright, Wheeler, we found your hub.
Steve to Billy:
- Yeah, it’s me. Don’t cream your pants.
Steve to Nancy:
- I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but it turns out I’m actually a pretty damn good babysitter.
Steve & Dustin:
When the two were bonding during setting up a trap-
- Steve: "So let me get this straight. You've kept something you knew to be dangerous in order to...impress a girl who you just met?"
- Dustin: "Okay, that's grossly oversimplifying things."
Behind the scenes
Character development
Initially, the character of Steve was more of a stereotypical douchebag, which actor Joe Keery described as "more forceful and pushy, and kind of the '80s stereotypical jock you’d see in a John Hughes movie."[9] In the pilot script for Montauk, Steve actually went so far as raping Nancy.[10]
The character was reworked because the Duffer Brothers thought Keery had a different look and energy from how they imagined Steve, saying Keery was "incredibly likable and had this charisma about him."[11] In the original plan, Nancy and Steve would not reconcile at the end of the show, but the Duffers decided to give Steve his own arc where he's in with the wrong crowd and Nancy turns him to her side.[12]
During development, Keery and the Duffers spoke about “what kind of family life [Steve] comes from and maybe this girl Nancy is quiet and listens in a way that other people haven't listened to him at this point.”[9]
Costume design and styling
Costume designer Kimberly Adams described Steve as a high school "prep" and summed up his style as "Polo shirts, Levi’s, khakis, and Brooks Brothers basics worn with attitude!"[13]
Mood board for Steve's style, created by costume designer Kimberly Adams.
As seen in the mood board Adams created for the character, his style was inspired by Tom Cruise’s characters Joel Goodson in Risky Business (1983) and Stefan "Stef" Djordjevic in All the Right Moves (1983). Both films are referenced by Steve in Chapter Five and he mentions how Carol said he looks like Tom Cruise, who Nancy has a poster of in her bedroom. Steve wears the same Nike shoes that Cruise wore in All the Right Moves. Other inspirations in the mood board were Johnny Depp as Glen Lantz in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and model John Sommi modelling knitwear in GQ. All of the aforementioned men were considered 80s jocks and heartthrobs.
The stylists spent a lot of time discussing the look of Steve – how they could make him look like "kind of a douche" that "really rubs people the wrong way."[14]
They didn’t figure out Steve’s hair until the second and third episodes, when they tried it as a joke style to see if it would go up. To get the look, they used a lot of shampoo, a lot of hair spray and a lot of meticulous grooming.[9]
Trivia
- Even though he was credited as a recurring character in the first season, Steve appears in all 8 episodes. He was later promoted to a series regular in the second season.
- While the spiked bat he possesses has become synonymous with his character, it was originally created by Jonathan, while the bat itself originally belonged to Nancy.
- Steve is the first antagonist in the series to redeem himself.
- In Beyond Stranger Things, the Duffer brothers revealed that the Steve-Dustin partnership in Season Two was surprising because it was never planned before production, and the pairing sort of came out when they began writing out the episodes.[15]
- At some point during every season, Steve's face has ended up bloodied and bruised after someone beats him.
Gallery
|
For this subject's gallery, see Steve Harrington/Gallery. |
References
- ↑ Stranger Things Season 1 Episode 1 "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers"
- ↑ Stranger Things Season 1 Episode 2 "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street"
- ↑ Stranger Things Season 1 Episode 3 "Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly"
- ↑ Stranger Things Season 1 Episode 4 "Chapter Four: The Body"
- ↑ Stranger Things Season 1 Episode 5 "Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Stranger Things Season 1 Episode 6 "Chapter Six: The Monster"
- ↑ Stranger Things Season 1 Episode 7 "Chapter Seven: The Bathtub"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Stranger Things Season 1 Episode 8 "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "‘Stranger Things’: Joe Keery on Steve’s Perfect Hair and Going Beyond the Classic ’80s Bully" The Wall Street Journal. August 8, 2016.
- ↑ "Montauk Pilot" The Duffer Brothers.
- ↑ "The Stranger Things creators want some scares with their Spielberg" A.V. Club. July 13, 2016.
- ↑ "‘Stranger Things’ Finale: Duffer Brothers Talk Cliffhangers, Death and Season 2" Variety. July 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Stranger Things - Costume Designing 1980s Nostalgia" Tyranny of Style. November 15, 2016.
- ↑ "Eleven Got a Perm For Season 2 — & You Just Need To See it" Refinery29. February 10, 2017.
- ↑ 11 Insights Into the Making of Stranger Things 2