Spoiler Warning: Stranger Things Season 4: Volume One
Stranger Things season four was perhaps the most anticipated Netflix event in recent memory. Since the show’s electrifying debut all the way back in 2016, devoted Netflix audiences have counted down the days until each subsequent season’s release. Season four represented something of a return to the show’s gritty, macabre form. Stranger Things: Season 4 Volume One, the designation given to the first seven episodes of season four by the show’s creators, was tightly packed with exciting events and terrifying turns. Soon, Season 4: Volume Two will be released, and audiences around the world are waiting with bated breath.
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Everyone’s favorite cast of characters has returned for season four, and the star-studded list of celebrity talent that fills the Stranger Things screen would be too numerous to list here. However, one be remiss were they not to mention the season four return of the much-beloved character Steve Harrington, who is portrayed by the perfectly coiffed and delightfully charming Joe Keery (Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, Free Guy).
Here’s why Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington continues to stun audiences in Stranger Things season four.
Steve’s Path to Stranger Things Hero
Steve has had, in all likelihood, the most interesting character arc of any Stranger Things character. In the first season, he was only a bully to the bulk of the other cast members. However, in season two and all subsequent installments of the series, he became a friend and something of a father figure to the younger heroic Hawkins children. While many other characters have remained largely the same despite myriad trials and tribulations as they navigate haunted Hawkins, only Keery’s Harrington has undergone a 180-degree transformation during the run of Stranger Things.
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Despite initially being the subject of season one scorn, Steve Harrington quickly became, in all likelihood, the most beloved character in the series. This can be attributed in large part to the performance of the likable Joe Keery. Good will toward his character has reached heights only rivaled by his mop of excellent engineered hair. Were a worse actor to portrayed this consistently complicated character, it is unlikely that Harringon would have become such an icon.
Rekindled Romance?
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In season one of Stranger Things, audiences alternately cheered and cringed as the lovable Nancy Wheeler, portrayed by Natalia Dyer (Velvet Buzzsaw, Things Heard & Seen), began a relationship with Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington, who at the time was little more than a brutish bully. Though their relationship continued into the show’s second season, it ended when Dyer’s Nancy Wheeler began a tumultuous tryst with Charlie Heaton’s (As You Are, The New Mutants) Jonathan Byers.
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Nancy Wheelers’ relationship with Jonathan Byers continued in more recent seasons yet seemingly began to unravel in Season 4: Volume One. When the Byers moved cities, it caused a rift in the relationship, and Jonathan became increasingly distant from Nancy. Throughout season four, it was, in fact, Nancy and Steve spending their time together as they sought out the villainous Vecna. Many of the other characters, including Steve Harrington’s best buddy Dustin, portrayed by Gaten Matarazzo (The Angry Birds Movie 2, Prank Encounters), have hinted that Harrington should rekindle his relationship with Dyer’s Nancy Wheeler. Long-term fans of the series would certainly be on board with their love returning.
Steve Harrington’s Heroics
Season four of Stranger Things was likely the darkest in series history, with the possible exception of the macabre and mysterious season one. The darkness of season four, though scintillating for audiences, means that everyone’s favorite characters will be subject to a certain amount of pain and suffering as they attempt to once again save Hawkins. As such, the heroics of Harrington were all the more necessary in season four.
Steve Harrington has always had his hand in the heroism of the Hawkins crew. Season four continued this trend, and the bravery of Keery’s Harrington was essential to the success of the gang’s perilous plan. Several characters found themselves once again stuck in the Upside Down. While less level-headed young adults may have lost their marbles, the crew, led by the sometimes shirtless savior Steve, was able to keep their wits about them, even in the face of mutilated monsters and vicious vines.
Given how dark things have become around Hawkins, one would not be incorrect to fear for the future of Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington. The creators of Stranger Things had better beware; if they choose to kill off Keery’s Harrington, the fury of fans will be through the roof. Audiences are on the edge of their seats in anticipation for season four, volume two, and the incredible acting of Joe Keery as Steve Harrington will undoubtedly stun them, regardless of the outcome for this heralded Hawkins hero.
