After four seasons and countless Demogorgon battles, one of the most mind-bending revelations about “Stranger Things” has nothing to do with the Upside Down.
Despite being part of the same extended friend group for years, Steve Harrington and Will Byers have never had a single one-on-one conversation. Not even a “hey” or “pass the salt” moment. It’s a shocking oversight that fans are only now fully grasping as the Netflix series prepares for its final season.
While Steve has evolved from season one’s quintessential ’80s bully to the beloved “babysitter” of the Party, and Will has journeyed from missing kid to the show’s emotional center, their paths have somehow never truly crossed in any meaningful dialogue. They’ve shared scenes, sure, and been part of larger group dynamics, but a direct exchange between Joe Keery and Noah Schnapp’s characters? It simply doesn’t exist in the show’s extensive canon.
This revelation has sent fans digging deeper into the show’s character interactions, and what they’ve found is equally surprising: “Stranger Things” is full of characters who should logically know each other well but have barely spoken a word to one another across four seasons.
Will & Dustin
Perhaps most shocking is that Will and Dustin—both founding members of the original friend group—have shared virtually no screen time together. During a recent Fan Expo Dallas appearance, Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) acknowledged this bizarre gap: “You know who I never talked to, not once… I don’t think I’ve spoken to Noah once on screen since season one. I always make a joke that of course the four boys are supposedly best friends, but Dustin will have never interacted with them on screen.”
It’s a wild oversight when you consider that these characters are meant to be childhood best friends who’ve been through interdimensional trauma together. Their friendship apparently exists entirely off-screen, which feels like a massive missed opportunity for character development.
Eleven & Will
Even more surprising? Eleven and Will, despite being played by real-life best friends Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp, didn’t have any meaningful interaction until season three. Their first two seasons featured only telepathic communication when Will was trapped in the Upside Down. For two characters so central to the show’s mythology, their lack of connection feels almost intentional—and deeply strange.
Steve & Hopper
The character interaction gaps aren’t limited to the kids. Steve and Hopper—two of the show’s funniest and most charismatic characters—have rarely shared scenes despite numerous opportunities for their paths to cross. Given that Steve has become the unofficial babysitter of the Party and Hopper serves as Hawkins’ sheriff (and later, surrogate father to Eleven), their lack of interaction feels like a missed comedic goldmine.
Joyce & Max
Similarly, Joyce Byers, the show’s primary maternal figure, has somehow managed to avoid having any meaningful conversations with Max Mayfield across four seasons. While Joyce has provided guidance to Jonathan, Will, and Eleven, Max—a character who arguably needs maternal support the most—has been overlooked entirely.
Jonathan & Robin
Among the older teenagers, some equally puzzling gaps emerge. Jonathan and Robin, despite being two of the more introspective and artistic characters in the series, have never shared a scene together. This is particularly odd given the web of connections around them: Steve and Nancy dated, Steve and Jonathan were rivals, Nancy and Jonathan are together, and Nancy and Robin became friends in season four. Yet Jonathan and Robin—arguably the most similar personalities—remain strangers.
Jonathan & Lucas
Jonathan’s lack of interaction extends to Lucas as well. Despite both characters being protective older brothers with younger siblings in the Party, they’ve barely acknowledged each other’s existence across four seasons.
Nancy & Eleven
The show’s female character dynamics also reveal some surprising gaps. Nancy and Eleven, despite Nancy’s brother dating Eleven and Eleven literally living in the Wheeler basement during season one, have barely spoken throughout the series. It’s a relationship that could have provided rich big sister/little sister dynamics, especially given both characters’ strong, determined personalities.
Steve & Eleven
Steve is considered the babysitter of the Party, which includes Eleven, yet the two characters have barely shared any scenes together. Both were nearly killed off in season one, and despite making it to season five, they’ve somehow remained virtual strangers throughout the series.
Robin & Will
Robin and Will present perhaps the most narratively significant missed connection. Both characters are coded as LGBTQ+ (Robin is explicitly lesbian, Will is heavily implied to be gay), yet they’ve never interacted despite being part of the same extended group. Given Will’s struggle with his identity and Robin’s confidence in hers, their potential mentorship dynamic feels like one of the show’s biggest missed opportunities.
Eleven, Will, & Eddie
Due to the massive distance between Lenora Hills, California and Hawkins, Indiana Eleven & Will never got to meet the leader of the Hellfire Club, Eddie Munson. Spoiler alert: Eleven & Will both have a separate adventure in Season 4 when Eddie was introduced. Eddie sadly passes away before the whole gang reunite in Hawkins.
Why These Gaps Matter
These interaction gaps highlight both the strengths and limitations of “Stranger Things'” ensemble storytelling. The Duffer Brothers have created a sprawling cast with intricate relationships, but the show’s plot-driven structure often keeps characters in separate storylines without natural opportunities to connect.
The series has always excelled at specific character pairings—Eleven and Mike’s romance, Steve and Robin’s friendship, Joyce and Hopper’s eventual relationship. But the missed connections reveal how compartmentalized the show can be, with characters existing in their own narrative bubbles despite living in the same small town and facing the same supernatural threats.
Season Five’s Last Chance
With “Stranger Things” set to conclude with its fifth season, fans are hoping the Duffer Brothers will address some of these glaring omissions. The final season represents the last opportunity to explore these unexplored dynamics and give closure to relationships that have been brewing in the background for years.
Given that season five will likely bring all the characters together for one final battle against the Upside Down, there’s hope that the apocalyptic circumstances will finally force these missed connections into the spotlight. Imagine Steve finally having a heart-to-heart with Will, or Robin offering guidance to a struggling young gay teen who needs to see that he’s not alone.
The compartmentalized storytelling that has kept these characters apart may actually work in the show’s favor for its finale. When Steve and Will do finally have their first real conversation, or when Joyce finally gets to be the maternal figure Max desperately needs, these moments will carry extra weight precisely because they’ve been absent for so long.
Whether the Duffer Brothers intentionally saved these interactions for maximum impact or simply got caught up in their sprawling narrative, season five offers a chance to tie up these loose threads. After all, in a show about supernatural monsters and alternate dimensions, the strangest thing might just be that some of Hawkins’ closest residents have barely said hello to each other.
