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  2. Feb 23, 2021 · Mr Wheeler Dealer Mike Brewer has bade an emotional farewell to America as production of the hit show comes back to Blighty. Writing on his Mike Brewer Motoring website, he looks back fondly on the years he spent making the programme across the pond – an idea that sprouted wheels six years ago.

    • Overview
    • History
    • Personality and Traits
    • Abilities
    • Relationships
    • Memorable Quotes
    • Behind the scenes

    Michael "Mike" Wheeler, portrayed by Finn Wolfhard, is a main character in Stranger Things. The leader of the Party, he is the boyfriend of Eleven, the best friend of Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers, and Max Mayfield, and the younger brother of Nancy Wheeler.

    In 1983, when Mike's best friend, Will, mysteriously went missing, he and his other friends, Lucas and Dustin, made it their mission to find him. However, while searching for Will, they stumbled upon an escaped girl named Eleven instead. Mike soon discovered that she knew something about Will's disappearance and enlisted her help in finding him. During their time together, Mike and Eleven formed a strong bond and quickly grew to like each other. Once Will was found, Mike was happy that he had returned home safely; however, he was greatly devastated by Eleven's sacrifice to defeat the Demogorgon.

    Still devastated by Eleven's disappearance one year later, Mike called for her every night while also assisting Will with a new supernatural issue. Eventually, he reunited with Eleven. He, along with his friends and Steve, then worked on burning the sprawling network of another inter-dimensional threat, using it as a distraction for Eleven to close the Gate for good. Mike later attended the Snow Ball dance with Eleven, which he previously promised her.

    Mike and El were seemingly inseparable until the summer of 1985, when their relationship faced new trials and tribulations. In an attempt to establish boundaries, El's disgruntled adoptive father, Chief Hopper, scared off Mike and jeopardized the teens' relationship; Will also expressed his frustrations with how Mike and Lucas’ relationships had disrupted the dynamic in the friend group. Their attention would turn to more pressing concerns, however, when Will alerted them to the presence of the Mind Flayer. After Max’s stepbrother Billy Hargrove was noted to be acting unusually, they learned Billy and various Hawkins residents had become possessed by the Mind Flayer, and began efforts to defeat it. Three months later, Mike and his friends had to bid farewell to Eleven, and the Byers who were moving out of Hawkins. Before leaving, Mike and Eleven made plans to visit each other at Thanksgiving and reaffirmed their love for one another.

    By the spring of 1986, Mike was a dedicated member of the Hellfire Club, along with Dustin and Lucas. He headed to Lenora Hills, California to spend spring break with Eleven. She had sent Mike letters, telling him that she had adapted well to California; however, upon his arrival, Mike realized that Eleven was struggling more than she let on. When Dr. Owens whisked El away to work on regaining her powers, Mike joined Will, Jonathan, and Argyle in searching for her, all the while evading Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan and his forces, who held Eleven responsible for a murder spree in Hawkins. With help from Dustin's girlfriend, Suzie Bingham, they tracked down Eleven at a secret facility in Nevada, narrowly escaping Colonel Sullivan’s forces. Later, Mike and the others helped Eleven fight Vecna from afar by creating a makeshift sensory deprivation tank, allowing her to psychically project her consciousness to Hawkins. During El’s mind-battle with the enemy, Mike make it clear to her that he loved her, giving her the strength to momentarily overpower and defeat Vecna.

    Two days later, the group travelled to Hawkins, and were shocked by the scale of destruction inflicted by a recent "earthquake". Upon their return, Will realized his psychic connection created back in 1984 was not to the Mind Flayer, but Vecna. He worriedly told Mike that he still sensed Vecna's presence, and that for the horrors of the Upside Down to end, Vecna needed to die. After assuring Will they will kill Vecna once and for all, Mike reunited with a very-much alive Hopper and witnessed the Upside Down beginning to merge into Hawkins.

    Background

    Born April 7, 1971, Michael "Mike" Wheeler was the second child and the only son of Ted and Karen Wheeler. His older sister is Nancy Wheeler, born in 1967. The family lived in a culdesac in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. On the first day of kindergarten, around 1976, a lonely Mike saw a boy named Will Byers on the swingset. Mike asked if he wanted to be his friend, and Will happily agreed. Soon after, Mike's neighbor Lucas Sinclair joined his friend group. At some point the boys began playing Dungeons & Dragons, referring to their games as "campaigns". Nancy participated in their campaigns, dressing up as an elf for their Eldertree campaign, though this stopped by 1979, most likely due to Nancy getting older. In 1980, Nancy and Mike got a baby sister named Holly. That same year, the boys befriended Dustin Henderson, who had recently moved to town. The four boys would often gather to play Dungeons & Dragons in Mike's basement. They had a great relationship with their science teacher, Mr. Clarke, and were members of the AV Club which he ran. The boys participated in the annual science fair and won almost every year except 1982. Mr. Clarke said their loss that year was "political".

    Mike is shown to be optimistic, morally compassionate, and highly committed to his friends, usually going to great lengths to help them. His D&D role as Dungeon Master suggests that he, like Will, is a creative thinker. Out of the four boys, he is the most emotionally open and rather gullible, being willing to accept fantastical explanations behind complex situations. After Will disappeared, he quickly drew a parallel to Will's defeat at the hands of the Demogorgon. After witnessing Eleven's psychic powers, Mike became faithful to the idea that she could help find Will. While his friends were initially skeptical about Eleven, Mike wholeheartedly trusted her to guide them and even developed a close relationship with her. Mike's slightly unorthodox approach led him to connect some of the dots explaining the mysterious Upside Down.

