Stranger Things Clearly Has A Mike Problem That Season 5 Must Fix
Mike Wheeler has been one of the most important characters since Stranger Things season 1, but he has also become one of its biggest problems. The character, played by Finn Wolfhard, is one of the core characters in season 1, alongside his friends Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, and Will Byers. His relationship with Elevent is one of the high points of the first season, but Mike has since become an issue for the Stranger Things screenwriting team.
Finn Wolfhard's Mike is arguably the secondary main character of season 1 alongside Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who he quickly develops a strong bond with. Mike and Eleven become close friends as the seasons go on, and after she is revealed to be alive and living with Jim Hopper at the end of season 2, they become a couple in season 3. Mike's arc sees him ignore his friends including Will Byers to spend time with Eleven in Stranger Things season 3, though the friends reconcile in season 4 as Mike acknowledges how distant he has been.
Related: Stranger Things 4's Bullies Stupidly Break Seasons 1-3's Rules
Compared to his friends, Mike Wheeler has not had much to do in the last few seasons of Stranger Things. While he is absolutely essential to the plot of Stranger Things season 1, his relationship with Eleven not only gets in the way of his friendships with Will, Dustin, and Lucas, it also gets in the way of his character arc. Lucas becomes a jock and Dustin becomes close friends with bully-turned-babysitter Steve Harrington, while Will Byers deals with his traumatic experience in the Upside Down and may also be going through a more personal arc, as Stranger Things hints Will is gay. Mike has received no such arc, making him the least interesting of the four original Hawkins
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