This Fan-Favorite 'Stranger Things' Character Was Originally Going to Be Killed Off in Season One

Like many of the fan-favorite characters on Stranger Things, it’s hard to think of the hit Netflix series existing without Joe Keery’s unlikely hero, Steve Harrington.

The dependably loyal and unwaveringly entertaining parental figure of the younger characters on Stranger Things, Keery slowly became one of the most popular heroes on the Netflix series over the course of its five seasons on the streaming platform.

Interestingly, in spite of Steve’s undeniable appeal among mainstream viewers, the original plan for the breakout character had been for Steve to die early on in the series’ run.

According to an Entertainment Weekly interview with Stranger Things’ creators the Duffer Brothers, the siblings confirmed that Steve was initially slated to be killed off at some point during the show’s first season.

However, due to Joe Keery’s charismatic turn as the high school bully with a heart of gold, they decided to reverse their plans for the character, reintroducing Steve with a redemptive story arc during the show’s second season.

“That was close,” the brothers said of Steve’s planned death in Stranger Things’ inaugural season. “We just fell in love with Joe Keery, but had we not liked Joe Keery, Steve would’ve been gone.”

Of course, given Steve’s antagonistic role in Stranger Things‘ opening season, it’s easy to see why the initial goal was to kill the character off at some point in the show’s early narrative.

The easily-riled love interest to Nancy Wheeler, Steve was initially presented as a cliched jock who bullied many of the show’s foremost characters, most obviously his recurring frenemy, Jonathan Byers.

Beginning in season two, however, Steve quickly became a far more sympathetic character with an almost paternal connection to the younger protagonists.

As per the interview with the Stranger Things creators, Steve wasn’t the only prominent character set to be killed off in the series’ narrative, with David Harbour’s Jim Hopper also originally slated to die at the end of season three.

As for the decision to reverse Hopper’s death, the Duffers stated, “Hopper still had growing to do. We hadn’t finished his story. It’s important to us to be able to finish the stories we want to finish and not just be offing people for shock value.”