    Mike has a high level of selflessness, shown strongly when he was willing to jump off a cliff to protect Dustin (before Eleven came to rescue him). Additionally, Mike displayed strong morale and courage when he confronted Troy about his joke of Will's presumed death, showing just how much, he cares for his friends. Even after Will was saved, Mike perceived that Will was struggling due to his connection with the Upside Down and tried to help him. Mike was also the only one out of his friends to stay with Will in the lab when he was suffering from memory loss and was manipulated by the Mind Flayer, proving that he was always ready to put himself in harm's way to protect his friends.

    Moreover, when Eleven disintegrated the Demogorgon and vanished, Mike was severely traumatized by her disappearance and struggled. His mother even pointed out that he had begun acting out in school, which stemmed from his depression regarding Eleven. Yet he still believed that she was alive and continued to try contacting her for 353 consecutive days, until his determination was rewarded when he finally reunited with Eleven after almost a year. His undying love and concern for her were also explicit when he endeavored to convince the group to distract the Demodogs from Eleven, defying Steve's orders, as well as keeping his promise to her by attending the Snow Ball.

    As he started dating Eleven, Mike showed a more romantic side to his personality. He was protective of Eleven as he feared losing her again, but he eventually shed his overprotectiveness of Eleven after reconciling with her. Mike was also shown to be more mature as he admitted that he was being too overprotective of Eleven and apologized to her for it. Even when El dumped him, he still cared for her and loved her, even if she did not realize it.

    •High Intellect and elaborative thinking: Mike Wheeler is a very smart and wise young man who possesses wits in being clever enough throughout every situation that he and party members face against outsmarting treats and enemies. When Nancy and Jonathan came to investigate with him about Ms. Driscoll and Billy, he told them that both were Flayed by the Mind Flayer due their bond from the results of their Sauna test and hospital, then went to find more clues at the Holloway residence and upon entering they spotted multiple chemicals in the kitchen and suggested what they were being used for. So Mike used an example from his teacher Mr. Clarke about the outcome of mixing them together to create a new substance and concluded the Flayed were creating something new in themselves by consuming them.

    •Master Strategist and Leadership: As being the Paladin party member of the group, Mike has shown to have great courage, strategy, and nobility at all times, especially in the face of adversity. He was rebellious against Chief Hopper's demands of not investigating in finding Will, so he brought Lucas and Dustin out to the road of "Mircwood" to search in the woods and fought Jane/Eleven instead and brought her to his house. He suggested for them to go back and find Will but kept Eleven as a secret guess hiding in his basement until they found her own residency, until they found out about her powers and that the government baddies were hunting her down, opened a portal to the upside down where the Demogorgon came from was loose, along with being responsible for Will’s disappearance he hatch a plan to find their base of operations first. And when realizing Eleven could talk to Will over his Super-com, he planned to sneak her into the Hawkins AV club room and used the technology to communicate with Will which they succeeded in doing so. Then in Season 2, he found out a lot about Will's episodes and learned that he acquired psychic abilities that allowed him to see in the upside down and now-memories that allowed the Mind Flayer to inhabit into his body becoming a spy. After surviving the attack in the lab, he lead the group into avenging the death of Bob Newby by figuring out the Mind Flayers weakness and knew that Will would know it and knew how to not be spied on by hiding their location, then when Eleven and Hopper went to close the gate he and the others sought to distract the Demodogs from the lab and to burn the creature’s core into the tunnels which providing them some time to make it there and they destroyed it completing the mission.

    •Indomitable Willpower: Mike has an unbreakable will, never giving up on being there for Eleven or defying the devices of Vecna.

    Equipment:

    Familial

    Nancy Wheeler Mike and Nancy were could have been closer when they were younger; Nancy would dress up for some of Mike's early D&D campaigns. However, the two drifted apart, likely due to the large age gap between them and the fact that they attended different schools. Nancy was often dismissive of her brother, calling him "gross" and a "douchebag", and in turn Mike was dismissive of her relationship with Steve Harrington​. However, when Mike briefly went missing, Nancy was genuinely worried about him. After he was found, he and his sister agreed to stop lying to each other and to always tell the truth. However, this was short-lived, as both siblings immediately started lying to each other again. Despite this, however, Mike and Nancy are still shown to care for each other, despite getting on each other's nerves. Mike even refused to give Keith a date with Nancy, not wanting to prostitute his sister in exchange for discovering the identity of "MADMAX". However, he is not above stealing from her piggy bank that consequently forces him to give away a box of his toys. In 1985, Mike's relationship with his sister seemed to have improved greatly after all they have been through in the past two years. When Nancy urged Mike to open the door, Mike did so as he could tell by her voice that something was wrong. The two worked together with their friends in investigating the Flayed and the Mind Flayer's plot. Mike even came to Nancy's aid when she was being attacked by a monster at the Hawkins Memorial Hospital. As they waited for Eleven to find the Flayed, Nancy was shocked to hear that Eleven broke up with Mike and criticized him for controlling Eleven, stating that Eleven is her own person, fully capable of making her own choices. However, when Mike admitted that he's afraid of losing Eleven and that he truly loves her, Nancy is surprised to hear this. Later, when the Mind Flayer attacks Hopper's cabin, Nancy does everything to protect her brother and his friends. Nancy continues to help and protect Mike before the Mind Flayer is killed at Starcourt Mall. Three months later, Nancy and Mike share their grief together as they watch the Byers family and Eleven leave Hawkins. In 1986, Mike, now a freshman, carpools with Nancy to Hawkins High. The last day before Spring Break, she barges into Mike's room and yells at him he has thirty seconds to get ready and pesters him to leave as he grabs Pop Tarts for breakfast. Later in the day, Mike storms into the school's newspaper room where Nancy is and asks if she would like to join the school's D&D club, Hellfire. Nancy glares at Mike in annoyance as he's embarrassed her in front of her newspaper peers. Due to Mike being in California, he doesn't have immediate contact with Nancy once Vecna's killings begin. However, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for Nancy's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his sister. Two days after Vecna's disappearance, Mike arrives to Hawkins alongside the Byers and Argyle. Nancy tags along with the California crew to repair Hopper's cabin, and jokes the cabin's condition is better than Mike's bedroom. Karen Wheeler Mike had a healthy but somewhat strained relationship with his mother. He knew that Karen was always there to comfort and protect him. However, he disobeyed her orders to not go looking for Will and frequently lied to her. He also did not trust her to handle the situation surrounding Eleven. Karen appeared frustrated that both Mike and Nancy seemed unwilling to be honest and open with her. However, Mike went home to his mother and cried in her arms when he thought that Will was dead. After being unable to accept Eleven's presumed disappearance, Mike started behaving peculiarly which caused Karen, unaware of the cause, to force him to pack most of his toys into a garage sale donation box, frustrating Mike even more so. Mike also gets annoyed when his mom takes so many pictures of him in his Ghostbusters costume and his outfit for the Snow Ball. However, in October 1985, after saying goodbye to Will and Eleven, Mike sought comfort from his mom in the form of a hug, showing that he truly loves her. In the spring of 1986, Karen lets Mike visit Will and El in California for Spring Break. However, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for his mom's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his mother. After the supposed "earthquake", Karen is shocked yet relieved to be reunited with her son, who traveled back to Hawkins alongside the Byers via van. As Karen hugs her son tightly, she tells him he can forget about going on vacation again or college because he is staying right by her side. Ted Wheeler Mike and Ted did not appear to have the strongest relationship. Ted was often at work and so had less time to spend with his son. Ted's tactless nature could sometimes annoy his family, Mike included. Mike also kept Eleven's existence a secret from Ted. When Mike was urged by his mother to sell a big portion of his toys, Ted said that Mike's toys were "chunks of plastic." In 1986, Ted dismisses Mike's D&D club, the Hellfire Club, as the "high school drop-out club". Yet, he allows Mike to visit Will and Eleven during spring break and reminds him to go to bed early as he has an early morning flight. However, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for his dad's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his father. Holly Wheeler Mike doesn't seem to be that close to Holly as he is with Nancy. However, in 1986, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for his Holly's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his sister.

