The many protagonists of Stranger Things aren’t given nearly enough credit. To accomplish what they’ve accomplished, to even attempt what they’ve accomplished, requires iron-reinforced guts and levels of bravery that flirt with sheer stupidity.
Indeed, Hawkins has found a particularly badass bunch amongst its citizens, but who of them is the apex badass? We turn to none other than r/StrangerThings for the conclusive answer.
The initiator put forth five candidates from our beloved band of Upside Down rebels to take the crown, consisting of Jim Hopper, Steve Harrington, Nancy Wheeler, Erica Sinclair, and, of course, Eleven.
Many were quick to cast their vote for Hopper; considering he went toe-to-toe with a Demogorgon using nothing but Conan the Barbarian’s sword, it’s pretty hard to disagree.
One user, in particular, pointed out that Hopper had a much more tumultuous life than most of the others (barring only Eleven, perhaps), having lost his family and served in Vietnam, and still being able to do what he does.
Another user added Eleven and Nancy to the Hopper-dominated mix, noting feats such as taking down a helicopter, illegally crafting a sawed-off shotgun, and confronting Vecna face-to-face and holding their own.
One user gave a shoutout to Max, who was glaringly absent from the initial pitch; fighting for one’s life on death’s door only to agree to be used as bait for said door later takes astronomic levels of courage.
Every group of badasses needs a few pillars, and the Hawkins gang has more than their fair share. We’ll see how many are left standing once the fifth season of Stranger Things finally makes its way to Netflix.
