Top 10 Times Steve Harrington was the Best on Stranger Things

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Time Steve Harrington Ruled on “Stranger Things.”

For this list, we’ll be looking at all the times Steve was our favorite character on the beloved Netflix show.

If we missed any of your favorite “Steve Harrington being awesome” moments, let us know in the comments.

We all remember Season One Steve as nowhere near the best version of himself – but he did have certain moments that foreshadowed the redemption arc ahead. After a fight with Jonathan, he defends both Jonathan and Nancy to his jerkwad friends Carol and Tommy. But the real kindness comes later on. At the end of the season, Nancy gives Jonathan a new camera to replace the one that Steve broke after he found out Jonathan had been taking pictures of Nancy. But turns out – that camera wasn’t a present from Nancy. It was a present from Steve himself, who wanted to make up for what he’d done.

Lucas’ little sister Erica is one of “Stranger Things’” most underrated characters. She’s funny, feisty, and smart, all wrapped up in a tiny little package – but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t lose the plot a little sometimes. In season three, Steve, Erica, Robin, and Dustin find themselves free-falling in a Russian elevator. Steve is incredibly upset at the prospect of being stuck in the broken metal contraption, but Erica is more worried that her mom will find out where she is. Steve explodes, and we cannot disagree with his logic …

Season two of “Stranger Things” started to show Steve’s progression to babysitter and ultimately full-blown protector of the group. But in this scene, he shows he’s a pretty good coach as well. At the end of season two, Steve keeps watch over Mike and company while Eleven tries to close the gate to the Upside Down. Mike is understandably restless, wanting to help in any way he can, but Steve is adamant – they’ve got to execute their plan just like coach (in this case, Hopper) called it. Mike – quite astutely – brings up the fact that the kids aren’t even in the game at this point, but riding the bench. To Steve’s credit, he knows when he’s been outsmarted.

One of the nicest surprises to come out of “Stranger Things” season two was the friendship between Dustin and Steve. Their relationship grew to be loyal, heartwarming, and full of so, so many jokes. So of course, when we finally got to season three, fans were excited to see if Steve and Dustin would continue to be the best friends we all remembered and loved. Lucky for us – they came back better than ever. As soon as Dustin shows up at Scoops Ahoy, Steve is delighted to see him – the two hug and catch up, like they never were apart.

Time and time again, Steve has shown his willingness to protect our favorite Hawkins kids. In season two, he takes on a whole pack of demodogs for their sake. But the best display of his protective nature that season was a bit more human. When Max’s brother Billy finds out she’s been hanging out with Lucas, he confronts the kids in a violent manner. Fortunately, Steve comes to the rescue, punching Billy square in the face. This particular fight doesn’t end up going well for Steve – not many do – but it’s the thought that counts.

Throughout Season 4 of “Stranger Things,” Steve continues to prove that he’s the best babysitter the kids of Hawkins could ever ask for. But some fans might not have expected Steve to admit that all that babysitting has made him dream of being a real dad too. During a conversation with Nancy towards the end of the season, Steve tells her that he’s always dreamed of having a big brood of Harringtons – hair and all, we hope – that he can take on trips over the summer. Steve later makes it clear that he’s imagined Nancy with him in this fantasy, and the entire thing is a very sweet moment between the two. We hope we can tag along on the Harrington family vacation.

Speaking of Dustin and Steve, let’s go back to the scene that started it all, shall we? In season two, Steve helps Dustin look for Dart – his errant pet demodog – and ends up giving him some sage advice along the way. Admittedly, some of Steve’s advice isn’t the soundest – we don’t condone pretending like you don’t care about a girl you like – but the hair advice? Now that’s pretty special. This scene is one of the first that cements their everlasting friendship. It leads to another one of our favorite Steve and Dustin scenes, when Steve drives Dustin to the school dance.

We’re fond of Steve’s friendship with Dustin, but we can’t get enough of his friendship with Robin. Ever since the beginning of Season Three, these two have been through a lot more than just braving a day at Scoops Ahoy. That includes accidentally getting drugged by scary Russians ... When Robin comes out to him, Steve is kind and considerate. He later hypes Robin up about her crush on a girl at school. There is absolutely nothing this dynamic duo can’t take on. Friends who fight monsters together, stay together.

If you know anything about “Stranger Things,” you know that the relationship between Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan has been … strained, to say the least. We think we can say with confidence that barring a little unrequited love, these three end up feeling alright about each other – but that definitely wasn’t the case in season one. Fortunately, that doesn’t stop Steve from stepping up to save these two when he knows something is wrong. Nancy tries to send him away when she and Jonathan are about to fight the demogorgon, but Steve jumps in on the action anyway – and even adds a little flair to his fight. We see your bat flip, Steve!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Misquoting Sherlock Holmes, “Dear Billy”
The World Is Full of Obvious Things …

Steve Finally Wins a Fight, “The Flayed”
Against a Russian Soldier, No Less!

Saving Everyone at the Mall, “The Battle of Starcourt”
Steve to the Rescue Again!

Going Under, “The Dive”
Down into the Water Gate Steve Goes

Hearing Dustin, “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab”
A Friendship that Spans Dimensions

If you asked us to pick our favorite thing about Steve, we’d definitely have a hard time – but that’s exactly what this list is all about! We could have gone with his incredible redemption arc throughout season one and the rest of the series. But honestly? There’s nothing we love more than Mama Steve. Throughout “Stranger Things,” his role has evolved from being douchey “King Steve” into the sweetest mama bear/babysitter that these Hawkins kids could have ever asked for. He saves lives, he gives advice, he even reprimands when necessary – he’s just the greatest.