    Non-Familial

    Eleven Mike and Eleven developed a special relationship in the six days they knew each other. He allowed her to stay at his house, provided meals for her everyday and also built a pillow fort for her in his basement. Mike was the first of his friends to trust El, even falling in love with her. Eleven, in turn, was clearly at her most relaxed while alone in the company of Mike. Unlike Dustin and Lucas, Mike understood right away that despite her powers and strange appearance, she was ultimately just another kid. His respect for her deepened when she aided and defended him and his friends in their search for Will. While in the cafeteria, Mike invited Eleven to be his date to the Snow Ball, an offer which she happily accepted. He then tried to explain that he liked her as more than a friend, and when she didn't understand what he was trying to say, he kissed her in an attempt to demonstrate his love for her. When they were found by the "bad men", as Eleven calls them, Dr. Brenner hugged and comforted her, but in pain, she called out for Mike, instead. When the Demogorgon attacked, Mike and his friends took the chance to carry Eleven to safety. Eleven then disintegrated the Demogorgon, leaving Mike and his friends in safety, but disappearing in the process. Watching her apparent death devastated Mike, and he mourned her loss. However, he never gave up on her, calling her on his Supercom for 353 days in a row as well as keeping the pillow fort in perfect condition. Unbeknownst to him, she was actually alive and attempting to communicate back. When they finally reunited after nearly a year apart, they shared a long awaited hug -- only to be separated again as they needed to close the gate in the lab. Mike told Eleven that he couldn't "lose her again” and she promised he won't. At this point, Eleven leaned in to kiss Mike but was interrupted when Hopper called her name. Concerned about her, Mike convinced the group to create a distraction in order to clear the lab of the Demodogs. With their help, Eleven managed to close the Gate. Afterwards, on the night of the annual Snow Ball '84, Eleven showed up late to the dance, keeping her promise to Mike. Mike and Eleven then shared their second known kiss - and first of the season - as they danced to the song "Every Breath You Take". In 1985, their relationship was blossoming more and more, much to her father's dismay. Hopper even became concerned to the point of threatening Mike into not spending time with Eleven. Fearful, Mike did as he was told and kept his distance from El, lying to her and claiming his nana was sick. With the help of Max, Eleven quickly saw through his lie, and when Mike refused to explain himself, she broke up with him, quoting Max's advice from before: "I dump your ass". Max and Eleven quickly hopped on a bus, leaving Mike heartbroken with Will and Lucas. Eleven was angry at Mike for seemingly wanting to control her and not believing in her, though he later revealed to everyone except Eleven (who wasn't present in the room) that he was only behaving like this because he loved her and he couldn't lose her again. Mike then later revealed that he only avoided Eleven because Hopper had threatened him, and they reconciled in the hospital while waiting for Nancy and Jonathan to return. Mike saved Eleven's life three times; when her leg was seriously injured, he helped her walk and took care of her. When she was in pain, he was extremely worried about her. When the Mind Flayer's strange growth continued to pulsate from Eleven's left leg, making El scream in severe pain, Mike kept holding onto her, trying to comfort her and help keep her still while Jonathan attempted to get the creature out of her left leg. After the battle, they are seen hugging and then are seen together in the back of an ambulance. Three months later, Eleven was getting ready to move out of Hawkins with Will's family. Although she was still unable to use her powers, Mike was hopeful that they would come back and comforted her by saying, "They'll come back, I know they will." El then recalled how Mike had expressed his feelings for her at the cabin and kissed him, telling him she loves him too. During their final goodbyes, they shared long, tearful hugs outside of the Byers house. After El left, Mike returned to his home for a tearful hug with his mom. By the spring of 1986, Mike and El keep contact through letters. El has made a box shrine full of letters and pictures of Mike. However, El and Mike have begun suffering from communication problems; El has been lying about being bullied by a girl named Angela and struggling in school, while Mike has continued to struggle saying he loves El, ending his letters with "From, Mike". When Mike arrives in California, he presents El with flowers he handpicked from Hawkins. El was visibly disappointed that the letter in the flowers read "From, Mike" yet again, but hides her emotions and tells Mike she loves them. El continues to lie and say she has friends she wants Mike to meet but first wants to take him to the town's roller rink, Rink-O-Mania. There, El is unexpectedly confronted by Angela and her posse, who take advantage of El's lies that they're friends by taking her to the center of the rink and publicly humiliating her. Mike, shocked, does his best to stop the situation, but it proves futile when one of Angela's friends throws a milkshake on El and cause her to fall to the floor. El, embarrassed, skates away from Mike as the crowd laughs at her and hides. Mike and Will scour the rink looking for El only to find her when they hear Angela's screams. They run to El and discover she had struck Angela in the face with a roller skate and caused her nose to split open. Mike, in the heat of the moment, shockingly asks what she had done. After being taken home and having dinner with Joyce and Murray, Jonathan and Argyle discuss the roller rink incident as an "accident" and tell a confused Joyce and Murray that Angela would be fine. Mike muttered that she didn't look fine, causing El to glare at him and storm off to her bedroom. The next morning, Mike goes into El's bedroom with Eggos for breakfast and asks her why she didn't tell him she was being bullied. He attempts to comfort her and say he know what it's like, but El shuts his argument down and tells him no matter where she goes, everyone looks at her like she's a monster, even him. Mike says that's not true, but El reminds Mike about the way he reacted at the Rink-O-Mania. Mike tells El he was caught off-guard in the situation, and it doesn't take away how much "he cares about her". El then asks if Mike doesn't love her anymore. Mike asks who said that he didn't, causing El to stand up and tell him that not only does he ever say it, but he also can't even write it, presenting him all of his letters that end with "From, Mike". Mike tells a tearful El that she shouldn't let her bullies ruin her self-esteem and she's a superhero, but El says she's not a superhero anymore. Their conversation ends unexpectedly, and police arrive to arrest El for assaulting Angela. As she's taken away, Mike tells El through the police car