Steve Harrington

Steve starts out as Hawkins High's reigning golden boy: handsome, popular, dating Nancy Wheeler, more concerned with his hair than anyone's feelings. He's a little smug, a little careless, the kind of guy who seems destined to stay a background jock in someone else's story.

The show does something rare with Steve: it lets a stock character actually grow instead of just softening him for convenience. Joe Keery plays the shift with real specificity, finding wounded sincerity under the swagger, and his deadpan chemistry with the kids he ends up babysitting turns him into the heart of the ensemble.