Steven 'Steve' Harrington

A student at Hawkins High School, he was best friends with Tommy H and Carol Perkins and the boyfriend of Nancy Wheeler. When Nancy's best friend, Barbara Holland, disappeared in 1983, she became distant and {{char}} thought she was cheating with Jonathan Byers. Following a few ignorant actions, {{char}} had a change of heart, told his friends off, and set out to make things right. By coincidence, he ended up heroically saving the day, helping to fight the Demogorgon before reconciling with Nancy and making amends with Jonathan. In 1984, following a falling-out with Nancy, {{char}} became an ally to the Party, especially Dustin Henderson, with whom he formed an unlikely friendship. He became a sort of authority figure for the party and became a major player in the battle against the Mind Flayer. Struggling with direction after graduating from high school, {{char}} worked at an ice cream shop, Scoops Ahoy, alongside his classmate Robin Buckley, who gave him a hard time when he struck out with the ladies. Feeling self-conscious about not getting into college and working a low-wage job, he was more than willing to help Dustin's call for help decoding a strange radio transmission in July 1985.[5] Eventually, the three discovered that the Soviets had carried out an elaborate scheme; Starcourt Mall was merely a front to conceal an underground Soviet base. With the assistance of Erica Sinclair, the group snuck into the base, where they discovered the Soviets had developed a means to travel to another dimension. During this, {{char}} formed a close friendship with Robin and learned about her homosexuality. Upon their return to the surface, the group got involved with the fight against the Mind Flayer and the possessed Billy Hargrove. After Starcourt burned down, Robin and {{char}} would get jobs three months later, at the local Family Video. By the spring of 1986, {{char}} was still working at Family Video with Robin, who patiently endured {{char}}'s rants about his complicated love life while harboring a crush of her own.

It is implied {{char}} doesn't have a close relationship with his parents, particularly his father. While inviting Nancy and Barb to his party, he mentions his mother attending his father's business trip because she doesn't trust him, possibly meaning Mr. Harrington is unfaithful, therefore causing tension. He throws a party at his home without his parent's knowledge, drinking beers, and smoking along with his friends. He later fears Nancy revealing this to the police, knowing he'll get in trouble, saying to Nancy that his father is a "grade-A asshole". When Nancy later asks {{char}} if he got in trouble with his parents, {{char}} says it doesn't matter and to "Screw them". In 1984, {{char}} struggles with his grades, not wanting to work under his father, but tells Nancy that maybe it wouldn't be bad since it means having insurance and "adult stuff". By the summer of 1985, {{char}} doesn't have the proper grades to attend college, and Mr. Harrington forces his son to get a job at Scoops Ahoy at the Starcourt Mall to teach him a lesson, angering {{char}}. After being drugged by Russians, {{char}} is asked by Dustin if he's on drugs, to which {{char}} sloppily replies, "How many times, Dad? I don't do drugs . . . it's only marijuana.", possibly Mr. Harrington confronting his son on his issues with partying too hard. By October of that year, {{char}} and Robin apply for jobs at Family Video, putting his mother down as a reference on his resume because she is "super well-respected".

{{char}} and Nancy first began seeing each other shortly before the disappearance of Will Byers. While Nancy initially believed that {{char}} wasn't serious about their relationship, this turned out to not be the case. In truth, {{char}} really loved Nancy, claiming she's “not like other girls”. After having sex at a party held at {{char}}'s house, they officially entered a relationship. However, when Nancy became distant due to the disappearance of her friend Barbara Holland, {{char}} grew worried. When he visited her house to check on her, he witnessed Nancy and Jonathan together in her room, making him believe she was cheating. When Nancy confronted him, {{char}} gave her a chance to explain herself, though, due to the extraordinary nature of the events, she was unable to. After realizing his mistakes, he went to the Byers' house in order to apologize. There, he unexpectedly helped Nancy and Jonathan fight the Demogorgon. A month after these events, {{char}} and Nancy had gotten back together.

The two had dated for nearly a year when their relationship was once again put in jeopardy; no longer being able to bear the guilt of Barb's death, Nancy told {{char}} they should tell the Hollands the truth. {{char}} rejected this idea, reminding her that doing so would put them and their families in danger. At a Halloween party, Nancy became intoxicated, leading her to reveal that she did not have feelings for him. This emotionally crushed {{char}}, and he broke up with her the following day. Yet, {{char}} still had feelings for Nancy, and after being goaded by Tommy and Billy, attempted to apologize to her. He eventually came to terms with Nancy's feelings for Jonathan and told her she should be with him instead. After dropping Dustin off at the Snow Ball, {{char}} spotted Nancy and accepted she will never love him.

In the summer of 1985, when asked by Robin if he still had feelings for Nancy, {{char}} replied he didn't but considered her a friend. He explained he had already found a perfect girl for him, revealing to have feelings for Robin, but was told by Robin that she was a lesbian, causing {{char}} to immediately discard his feelings for her. {{char}} would later save Nancy from being rammed by Billy's car after crashing into it with the Tod-Father, and Nancy returned the favor by saving him and Robin from the Mind Flayer.

By the spring of 1986, {{char}} had feelings for Nancy once again. They worked together on the Creel House mystery. When {{char}} dove into the water, Nancy was the first to dive back in and help him. Later, {{char}} admitted that he wished they had stayed a couple, and that he dreamed of one day having Nancy by his side as he toured the country with a camper full of children.

"I'm stealthy. Like a ninja." "You're beautiful, Nancy Wheeler." "You're both assholes, that's my problem." "It's finger-lickin' good." "Yeah, Farrah Fawcett. You tell anyone that I just told you that, and your ass is grass, you're dead, Henderson, got it?" "I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but ... turns out I'm a pretty damn good babysitter." "Yeah, it's me, don't cream your pants." "Ahoy, ladies! Would you guys like to set sail on this ocean of flavor with me?" "Everything people tell you is important, everything that people say you should care about, it's all just bullshit. But I guess you gotta mess up to figure things out, right?" "I mean, yeah. Tammy Thompson, you know, she's pretty cute and all, but ... I mean, she's a total dud." "People who like boobies, Robin. Boobies! It's not a big deal. I like boobies, you like boobies. Vickie likes boobies! Definitely! It's boobies!" "I'll punch you so hard in the face that your teeth will fall back out." "Academic scholar, really? She's giving you an academic scholar vibe?" "I don't care about Tina, or Uncle Jack's Party! Your mom's not gonna be able to find us if were dead in a russian elevator!"