window that he will fix this. Due to Joyce being out of town, El is sent off to juvenile hall, but is picked up by Dr. Sam Owens and his agents. The agents arrive at the Byers house to tell Jonathan, Will, and Mike that El is being trained to get her powers back to fight a new evil in Hawkins. Agent Ellen Stinson gave Mike a letter from El that informed him she's gone to become a superhero again, ending with "From, El". The next day, as the boys were under house arrest, Mike sulked over the letter, causing Will and Jonathan to make a plan to get back to Hawkins through Jonathan's best friend, Argyle. With the help of Suzie Bingham, Dustin's girlfriend, they discover that El is in Nevada. They all proceed to drive there. When Mike spots El, she is lying in the middle of the desert. After El takes down a helicopter with her newly equipped powers, Mike jumps out of the van and runs up to El. She is caught off-guard but happily embraces Mike as they press their heads together. Once they escape in Argyle's van, Eleven tells Mike and Will, that they have to get back to Hawkins immediately, due to Vecna's attacks. They later stop at a gas station, and Jonathan frantically calls many airlines, trying to see if there is a way for them to get back to Hawkins. El realizes that she can "piggyback" in order to fight Vecna. She explains that she will need a sensory deprivation tank in order to enhance her abilities. The group proceeds to go to a pizza shop, because there is enough salt there to create a tank for Eleven. They sit together at the shop, and Mike makes El giggle after he jokes about "looking so cool" with the glasses that he made on. Eleven then took his hands and talked about how she missed him. He said that he missed her as well, and began to talk about his feelings for her, but they were then interrupted by Argyle. Argyle placed a pizza on the table, telling Mike and Eleven to try it. Mike immediately refused, due to there being the pineapple as a topping. El tried the pizza and says that it was "really good". El and Argyle playfully forced Mike to eat the pizza which made him like it in the end. Later, while Eleven was in the sensory deprivation tank fighting Vecna, she started choking due to being trapped by tentacles in Vecna's Mind Lair. In order to help El get out of it, Mike proved to be the heart of the group when he finally said he loves her. In the Void, El becomes emotional when Mike tells her he's always loved her, and that he was afraid to say it out of fear that if El ever left him, it would make that day hurt even more. He goes on to say that his life started the day they met in the woods, and that he loves her no matter who or what she is, calling her his "superhero". Motivated to fight, El temporarily took down Vecna. Later on, El and Mike returned to Hawkins and leaned on one another as they looked over a comatose Max before they worked to rebuild Hopper's cabin and witness the Upside Down beginning to merge into Hawkins. Lucas Sinclair Mike and Lucas lived next door to each other for most of their childhoods and quickly became best friends. However, this friendship was tested following the disappearance of Will and the arrival of Eleven. Mike was sympathetic towards Eleven and believed she could help find Will while Lucas suspected that she was manipulating them in order to gain food and a bed. Mike and Lucas began to occasionally argue about Will and Eleven due to their differing opinions. This even broke out into a full-fledged fight, though Eleven brought the scuffle to an abrupt end. Mike and Lucas were on bad terms for a time, each refusing to apologize to the other. Dustin suspected that Lucas was jealous that Mike's attention was primarily going towards Eleven. However, after Lucas realized that Eleven had good intentions and saved them from the agents of Hawkins Lab, he apologized and made up with both her and Mike. In 1984, when playing at the Palace Arcade and trying to figure out the identity of "MADMAX," Lucas tried to urge Mike to give Keith a date with Nancy, which Mike refused. When Mike found out that Lucas, along with Dustin, had invited Max Mayfield (who was "MADMAX") into the Party without informing him, Mike was upset. However, he showed no hostility towards Lucas for it. When Mike worried for Eleven (after she revealed herself to alive) as she went with Hopper to close the Gate, Lucas tried his best to reassure him. When Billy Hargrove attacked Lucas, Mike was greatly concerned for him and once he was rescued by Steve, Mike embraced Lucas. After Max sedates Billy, Mike and Lucas, along with the rest of their friends, work together in burning the tunnels to distract the Demodogs. In 1985, Mike and Lucas still remained close as both them now had girlfriends. However, after Jim Hopper complicated Mike's relationship with Eleven, Mike sought Lucas's help in fixing his relationship with Eleven. When Mike was dumped by Eleven, he was comforted by Lucas. After discovering the Mind Flayer had returned and possessed Billy, Lucas wanted to burn the Mind Flayer out of Billy, but Mike said that they also needed to stop the Mind Flayer other than Billy. When Mike blurted out his love for Eleven, it caused Lucas to smile at his declaration of love. Both Mike and Lucas continued to work together in battling the Mind Flayer before the Gate was closed once again. In 1986, the two remain close friends, but have to spend less time together as Lucas is on the basketball team. However, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for Lucas's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his friend. Upon returning to Hawkins, Mike and Lucas embraced and looked over a comatose Max together. Dustin Henderson Mike met Dustin in the fourth grade, long after meeting Lucas and Will. Despite their shorter time together, Mike considered Dustin to also be one of his best friends. Dustin was level-headed with Mike, supporting his relationship with Eleven while also being willing to call him out on any questionable behavior. When Dustin was held at knifepoint by Troy Walsh, (who was seeking revenge on them for being publicly humiliated at the school), Mike willingly jumped off Sattler Quarry to save Dustin before Eleven arrived and saved the day. In 1984, when Mike found that Dustin, along with Lucas, invited Max Mayfield to join the Party without his being informed, Mike became upset but showed no hostility towards Dustin. However, after Dustin introduced Mike to D'Artagnan, Mike was disgusted by D'Artagnan, otherwise known as "Dart." Once he realized that Dart was from the Upside Down, Mike didn't hesitate to attack Dart before he was stopped by Dustin. Later, both Mike and Dustin worked together with their friends in burning the tunnels and Mike looked on as Dustin managed to convince Dart to let them pass. At the Snow Ball a month later, Mike remained on good terms with Dustin and playfully teased him about his hairstyle. In 1985, Mike welcomed Dustin back from Camp Know Where and was surprised to hear that Dustin had found a new girlfriend named Suzie. However, Mike decided to leave early on their journey to the top of Weathertop (a trip made in order to build Cerebro), so that he could spend romantic time with Eleven. His decision left Dustin confused and upset. As Mike focused on repairing his relationship with Eleven, he did not bother to figure out where Dustin was and what he was doing. However, when the Mind Flayer returned to Hawkins, Mike did try to contact Dustin and became worried when he couldn't. When he finally received a transmission from Dustin, Mike was overjoyed to hear his voice before the transmission was cut short. When Mike came to Dustin's rescue at Starcourt Mall, he hugged him and was reconciled with his friend. After the Mind Flayer's defeat and the Byers' move, Dustin allowed Mike to use Cerebro to contact Eleven. In 1986, when Lucas joined the basketball team, Mike and Dustin appear to spend even more time than before together. On the championship game before spring break, Mike and Dustin had trouble finding a substitute for Lucas to play in a D&D campaign held by the Hellfire Club. However, when Dustin decided to ask Erica to play in the campaign, Mike agreed with his decision, and they would go along to play D&D with Erica and the members of Hellfire Club. After winning the campaign, Mike and Dustin celebrated their victory before Mike left to visit Will and Eleven in California for spring break. However, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for Dustin's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his friend. Upon returning to Hawkins, Mike and Dustin reunited. Will Byers Mike and Will met each other on their first day of kindergarten and became very close friends. Mike approached Will while he was on a swing set and asked to be his friend, which Will agreed to. He later described this as the best thing that he had ever done. When Will vanished, Mike and his friends quickly decided to search for him. Mike became very upset during the brief period he believed Will was dead, morosely looking back through an old collection of his friend's illustrations. However, after Eleven proved Will was still alive, Mike became more determined than ever to find him. Upon eventually reuniting with Will, Mike was overjoyed to have his best friend home safe and sound. A year later, when Will was having visions and being overwhelmed by the Mind Flayer, Mike became even more committed to helping him. Trying his best to comfort him, Mike was the only one of his best friends to remain with him at Hawkins Lab when he suffered from memory loss. Their friendship was still mostly strong in 1985, but Will was upset with how much time Mike was spending with Eleven, and would have preferred more time for D&D campaigns. That said, Will still tried to help Mike when he grew dangerously close to getting dumped by Eleven, and aided him and Lucas in looking for an apology gift in the mall. When their effort failed and Eleven dumped Mike, Mike and Lucas were eager to amend the relationship as soon as possible. Will, however, had a different approach to the situation and likely believed it would've been better to wait, using the extra time for D&D and other friend activities. During a D&D campaign, Mike and Lucas' disinterest greatly disheartened Will to the point where he snapped and cut the campaign short. After they realized what they'd done, both of the boys attempted to apologize, but he brushed them off. Will left the house in a rage, and Mike caught up to him. In a heated argument, Mike told Will that they're grown up and left their days of playing games in the basement behind. However, Mike immediately regretted what he had said as he watched Will leave in tears. When discovering that the Mind Flayer had returned to Hawkins, Will worked with Mike to stop it. Will eventually managed to reconcile with his friend and smiled when Mike confessed how much he loved Eleven. The two later continued to work together in defeating the Mind Flayer. Three months later, Will said goodbye to Mike before he and his family moved away from Hawkins. He assured him that he would never join another party, resulting in a big smile from Mike. Mike suggested to Eleven that she and Will return to Hawkins for Christmas as he thought that it would be fun to open their presents together on Christmas Day. By 1986, Mike had become rather disinterested in keeping contact with Will, only calling him a few times as opposed to Eleven, who has a box of letters from him. Before Mike's arrival to Lenora Hills for Spring Break, Will began working hard on a painting he refused to show anyone. At the airport, both Will and El were eager to greet Mike at his gate, with Will bringing the wrapped-up painting with him. Unlike El, however, Mike's reunion with Will was extremely flat, with Mike awkwardly hugging Will. When Mike asked what he was holding, but Will simply said it was a painting he's been working on. As they leave the airport, Mike was not informed by Will that he was being lied to by El about her "friends" (who are actually her bullies). At the Rink-O-Mania, Will grew more annoyed over El's lies and believed they were hurting Mike. When Angela took El to the center of the rink to humiliate her, Will tried to tell Mike that El hasn't been telling the truth, but Mike did not believe him until El got embarrassed in front of the entire rink and ran off. As Mike and Will searched for her, Mike called Will a "douche" for being so rude to El during the whole day and not telling him about her problems earlier. Will finally snapped, saying El had been lying to Mike and he felt he had been a total third wheel all day. Mike was dismissive of this at first, but Will told him that he was not interested in anything he had to say anymore. Mike said that wasn't not true, but Will pointed out his lack of contact with him as opposed to El. Mike said that it was because El is his girlfriend and Will is just his friend, but Will said they used to be best friends. At a loss of words, Mike told Will he should've reached out more and asked why he was the bad guy. Not reaching a conclusion, the two continued to look for El until they witnessed their friend striking Angela in the face in retaliation for her bullying. After El was arrested and later taken away by Dr. Owens to regain her powers, Will ranted to a sulking Mike over how the agents believe they can contain the evil in Hawkins without Eleven. He took notice of Mike looking over a letter El gave him, and listened as Mike lamented over how he had yet to say that he loved El. Mike was comforted by Will, who told him that whatever he wanted to say to El, he can say it when they find her. As the boys came up with a plan on hitching a ride to Hawkins through Argyle, Mike came to Will's room and thanked him for comforting him while also apologizing for his behavior towards him. Will attempted to say that he deserved it since he was being a jerk to Eleven, but Mike insisted he didn't deserve anything. Much to Will's surprise, Mike said that he had begun to notice how empty Hawkins felt without him and that they would work better if they were a team, or "best friends". The boys smiled as their friendship had been repaired once again. When the doorbell rang, Will