As Stranger Things approaches its fifth and final season, it’s hard to imagine the show without fan-favorite Steve “The Hair” Harrington (Joe Keery), and even harder to believe that the character wasn’t even supposed to survive past Season 1. Since the success of Stranger Things and the overwhelmingly positive response to Steve, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer have revealed that the character was originally supposed to be far more antagonistic and unlikable, and confessed that he was never supposed to make it out of Stranger Things alive. With the show coming to an end soon and the fate of Hawkins completely uncertain, it’s high time we appreciate Steve Harrington, how much he’s impacted the rest of the Stranger Things kids, and how much the show stood to lose had it killed off this foundational character so soon.

Joe Keery Made Steve Harrington More Likable

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Image via Netflix

Before the casting was done for Stranger Things, Steve Harrington was a far nastier version of himself. An arrogant and selfish jerk, he originally resembled more of what Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) ended up becoming in Seasons 2 and 3. In an early draft of a script when the show was still called “Montauk,” Steve was even supposed to go so far as to force himself on Nancy at a party, which would have undoubtedly made him completely irredeemable. However, once the Duffer Brothers met and cast Joe Keery, they quickly realized how much more he had to offer, and how much more they could do with a formerly stereotypical jock. In Episode 3 of Beyond Stranger Things, the Duffer brothers discussed how much the casting informed the characters on Stranger Things, and particularly how the characters Steve and Dustin were influenced by Joe Keery and Gaten Matarazzo. Once they saw what a likable and charming guy Keery was in real life, the old Steve was history, and they altered his character arc to make him more sympathetic and heroic.

In the beginning of Season 1 of Stranger Things, despite the revisions to his character, Steve isn’t totally blameless. He’s initially presented as a vapid, cocky guy who doesn’t seem to care about much more than partying with his obnoxious friends. He breaks Jonathan’s (Charlie Heaton) camera and is pretty unphased by Barb’s (Shannon Purser) alarming disappearance, even though he’s dating her best friend. His rocky start, however, is what makes his character's redemption feel earned and makes his development so fun to watch.

Steve’s evolution is particularly significant in the Season 1 finale of Stranger Things, when he helps Jonathan and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) fight the Demogorgon with the iconic baseball bat full of nails. At the time of the fight, Steve had recently had his face pummeled by Jonathan and had been dumped by Nancy, and yet he risks his life to help them. The battle in the Byers’ house was originally supposed to happen with Jonathan, Nancy, and Jonathan and Will’s estranged father, Lonnie (Ross Partridge), but the Duffer Brothers chose to replace Lonnie with Steve in order to help show Steve’s growth.

Billy Hargrove and Robin Buckley Might Not Exist Without Steve Harrington

Four seasons into the show, we’ve had plenty of time to grow attached to the characters, but they’ve also grown insanely close to each other — fighting monsters in the underworld will do that for you, apparently. Steve has close bonds with many characters on Stranger Things, but he’s particularly fond of Dustin and Robin (Maya Hawke), and his unofficial role as the “babysitter” of the younger kids has become a beloved part of the show. While the Dustin-Steve-Duo started more as an opportunity for comedy and to give Dustin another ally in Season 2, the twosome evolved as the show went on to highlight Steve as a compassionate and caring person, such as when he drives Dustin to the Snow Ball. As Steve coaches Dustin on how to do his hair, talk to girls, and gain confidence in himself, the relationship keeps its comedic roots while also evolving into a genuine friendship and mentorship that Dustin would have missed out on if he didn’t have Steve. Similarly, “Scoops Ahoy” alum Robin Buckley has become another beloved character on Stranger Things, and had Steve been ousted before her arrival in Season 3, she likely would never have even existed, and we would have missed out on one of the best duos on TV.

Through his close relationships with the younger kids, Steve also links them with the older teens, providing connections that otherwise wouldn’t be as strong. The sibling duos on the show have some great bonding moments — particularly Jonathan and Will’s heart-to-heart at the end of Season 4 — but like most older siblings, Jonathan is typically just driving Will to hang out with his friends, and while Nancy loves her brother, she’s often more frustrated with his antics than anything else. While Jonathan and Nancy serve primarily as guardians for the younger kids, Steve acts as both a protector and a pal. Through his friendship with the kids on Stranger Things, Steve unwittingly serves as a bridge between the younger and older teenagers by having close ties on both sides.

‘Stranger Things’ Wouldn’t Have Been the Same if Steve Died in Season 1

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Image via Netflix

At the end of the day, we can all agree that Stranger Things would be a much different — and far less charming — show without Steve Harrington. Had the Duffers killed Steve as they originally intended, Dustin wouldn't have come out of his shell, we probably would never have met Robin, and the entrancingly evil Billy may not have come to fill the "bad boy" void. While we eagerly await Stranger Things Season 5 and cross our fingers that our characters get the happy endings they deserve, we can only hope that our favorite Farrah Fawcett Spray fanatic is one of the lucky ones. On a show rife with child-traumatizing scientists and malevolent forces of evil, Steve Harrington represents the power of people to change for the better, and it's crazy to think that we almost never got to see it.