Steve Harrington
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Steve Harrington |
| Occupation: | High Schooler |
| Relationships: | Nancy Wheeler (ex girlfriend) Lucas Sinclair (friend) Mike Wheeler (friend) Will Byers (friend) Dustin Henderson (friend) Max Mayfield (friend) |
| Fandom: | Stranger Things |
| Other: | Played by Joe Keery |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Steve Harrington is a fictional character from the Stranger Things television series, and is portrayed by Joe Keery.
Canon
As the notable popular kid in season one, Steve Harrington wins the heart of the Nancy Wheeler before the science experiments of the local national lab break loose. However, after Jonathan Byers and Nancy traumatically encounter the demogorgon, Steve finds the two fear stricken teenagers together in Nancy’s room, leading to later conflicts with the original couple. Further paranormal activities plague the small town of Hawkins, Indiana in the meantime, and near the climax of these, Steve rushes to the Byers house to reconcile with Nancy only to fight the demogorgon with a nail driven baseball bat. Stancy (fandom’s name for Steve and Nancy) then lives happily ever after, that is until season two’s revelation of Nancy’s guilt from previous events, leading her into the arms of Jonathan. This alters Steve’s motivation, urging him to become a babysitter and guardian for the AV club and their friends; in fact, his protection of these kids brings him to a fight that ends with his loss of consciousness by the abusive Billy Hargrove - Mad Max's older brother. His inability to ever truly get over Nancy and his friendship with the local children have prompted Steve’s appearance in various fanworks in the wake of new canon.
Fandom
Statistics
- In 2017 Steve Harrington was the 10th most popular Stranger Things character on Archive of Our Own[1]
- After the airing of Season 2 Steve Harrington was the most popular Stranger Things character on Tumblr[2]
- As of June 2018 there were 2,774 stories that contain Steve Harrington Archive of Our Own[3]
Common Pairings
- Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington - most popular pairing
- Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson
- Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler - canonical
- Steve Harrington/Jonathan Byers
- Nancy Wheeler/Jonathan Byers/Steve Harrington
- Steve Harrington/Robin Buckley
Fanon and Common Tropes in Fanworks
- PTSD or Hurt/Comfort: dealing with some of the traumatic events that have occurred to Steve throughout the series
- Babysitter Steve or Dad!Steve: common because of his interactions with the kids in Season 2
- Futurefic: Steve as an adult, perhaps in an established relationship
- Self-centered: Steve cares more about himself than those around him, probably more common during season 1
- Hero: Steve saves the day and has a huge hero moment
- Jerk to Nice Guy: Steve completes his transformation to becomes a character with a heart of gold, protecting those around him and putting others before himself.
- Break Up: Steve faces break-ups with Nancy multiple times and for multiple different reasons.
- Love Triangle: Seen between him, Nancy, and Jonathan.
Example Fanworks
Fan Art
- Steve Harrington by torakun14
- Steve Harrington by naomimakesart
- Ultimate Dad Steve Harrington by Dreamsoffools
- Steve Harrington by Dobermutt
- #1 Baby Sitter by NiftyNightOwl
- Steve Harrington Poster by NickLackeArt
- Steve Harrington Illustration by Agustin Paillet
- Steve Harrington Baby Driver Poster by John Squires
- Steve Harrington Wallpaper
2017
Fanfiction
- It's Only Dark in the Nighttime by IrisVioletta
- Ice Cream Social by Sholio
- This is Home by PatchworkMedley
- Things Can Only Get Better by ashestoroses018
Fan Vids
- Steve Harrington: Adventures in Babysitting by Scott Jeschke
Meta
- This is very silly and borderline(?) crack but I hope there’s a girl somewhere at Hawkins High who is on some slash zine mailing list. by gothyringwald (April 2021)
- Steve Harrington's bedroom by gothyringwald. Post identifying all the items in Steve's bedroom in Season 1
Gifs
Other Fanworks
Cosplay
- Steve Harrington Cosplay by Rachy Schroeder
Archives and Communities
Links and Resources
References
| Stranger Things | |
| Master Lists | Stranger Things Category • Characters • Ships • Zines |
| Crossover Ships | Will Byers/Richie Tozier • Bill Denbrough/Mike Wheeler • Eddie Kaspbrak/Mike Wheeler • Will Byers & Eddie Kaspbrak • Richie Tozier & Mike Wheeler |
| Part of the Fanlore Project on Stranger Things! Join us, say hello on the talk page, or join our Discord! | |