Stranger Things‘best friendship will be put to the test in season 5. While the mysterious nature of the Upside Down, the horrors wrought by Vecna and the Mind Flayer, and the comforting nostalgia of the ’80s are all part of what makes Stranger Things so popular, it’s the show’s lovable, eclectic cast of characters that truly sets it apart from other similar genre stories.
The show’s ever-growing ensemble has provided the Stranger Things writers with opportunities to experiment with some fun, unexpected character pairings. Arguably, none have been as well-received by the audience as the unlikely friendship between Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), first introduced in Stranger Things season 2 when Dustin recruited Steve to help him find his missing pet Demogorgon.
Since that fateful forest walk, Dustin and Steve have been virtually inseparable. Sadly, though, it looks like trouble is brewing for the iconic duo Stranger Things‘ fifth and final season. In Empire Magazine‘s December 2025 issue, Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer had a lot to say about Dustin’s upcoming character arc. for Empire:
“‘Dustin is struggling because of what happened to Eddie,’ says Ross (Duffer), nodding to season 4’s late, great guitar-solo-shredding hero Eddie Munson, played by Joseph Quinn. Wracked by grief, he’s torn between the mission and ‘this desire to be defiant and to stand up for what Eddie believed in’ — leading to challenges in his relationship with Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington in particular.”
Duffer continued, “Dustin’s always the one that can bring the party together and keep everyone aligned. It’s pretty destabilizing to not have him be able to fill that role.”
Although the upcoming distance between Steve and Dustin, especially in the wake of Eddie’s death, is understandable, it is bound to weigh heavily on both the characters and the audience. Like Steve, Eddie became a mentor figure for Dustin. Dustin’s feelings will likely be more complicated than simple grief, making him a perfect target for Stranger Things’ ultimate villain, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
Similar to Max’s (Sadie Sink) journey in season 4, following the death of her stepbrother Billy (Dacre Montgomery) in the season 3 finale, there’s every chance Dustin will be plagued by guilt. Eddie died in his arms, after all. That must have been traumatizing.
Eddie chose to stay behind in the Upside Down, but what if Vecna makes Dustin believe it was all his fault? What if that’s what’s driving him “to be defiant and stand up for what Eddie believed in,” perhaps pushing Steve away in a misguided attempt to keep him safe?
Of course, the Duffer brothers were careful not to reveal too much about Dustin and Steve’s season 5 story. All we really know is that the pair will work together again, as evidenced by scenes of them together in the season 5 teaser trailer. For now, it’s impossible to say, but hopefully, Steve and Dustin will manage to come out of Stranger Things season 5 (relatively) unscathed.
Stranger Things season 5, part 1, premieres on Netflix US on November 26. Part 2 will be released on December 25, and the finale arrives on December 31.
- Release Date
- 2016 – 2025
- NETWORKS
- Netflix
- Showrunner
- Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
- Directors
- Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz
- Writers
- Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
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