Back in 2016, Netflix released one of its most popular shows to date: Stranger Things. This series was created by the Duffer Brothers, and presents a small town called Hawkins, which is suddenly overrun by weird supernatural events. From its premiere, Stranger Things was able to conquer the audience’s hearts and became a hit that grew in popularity season after season. Currently, the show boasts four exciting seasons, with a fifth and final one expected in 2024. Part of this show’s success comes from its incredible ensemble cast, featuring Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, and Natalia Dyer, among many other artists. Many new characters have been added to the show over the years, and they quickly established a strong fan following. But there is one obvious fan favorite that has been around since season one: Dustin Henderson.
Dustin is one of Stranger Things’ main characters, and he is portrayed by Gaten Matarazzo. This boy is by far the smartest one of his group of friends, and has a clear passion for science and technology that escalates as he gets older. He is also the conflict mediator between all the others, ensuring that the bonds between them are preserved. With his extroverted personality and unique sense of humor, Dustin treated us to some incredible moments throughout the show. Here are 10 of them.
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10 Inviting Max to Go Trick-or-Treating
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The show’s second season features a new character, Max Mayfield, played by Sadie Sink. From the very beginning, this girl caught the attention of the main characters because she broke Dustin’s record in the arcade, and for her mysterious attitude. Therefore, Dustin and Lucas started pushing to include her in their group of friends and, after getting the majority’s approval, they set out to make it happen. Since it was Halloween, these friends, dressed in their iconic Ghostbusters costumes, approached Max in the school hallway and, in an attempt to impress her, asked her to go Trick-or-Treating with them. The boys were both clearly nervous in front of Max, so their plan didn’t work out as they had hoped. Still, Max showed up for the date, and from then on, the group became inseparable.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 His Phone Conversation With Mr. Clarke
In the first season of Stranger Things, the main characters still had no idea of how to deal with everything that was going on, nor how to access The Upside Down in order to rescue Will and Barb. Eventually, Eleven thought about building a sensory deprivation tank, but there was a problem: none of them knew how to do it. As usual, Dustin saved the day with his bright idea to call Mr. Clarke, their science teacher, who was quite surprised by this call since it was Saturday night. Nevertheless, and in response to the boy’s insistent pleas to “open that door of curiosity,” the teacher gave them all the instructions they needed to put the plan into action.
8 Trying to Lie to the Cops
During the show’s fourth season and, following much investigation, Dustin, Max, Lucas, Nancy, Steve, Eddie, and Robin managed to find Hawkins’ connection to The Upside Down through a gate at the bottom of Lover’s Lake. However, when Steve was pulled through the gate and the remaining older teens jumped in to help him, Dustin, Max, and Lucas had to deal with the local police, who wanted to know what they were doing there and all they knew about Eddie. The kids were quick to come up with a few lies to satisfy the police, their parents and their friends’ parents, but it was evident that lying was not Dustin’s strong suit, leading to a very funny scene.
7 Babysitting Dart
Coming back home after trick or treating in the second season of Stranger Things, Dustin found a creature in a trash can. He named it Dart and decided to keep it as a pet, not knowing that this creature came from The Upside Down and belonged to the same species as the Demogorgon. Watching him take care of Dart and play with him was really adorable and fun, but short-lived: eventually, Dart started to grow, changed shape, and became very dangerous. After it ate the family cat, Dustin understood that he had to get rid of it, but for this challenging task, he needed the help of Steve, Lucas, and Max.
6 Finding Out Erica is a Nerd Just Like Him
During the first seasons of Stranger Things, Dustin’s relationship with Lucas’ sister Erica wasn’t all that great. The girl didn’t seem to like her brother’s friends or Lucas himself, and kept thwarting Dustin’s attempts to communicate by phone or walkie-talkie with Lucas. However, as Erica grew older, she became more involved in the group’s adventures, and discovered that she and Dustin had more in common than she thought. Before they became friends, they had to work together as a team alongside Steve and Robin to sabotage a Russian operation underneath the Starcourt Mall, so they spent a lot of time together. Having listened to Erica do some pretty advanced mental calculations, Dustin came to an amusing conclusion: she was a nerd…just like him!
