Few characters feel entirely safe on Stranger Things, and the show has proved that it's not afraid to kill off even the most lovable folks on the show. Season 3 is still a while off, but it's never to soon to start worrying about the fates of favorite characters. Luckily for those of us who are already concerned, executive producer Shawn Levy seemingly just ruled out the Season 3 death of one character: Steve Harrington. Levy had this to say about Steve in Season 3:
Honestly, the day Steve Harrington dies is the day I walk off this show. I just can't live in a world without Steve Harrington. And I think a lot of us feel that way. . . . Steve is safe -- at least for now. And you need to say like, 'Shawn's voice dropped an octave sounding weirdly spooky about it.'
Rest easy, Steve fans! Good old Steve apparently won't be killed off in the third season of Stranger Things, which really only seems fair. The poor guy got the shock of a lifetime at the end of Season 1 when he found himself face-to-face with a Demogorgon shortly after having his face beaten to a pulp by an understandably furious Jonathan, and then Season 2 saw him dumped by Nancy and then beaten so severely by Billy that he could have been killed if not for Max's interference, all before being forced to go with a bunch of kids down into tunnels to start a fire a lure hundreds of monsters in their direction. Frankly, if Season 3 just has Steve chilling out, could we really blame him?
Shawn Levy's comments to TVLine that the end of Steve will mean the end of his involvement with Stranger Things seem to indicate that Steve could be safe for however long the show runs on Netflix, although Levy's joke about his voice spookily dropping an octave could mean that he might be willing to let Steve get killed off if the story called for it. Perhaps he would allow it in the final season when we'd be saying goodbye to all the characters anyway! Besides, he has another show in the works. Maybe Levy will decide to leave to focus on other projects at some point.
The executive producer didn't comment on whether or not Steve's hair would be safe in Season 3, but I have to believe that the folks behind the scenes wouldn't be so cruel as to cut off his epic 'do. Even if it's not on par with Eleven's Eggos or Hopper's hat, Steve's hair is iconic to the show at this point. While I'm not saying that I would walk away from the show if Steve got his head shaved at any point, I would certainly pause my binge-watch for a moment of silence in honor of his hair.
Steve's apparent safety in Season 3 could mean that we need to start worrying even more about the rest of the main characters. Of the main characters, Steve was arguably the one who could lift out the most cleanly as of the end of Season 2. I wouldn't put my money on Stranger Things going so dark as to actually kill one of the kids before the final season, Hopper and Joyce are essential as the adults of the story, and Jonathan and Nancy are at least related to some of the most relevant characters. Steve was months away from graduating high school in Season 2, has no family connection to any of the others, and is beloved enough that his death would pack quite a punch. I know I'm relieved that he's almost certainly safe in the next batch of episodes. Now who could be the one to die?
There's no confirmation at this point of when Stranger Things will return to Netflix, but production on the third season is set to start soon. Check out our rundown of what we know so far about Stranger Things Season 3, and don't forget to stop by our 2018 Netflix premiere guide and 2018 midseason premiere schedule.
