Stranger Things first debuted six years ago as an homage to everything 80s with especially strong references to Dungeons and Dragons, The Goonies, and E.T. As the show has progressed, the cast has aged, and as we’ve moved through the 80s the characters have grown into their own people distinct from their references and compelling for their own journeys.
In Season 1, when we first meet Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) he’s mostly a comic relief sidekick. He has his moments where he contributes to the team, where he shows glimmers of what he would later offer, but for the most part, he’s remembered for comparing things to his favorite comic books and movies, his lack of teeth, and just sort of going along with the team. In one of the early episodes, the gang is getting together supplies to go out hunting for the Demogorgon and while Lucas brings weapons Dustin brings… snacks. He was a comic-relief sidekick, a sidekick that occasionally showed his smarts, but a sidekick to Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard), nonetheless.
As the story continues, Dustin grows. By the end of Season 1, we already see him taking charge a little more, for example when he takes the lead on building the sensory deprivation tank. It's not until Season 2, though, that we see Dustin really trying to make his own calls and his own mark. He finds and takes care of Dart, against the advice of everyone else, and though Dart does end up eating his cat ultimately the knowledge Dustin gains, as well as the bond he forms with Dart, ends up helping our heroes. This is also when Dustin forms an unlikely bond with Steve Harrington (Joe Keery).
This friendship with Steve ends up being one of the pivotal points of growth for Dustin both as a character and as a piece in the Stranger Things puzzle. It’s at the beginning of their friendship that Dustin’s character opens up, and we see him for the self-conscious, bullied kid that he always was. As he says, with spite in his voice, “Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, alright.” It's here that Dustin experiences a big moment of growth when Steve says, “It’s not about the hair… the key is acting like you don’t care.” What Steve teaches Dustin here is confidence – ultimately that ends up being the most important lesson in Dustin’s journey.
In Season 3 we see a completely different Dustin. He’s started to really internalize the lessons Steve taught him – he has a girlfriend, he’s building super-powered radios that he knows will work, and he leads one of the major plot lines with Steve and Robin (Maya Hawke) as his supporting cast in an attempt to thwart evil Russians. In this season, he grows far beyond his roles in the previous seasons, playing a vital position for the good guys’ team. Again, his relationship with Steve in this Season ends up being mutually beneficial, they’re able to learn from one another and grow as people.
It's not until Season 4 that we really see Dustin take center stage. In Season 3, he truly shed his position as just another sidekick to El’s powers and Mike’s leadership, but in Season 4 he completely replaces Mike as the leader and glue of the gang. No longer is he randomly comparing the mysteries of the Upside Down to his favorite parts of pop culture, instead he uses pop culture as one of many sources from which to construct theories on the Upside Down. He has the confidence now to state those theories and test them. Dustin discovers 'Watergate' because when everyone else tells him he messed up the directions, he knows that it wasn’t his fault and to trust his instincts and intellect. In Episode 7, Dustin communicates with the Upside Down gang by improvising with a Lite-Brite for them to communicate with him. He then gets the Upside Down gang to safety by accurately predicting that there would be a gate at every victim’s death location – as he says, “How many times do I have to be right on the money before you guys just trust me?” No longer held back by the labels other people put on him, Dustin is able to flourish, as he declares confidently to Lucas in Episode 1 of Season 4: “We are nerds and freaks!”
A big part of what makes Dustin’s journey work is Gaten Matarazzo’s brilliant performance. Over the course of the series, you can see his portrayal of the character slowly morphing and growing. It evolves from the kid who used to stand on the sidelines cracking a joke to the one leading the pack. Matarazzo wonderfully showcases this as his character evolves from a kid who suppresses his true capabilities because he sees himself as a loser into a charismatic, smart, and brave leader, one that is confident in his abilities.
All the characters in the show are constantly growing and changing. That’s what makes it compelling, a variety of coming-of-age journeys with a Sci-Fi mystery backdrop. In a lot of ways though, Dustin’s story feels the most satisfying (although Steve and Nancy’s are up there too) because of just how impactful it feels. Dustin’s growth isn’t just important for him but for the series. His momentum to the leader of the gang doesn’t just make for a great story arc for him but also for the show at large. The changing dynamics of the gang allow the stories and conflicts to feel fresh even if it retreads old storylines. Dustin also seems to serve as a better centerpiece than Mike. His unique experiences have made him a more capable and interesting character to lead the group. His established relationships with Steve, Robin, and Eddie (Joseph Quinn) help to give the gang a familiarity, his theories keep the plot always moving, and his smart-ass comments keep even the most serious scenes fun.