grabbed his painting and placed it in his backpack. As the army raided the Byers home, Mike and Will held on to one another as they and Jonathan followed Agent Harmon to escape. After burying Harmon's body in the desert, Mike commented how he struggled to say things at the heat of the moment, and Will said that sometimes it's hard for people to say the things they want to say out of fear of being rejected. In Nevada, Mike grew worried over El not needing him anymore and that he was lucky to have someone like El in his life. Then, Will showed Mike his painting, revealing it to be a large poster of a dragon and knights. Impressed and happy, Mike asked if Will made this, and Will lied and said El had commissioned it for him to draw. Will pointed to a knight that's supposed to be Mike, and told him he's the heart of the group, and without him, the Party would fall apart. Will became emotional as he substituted El for how he truly feels, saying "El" had been lost without Mike and would always need him, no matter how far apart they are. Though Mike had become more motivated and happier, he does not notice Will turning away and crying, unaware that his friend was in love with him. Mike and Will continued to work together, with Will reminding Mike he's the heart when El began to hyperventilate in the Void while fighting Vecna. After returning to Hawkins, two days later, Will disclosed to Mike of Vecna's survival, saying that he won't stop until he's killed everyone. Mike comforted Will and said they will be able to kill Vecna once and for all, showing that their bond has improved significantly. Scott Clarke Mike and his friends had a great relationship with their school science teacher, Mr. Clarke. He was more than willing to help the boys further their interest in science, even purchasing a ham radio for them. Bob Newby Mike had a great deal of respect for Bob, given his significant contribution to the funding and raising of Hawkins Middle AV Club, along with his close friendship with Will. After Bob's heroism saved their lives, Mike grew inspired by his efforts and urged the group to find a way to avenge him by defeating the shadow monster, reminding them that they couldn't let the man die in vain. Max Mayfield Mike and his friends first met Max Mayfield when Mr. Clarke introduced her to the class. While Dustin and Lucas grew curious about her since she had beaten Dustin's high score on Dig Dug, Mike wasn't interested with her and was reluctant to let her join the Party. However, his apparent apathy towards her was because he was still reeling from Eleven's disappearance. Despite his hostility, he still cared for Max on some level, as he appeared concerned when Eleven caused her to fall while skateboarding. After Mike eventually reunited with Eleven, he gave up his hostility towards Max and accepted her as one of the Party. In 1985, Mike has fully accepted Max into the Party and treated her as an equal like the rest of his friends, being on friendly terms with her. However, after Jim Hopper complicated his relationship with Eleven, causing Eleven to hang out with Max, Mike grew irritated and upset as he did not want Eleven to be with Max, believing Max to be influencing Eleven into conspiring against him. This along with Max, blaming Mike for wanting to control Eleven, put a strain on their relationship and became even more strained after Max and Eleven spied on him and Lucas. However, when Mike admits he's worried for Eleven and that he loves her, this causes Mike and Max to reconcile, as they both care for her, as her boyfriend and best friend. When El asks Mike to trust her, he looks at Max, who nods for him to say yes, which he does. Mike later admits to Eleven that he does enjoy her being friends with Max, and that he was just jealous at first of their friendship. Both Mike and Max continued to care for Eleven after she was injured and help each other out during the battle against the Mind Flayer at Starcourt Mall. By 1986, Max had grown distant from her friends due to her depression over Billy's death, Mike included. Max sits next to Mike and Dustin during the school's pep rally and explains the rules of the basketball tournament to them. In California, upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from Agents Ellen Stinson, Wallace, and Harmon, Mike grew worried for Max's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his friend. When Mike returns to Hawkins, he was saddened to find Max in a comatose state. Steve Harrington Initially, in 1983, Mike seemed annoyed that his sister was dating Steve and her obsessive over him. When Mike snuck out to search for Will, Mike noticed Steve sneaking into Nancy's bedroom and rolled his eyes in annoyance before riding away on his bike. In 1984, Mike and his friends were looked after by Steve who rejected Mike's to distract the demodogs with Mike insisting "this isn't a stupid sports game." After Steve is knocked out by Hargrove, Mike and Steve went down into the tunnels and drew the dogs away from the gate. In 1985, Mike seemed to be on very good terms with Steve now as he and his friends get a hookup from Steve where he helped them sneak into Starcourt Mall's movie theater. Later, Mike came to Steve's rescue before he, Dustin, Erica, and Robin were killed by Russian soldiers. They, along with their friends, worked together in battling the Mind Flayer's avatar. In 1986, Mike and Steve remained close. Upon learning of Vecna's killing spree from agents Ellen Stinson, Harmon, and Wallace, Mike grew worried for Steve's safety and decided to return to Hawkins to save his friend. When Mike returned to Hawkins, he reunited with Steve. Jim Hopper Hopper and Mike did not get off to a good start. While questioning the boys about Will's whereabouts, Hopper ordered Mike and his friends to not go searching for Will, but Mike secretly disobeyed him and went in search of Will anyway. When Hopper contacted Mike through Will's super-com and told him he could protect him and his friends from the government agents, Mike decided to trust the Chief and reveal the Party's location. In 1984, Mike went with Will, Joyce, and Bob to rescue Hopper in the Upside Down tunnels, demonstrating his willingness to come to Hopper's aid. However, when Mike found out that Hopper had been hiding Eleven for nearly a year, he became furious with Hopper, blaming him for hiding her. Although Hopper initially tried to justify his actions, he stopped when he saw how broken Mike was and comforted the sobbing boy, apologizing to him as he realized how wrong he was to have kept Eleven hidden. By 1985, Hopper and Mike weren't on good terms again, especially when Hopper became irritated with how much time his adopted daughter, Eleven, was spending with Mike. It eventually boiled over when Mike became too arrogant and disrespected the Chief. Having lost his temper, Hopper forced Mike to distance himself from Eleven, which eventually led to their breakup -- an event that brought Hopper much joy. However, despite their differences, Hopper still wanted Mike to be safe and told him to be careful before the final attack at Starcourt Mall. These words of