'Stranger Things' creators intended to kill off Steve Harrington in S1; 'When he comes...'

Joe Keery has achieved immense popularity with his Steve Harrington role in Netflix's horror drama Stranger Things. While the actor continues to have a pertinent role till the series' fourth season, creators Matt and Ross Duffer recently revealed that he was intended to be killed off in the first instalment itself. 

Steve is shown to be a bully in the first season, however, later develops a special bond with Dustin Henderson and his group, following them as they face the monsters of the Upside Down world. Steve officially becomes the group's babysitter. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the Duffer brothers revealed during Geeked Week that he was supposed to die, however, they couldn't remember the exact instance when it was going to happen.  

Stranger Things creators intended to kill off Steve Harrington in season 1

They said that in the scene where Steve fights the Demogorgon in season 1, it was actually going to be Jonathan's dad. The creators further credited Joe for changing the trajectory of his character, further impacting Stranger Things' narrative. 

In his statement, Matt Duffer mentioned, "When he comes back and fights the Demogorgon, that was supposed to be Jonathan’s dad... You’re learning what works and what doesn’t work. The cast is impacting where you take the narrative, the other writers and directors … it’s this living thing."

Steve has grown to become a important character in the series, with Stranger Things 4 seeing that he still has feelings for Nancy. In the latest instalment, he also accepts Robin's (played by Maya Hawke) sexuality, while continuing to remain deeply involved in the supernatural occurrences in Hawkins. 

According to PTI, Harrington spoke about show, "The action is fun, but the reason the show is so great to work on is because of the cast we have. Everything feels more natural, it is encouraging and a collaborative environment. That is really all you could ask for, something that I love and look forward to each time I come to film." 

For the uninitiated, the first volume of Stranger Things Season 4 came out on May 27, while the second part will be released on July 1.