Max Mayfield. MADMAX. Billy’s little sister. Vecna’s last victim. Whatever you want to call her, I am in love with this character.
But, not in the romantic way. Max, played by Sadie Sink, from Stranger Things Season 4 has won my heart, and while I loved her character before, she became an all-star for me during the latest entry into the series. From her absolutely impeccable story to some of the craziest moments of this series, Max has truly been through it all.
For those who want to know - or just wants a chance to talk about this incredible character - here are my reasons why Max has become my all-time favorite character on the show.
Her Humor Is Unbeatable
Stranger Things has gotten eons darker than the first season of the show, and the Duffer brothers have admitted that they’ve done that for a reason. The cast (and audience) has grown up since then, and because of that, we’re diving a little deeper into territory that might be a bit scarier.
Which is why in moments of crisis, when I get to see Max’s humor, I die of laughter every time.
She’s always been funny - as we have seen many times before in other seasons, but there was just something about her in the record-breaking Season 4 of Stranger Things that made me laugh even harder. Like when Dustin was telling her about the Hellfire Club and she was just going along sarcastically with what he was saying, before he realized it and called her out.
Or, when Eddie asked for a mask to cover up his face and she just hands him the Michael Myers mask from the Halloween franchise that she once used to scare the boys on Halloween years ago.
One of my favorite moments, however, is when Dustin and Lucas are talking about the wonderful Steve Harrington’s hairy chest, and she asks for the binoculars from Lucas just so she could look at him - for an abnormally long amount of time. Same, girl, and I was crying laughing during these terrifying moments.
She Realizes That She Needs To Face Her Trauma Head On
Max went through a lot of trauma in Season 3. While we always knew she and Billy were never close, as she talks about it multiple times throughout Season 4 of Stranger Things, she still feels heavy guilt for what happened to him, which is fully revealed in the last episode.
While she’s trying to speak to Vecna, she confesses that she used to pray something bad would happen to Billy, and now that it did, she wished for something bad to happen to her. Deep down, however, she knew that in order to beat Vecna, to move on from this hell that she has been stuck in for months, she needed to confront her own trauma.
She truly does have some of the most intense moments of Season 4 of Stranger Things, but the fact that she recognizes that and actively tries to move on with the help of her friends means the absolute world to me.
Her Resilience And Bravery Are Astounding
Look, I know Max has had training in the Upside Down already in Stranger Things, but the fact that she has made it this far after going through so much hell from Vecna is astounding to me, and I can’t help but appreciate how brave this girl truly is.
From her first escape while listening to “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush, to her last moments of fighting Vecna with Eleven in her old memory of the Snow Ball dance, she didn’t back down for a single second. She kept fighting and running and doing everything she could to survive and I freaking love her resilience.
Not for nothing, but none of the other victims of Vecna put up nearly as much of a fight as Max did. While that doesn’t make their deaths any less sad, it still goes to show how far she was willing to fight in order to make it back to her friends. Her Season 4 ending was sad, but at least we don’t need to add her to the big Stranger Things deaths list yet, right?
She Truly Cares About Her Friends The Most In This World
Something I also really love about Max is that she does genuinely love her friends in Stranger Things. While she was a bit judgmental of who they were back in Season 2, she learned to truly care for them as if they were her family, and Season 4 showed just how much was willing to sacrifice for them to live.
Max literally gave her own life for this plan, the injuries from her battle with Vecna killed her for just a bit, as it was only with Eleven's help that she was able to come out of there still breathing - but in a coma - at the very end.
She wants her friends to be safe and happy and even if that meant her dying, she was willing to go there - even if she was scared in the end. Her “death” scene really got to me, and I was sobbing until she was brought back a few minutes later. But, the real question is - will Max wake up from her coma?
Sadie Sink Truly Plays Max So Well
I know that this article is mainly talking about Max and how awesome she is, but I want to give a quick shout out to the actress behind Max, Ms. Sadie Sink. This girl is only 20, and yet she is acting circles around other people. Her ability to portray not only the humorous high schooler but the grieving teenager is impeccable.
While Sink has been in other projects in Hollywood, such as the Fear Street trilogy, as well as Taylor Swift's short film, “All Too Well,” she has truly shined playing Max on Stranger Things, and I can’t wait to see her return for the final season.
Stranger Things Season 5 may be some time away, but there’s no denying that I am going to be re-watching this show over and over again, and most likely cheering for Max Mayfield as I do. And, if you don’t see what I see, I suggest you re-watch this show again, because I will say it again for everyone to hear - I love Max Mayfield and no one is taking my girl from me.