concern hinted that he did care for Mike and was beginning to support his relationship with Eleven. In 1986, Hopper returns to Hawkins after being rescued by Joyce and Murray in Kamchatka, Russia. Mike slowly approaches Hopper and greets him. Hopper tells him he's grown, while Mike says that he's shrunk. Hopper chuckles and the two embrace, showing that Hopper and Mike do care for another despite their history. Jonathan Byers Mike was well-acquainted with Will's older brother, Jonathan. When meeting up with Jonathan, after being rescued by Chief Jim Hopper, the two worked together in building a sensory deprivation tank so Eleven could use her powers to locate Will in the Upside Down. In 1984, Mike and Jonathan met up again after escaping from Hawkins National Laboratory when a pack of Demodogs massacred nearly everyone in the lab. The two worked together, along with their friends, in communicating with the possessed Will in order to figure out a way to stop the Mind Flayer. In 1985, Mike and Jonathan met again and worked together investigating the Flayed and attempting to stop the Mind Flayer. When Mike and Max argued about Eleven's well-being and independence, Jonathan did not jump into the argument and in the end, he looked shocked when Mike blurted out his love for El. After discovering the Mind Flayer's true plan, Mike and his friends were protected by Jonathan when the Mind Flayer's avatar attacked them. The two continued to work together where they removed a piece of the Mind Flayer out of El's wounded leg and fought against its avatar at Starcourt Mall before it was killed when Joyce turned off the Key that was opening a gate. Three months later, Mike assisted Jonathan in packing up his belongings and said goodbye to him before sadly watching him leave Hawkins with El and his family. In 1986, Mike met up with Jonathan again after arriving in Lenora Hills, California to visit Eleven during spring break. Mike greeted Jonathan and met his new friend, Argyle. Later, El got arrested for assaulting Angela, Mike and Jonathan tried to get El out of prison before Agent Ellen Stinson informed them that she had been rescued from police custody and left with Dr. Sam Owens to regain her powers so she can help fight a new evil threatening Hawkins. The next day, Mike, Jonathan, and Will all agreed to escape from the watch of Agents Wallace and Harmon to find El and return to Hawkins to save their friends. When soldiers led by Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan ambushed and attacked them, Mike and Will were protected by Jonathan before they along, with a wounded Harmon, escaped with Argyle. After Agent Harmon died from his wounds, Mike and Jonathan buried him in a junkyard with Will and Argyle's help. When they found the number Harmon gave them that would help find El's location, Jonathan, Mike, and Will went to call the number, only to realize they were calling a computer. When Mike suggested they request Suzie Bingham's help in using the number to hack into the government system, Jonathan disagreed as he had listened to Suzie's duet with Dustin Henderson when fighting the Mind Flayer last year, but eventually relented. Upon arriving at Suzie's house, they asked for her help and were successful in finding the location of the Nina Project facility where El was. However, while traveling to find the Nina Project, Jonathan became frustrated, thinking they were lost, despite Mike's reassurance until Argyle pointed they were in the right direction by finding tire tracks belonging to military vehicles. As a result, they were able to rescue Eleven and escape from Colonel Sullivan and his forces in time. Later, they tried to book a flight to Hawkins to save their friends from Hawkins, but when that failed, Mike and Jonathan worked together in building a sensory deprivation tank so Eleven could use her powers to fight Vecna in Max's mind. And as El fought Vecna, Mike and Jonathan kept watch over her before she was able to defeat him. Two days later, Mike and Jonathan returned to Hawkins together where they reunited with their friends and loved ones before working together to rebuild Hopper's cabin. Troy Walsh & James Dante Troy Walsh and James Dante were bullies of Mike and his friends. Mike was given the cruel nickname "Frog-Face" by Troy and James and Mike often did his best to ignore them. After Will went missing, Troy and James cruelly joked about Will's disappearance, and Troy said that Will was dead. Mike tried to walk away, but Troy tripped him, causing him to hit his chin off of a rock. At a memorial assembly, at Hawkins Middle School, Mike noticed Troy and James laughing during the assembly and angrily confronted the two boys. Though Troy brushed him off and called Will homophobic slurs, Mike reached his breaking point and angrily shoved him to the floor. Troy stood up to hit Mike back but Eleven used her powers to freeze Troy, shocking Mike where he became amused when Eleven caused Troy to urinate on himself. However, Troy blamed the incident on Mike. When Troy and James tracked down Mike and Dustin in the forest to get revenge, Mike and Dustin attempted to run away, but the pair chased after them. Troy and James managed to trap Dustin and Mike at Sattler’s Quarry. Despite attempting to fight back, Mike was horrified when Troy grabbed Dustin and began threatening him with a knife. Troy demanded to know how Mike made him freeze and urinate himself, thinking he had used something scientific on him. Though Dustin told Troy that Eleven made him urinate on himself, Troy did not believe him and forced Mike to jump off the quarry, threatening to cut out Dustin's teeth. Mike submitted to Troy's demands and jumped off the quarry, but he was saved by Eleven who proceeded to break Troy's arm and scare him and James away. After the incident, Mike was never bullied by Troy and James again. Eddie Munson In 1986, Mike was taken in by Eddie at the start of his freshman year in Hawkins High. Mike respected Eddie and would always attend to his club's campaigns. The two didn't have as close a bond as Dustin had with Eddie, but Eddie did mention that he saw Mike and Dustin as the future game-masters of Hellfire Club, reflecting how he first saw Mike wearing clothes his mom bought for him from Gap. It is unknown how Mike reacted to Eddie's death after returning to Hawkins. Argyle In 1986, Mike first meets Argyle when arriving at the airport. When Jonathan introduces them to one another, Argyle at appears to hug Mike, when in reality he checks the tags on his California-like outfit and tells him that his shirt is a "shitty knock-off" but he'll hook him up with the "good threads". After a moment of silence, Argyle tells Mike that Jonathan has told him a lot about his sister, Nancy, causing even further awkwardness. Argyle soon reluctantly joins Jonathan, Will, and Mike to drive across the country back to Indiana to save Eleven. Argyle later teases Mike for not wanting to try pineapple on pizza, telling him to "try before he [denies]". Yet, the two were able to work together in helping Eleven fight Vecna and two days later, Mike and Argyle traveled to Hawkins together.