5 Confirming Theories That No One Else Buys
Over the course of the show, Dustin has come up with theories to explain the different events that took place in Hawkins. And, even though all his theories were generally accurate, he always struggled to get the others to accept them. However, in season four of Stranger Things, this young man was consecrated as a mastermind when he developed not only Vecna’s theory, but also solved the enigma of the town’s gates. After Steve, Nancy, Eddie, and Robin were trapped in The Upside Down, Dustin and the rest of the teens used Holly Wheeler’s Lite-Brite toy to communicate with them. This way, Dustin was able to explain his theory about more open gates in town, and lead them to Eddie’s trailer, saving the day once again.
4 Play Fighting with Eddie Before the Final Battle with Vecna
Dustin and Eddie’s friendship was one of the highlights of Stranger Things’ fourth season. The two met playing Dungeons & Dragons at Hellfire Club and, against all odds, became the best of friends. When Eddie was wrongly accused of murdering Chrissy, the only one who believed in his innocence from the get-go was Dustin, and while putting himself in danger, he went on a quest to help him clear his name along with the rest of his friends. As for Eddie, who was initially reluctant to welcome the affection of others, he ended up fully embracing this friendship. Perhaps that’s why the scene of the two of them play fighting in a field as they were getting ready to fight Vecna was so endearing, because, in some ways, it was like a mouthful of fresh air against the tension that was building up and ahead of the grueling battle that was in store for them.
3 Reconnecting with Steve After Summer Camp
While Dustin and Eddie’s friendship was one of the highlights of season four, Dustin’s friendship with Steve won our hearts practically from the beginning of Stranger Things. This was another one of the relationships that developed unexpectedly and gave us incredible moments of Steve taking care of Dustin and the other way around. One of the most memorable and fun ones was a scene from the show’s third season, where Dustin, already back from summer camp, goes to the Scoops Ahoy store to reunite with his friend, and the two engage in a very nerdy handshake. This scene gets even more exciting if we consider that season-one Steve would never have humiliated himself like that in public, let alone, in front of a girl he fancies like Robin, which shows a bit more of the great evolution his character made and how much he loves Dustin.
2 Talking to Mr. Munson After Eddie’s Death
At the end of season four of Stranger Things, The Upside Down made its way into Hawkins, but the townspeople and the media perceived it as an earthquake with devastating consequences. Therefore, Steve, Robin, and Dustin arrived at Hawkins High School with donations and ready to help those who were left homeless or injured. While there, Dustin spotted Mr. Munson, Eddie’s uncle, putting up missing posters, begging for information about his nephew. Dustin approached him with the sad news that Eddie had passed away during the alleged earthquake. He also gave him the boy’s guitar pick and assured him, in tears, that he died a hero fighting for a town that hated him, and that if people had come to know him better, they would have absolutely loved him.
1 The Never Ending Story Duet with Suzie
Wrapping up this list is one of the best moments of the entire show, involving Dustin and his girlfriend Suzie. After coming home from summer camp, Dustin told all of his friends about Suzie, but no one believed she even existed. Eventually, he was able to prove everyone wrong, as, by the season finale, he reached out to Suzie and had her recite Planck’s constant, which was the code Hopper and Joyce needed to unlock a safe. But Suzie, unaware of the seriousness of the situation and upset about Dustin’s lack of calls, demanded one thing in order to reveal the number. Thus, they both performed a rendition of the theme song from The Neverending Story with all the other characters listening via walkie-talkie. Luckily, Dustin’s humiliation ultimately paid off: Suzie delivered Planck’s constant to perfection and Hopper and Joyce were able to unlock the safe.
