'Stranger Things' Season 2: Steve Harrington Beyond The Archetype

A few “Stranger Things” fans wouldn’t expect they would root for Steve Harrington. But here we are, rallying by Steve’s side. The popular boy with the cool hair and the chiseled looks he fits is the 80’s movie bully archetype. He checks off all the boxes for the criteria. But the Duffer brothers turned Steve into this charming, comedic and well-developed character.
In the 80’s most teen movies have one key element: the high school bully. “Stranger Things” hits on the heartstrings of 80’s nostalgia they cannot forget this teen drama trope. They are usually the part of the in-crowd as the star athlete or a preppy rich kid. Their only purpose is to help the underdog realize their potential by degrading them for the first 30 minutes. No one roots for the bully, no one feels sorry for them when the girl leaves them to be the underdog. But Steve breaks away from the stereotype and some of us probably felt sorry for him when Nancy said she didn’t love him. Let’s dig in deep and see how “Stranger Things” deconstructed the 80’s high school bully archetype.

Assembling An Antagonist For ‘Stranger Things’

Back in Season 1, we were first introduced to Steve as Nancy’s new boyfriend. He comes off as the cocky pretty boy. He walks the halls of Hawkins High School with utmost confidence knowing he is the reigning cool kid. We were supposed to hate Steve from the very beginning of the series. Because we cannot feel sorry for the mean cool kid out to get anyone under the social hierarchy.
Most bullies in movies don’t really see the fault in their actions. The way Steve did when he called Nancy as a slut, he justified it as payback. Meanwhile, destroying Jonathan’s camera was a way to tell him he was a creep. His crew added to his bully archetype, enabling his actions. When you’re a jerk, you need a group of other jerks to validate your actions as just. Steve was meant to be the antagonist in Nancy’s storyline from the get-go.
Steve’s actions were driven by the archetype he was supposed to embody. He took part in slut-shaming Nancy all over the town. He also destroyed Jonathan’s camera because he took pictures of his girlfriend. All to prove he is the alpha male and feed his growing ego.

The Jerk In The Love Triangle

Steve was supposed to be a character to contrast Jonathan’s sensitive side. They were supposed to play off the love triangle as most 80’s teen movies do. The jock versus the social outcast for the affection of the lead girl. In most movies, it’s a character like Jonathan who gets the girl in the end. But fans were shocked when they found Steve spending Christmas with Nancy.

Then, by “Stranger Things” Season 2, Nancy gets a little too drunk during a party and tells Steve she doesn’t love him. His reaction was heartbreaking but at the same time chivalrous. Instead of leaving the girl who broke his heart to lay in a pool of her own vomit he asks Jonathan to take her home. It’s quite understandable why Steve didn’t pick up Nancy for school because he was hurt.
Unlike his character back in Season 1, Steve didn’t retreat to using spray paint as a medium for his anger. Instead, he went to her house with flowers ready for an apology or at least talk about it. But by the end, Steve took the breakup as it was. He didn’t try to hurt Nancy but supported her relationship with Jonathan. Steve even acknowledged he was a bad boyfriend.

Redeeming Qualities And Unexpected Baby Sitter

It wasn’t until he was caught in a bloody brawl with Jonathan that he realized he needed to clean up his act.  By the end of season 1, we start to see a change in Steve’s character. Breaking up with his friends from season 1, Steve was able to break away from what was expected of his character. Because underneath all that hair is someone with a heart. He decided to apologize for his actions, starting with Jonathan. But it was cut short and we find Steve fighting alongside Nancy and Jonathan against the Demogorgon. Here, Steve is shedding off his 80’s movie archetype.
In the beginning of Season 2, Steve was worried about his academics. So it’s a start of his transformation. Steve Season 1 would care more about his hair and parties. Here we see a different side of Steve a more caring side to him but still keeping snarky one-liners. He ended up becoming this unlikely character to team up Dustin.

Season 1 Steve would most likely not spare a second to talk to Dustin. But by Halloween, he was the one helping Dustin trap his precious demo-dog. The two formed this dynamic sibling relationship that adds to Steve’s likeability, even helping Dustin out with the ladies and how to win over Mad Max. Steve even divulged the secret to his amazing hair—the Farrah Fawcett hairspray.
The Duffer Brothers fleshed Steve’s story arc and made him appear human. They made his character grow and face challenges that helped shaped him to be this guardian. His character was able to let go of his jerk persona to be a better version of himself. By the end of Season 2, he was the one who made sure the kids did not die while on their crazy hunch on how to help defeat the shadow monster. Steve Harrington, unlike most bully tropes, underwent serious character development.