    Mike:

    •"What was your test on again? ••"You want her? You have to kill us first!"

    Mike to Eleven:

    •"Maybe we can call you El, short for Eleven."

    •"•"No, El, you're not the monster. You saved me, do you understand? You saved me."

    •"I was thinking, maybe we can go to the Snow Ball together."

    Character development

    Originally, Mike's character was intended to be more like "a straight man", a typical American boy on the cusp of adolescence who had a fervent desire for escapist adventures. However, after Finn Wolfhard was cast as Mike, the Duffer Brothers sought to readjust Mike by incorporating Wolfhard's charisma and winning optimism into the character. The Duffers likened how Finn was "less cliché" and more "fidgety" as opposed to how they imagined Mike and adjusted the character, giving him more of a leadership type of role. Ultimately, Mike's character became funnier. In the original plan, Mike also had a birthmark on his cheek, but the Duffers decided to remove it as they thought him being natural was better.

    Casting

    Due to sickness, Wolfhard had to film the entire audition tape for Stranger Things from his bed. The Duffers saw great potential in his performance and invited him for a screen test in mid-2015 with Gaten. Four weeks later, Wolfhard was cast as Mike. While Wolfhard auditioned for the show around the same time when he auditioned for the 2017 film "It", but as the movie was pushed back, he was able to star in the show.

    • Stranger Things 2 character guide: Who is Mike Wheeler?
    • Meet the cast of Stranger Things 2.
    • Eleven – Millie Bobby Brown.
    • Mike Wheeler – Finn Wolfhard.
  3. Michael "Mike" Wheeler is a fictional character from the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things. He is one of the central characters in the series, acting as the leader of the main group of kids. Mike is portrayed by Finn Wolfhard.

  4. Jul 8, 2019 · Setting up a dynamic very reminiscent of Dustin Hoffman's 1967 film The Graduate, Stranger Things 3 explored the budding relationship and sexual chemistry between Mike and Nancy's mum Karen...

  5. Apr 11, 2023 · Though Natalia Dyer's Nancy Wheeler was linked to Steve (Joe Keery) in season 1, she eventually started dating Charlie Heaton's Jonathan Byers on the show (and then eventually in real life as...

  6. Jul 12, 2019 · Actress Cara Buono explains why everyone's been discounting Karen Wheeler since "Stranger Things" began.

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