Steve, Nancy, & Jonathan’s Stranger Things Fates Explained

by

Be warned – major spoilers follow for the final episode of Stranger Things! The creators, the Duffer Brothers, have explained why Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan ended up on separate paths in the finale, calling it a natural progression for their characters. The final episode showed Steve becoming a coach and health teacher, Jonathan pursuing film studies, and Nancy working as a journalist, with each character moving to different states.

In a conversation with Netflix about the series finale, the Duffer Brothers discussed the logical conclusions to Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan’s storylines in Stranger Things. They always intended for Steve to remain in Hawkins, and Nancy’s move to Boston and career as a journalist highlight her growing independence. Interestingly, Jonathan’s storyline involving film school at NYU drew inspiration from the Duffer Brothers’ own experiences in film school.

Matt Duffer explained that Steve staying in Hawkins felt natural to them. They always envisioned him as the type of person who would remain in his hometown and work with children, something they realized he excelled at. They liked the idea of him becoming a teacher or coach, and hinted that he might start a family soon.

With Nancy, we always aim to avoid predictable storylines. Even in the first season, she showed she was more independent than the typical suburban character, which is why her relationship with Jonathan didn’t last. She’s still figuring out what she wants in life, and we wanted the ending to reflect that. The idea for Robin attending Smith College came from Maya. And Jonathan going to NYU was something we’d planned since Season 1, so it was great to finally see him achieve that long-held dream.

The young actors reached out to us the day before we filmed that scene. Charlie, especially, wanted to know more details about his character’s activities at NYU, so we all collaborated to create the concept for a movie. We continued to develop the movie idea even while on set. The film we made during college wasn’t a critique of capitalism, but it was a horror film about a shapeshifting cannibal, and that’s where the current idea came from.

The three friends, who have been part of the story since the beginning, are now pursuing their own paths, but they still stay connected. We see Robin briefly return to WSQK, “The Squawk,” and the group decides to meet monthly at Robin’s uncle’s house in Kentucky to keep up with each other’s lives.

The creators of Stranger Things explain that each character’s story comes to a logical conclusion. Regarding Steve, they felt it was natural for him to remain in Hawkins, given his strong connection with the younger characters, particularly his close friendship with Dustin, which ultimately shaped his path.

Nancy’s path has been interesting. For a while, she was focused on going to Emerson College to become a journalist. But now that she’s working, she actually seems happier than she was in school. This shows how much she’s grown since her breakup with Jonathan – she’s confidently building her own future.

Jonathan’s filmmaking, which critiques capitalism, reminds the Duffer Brothers of their own experiences in film school. The show playfully acknowledges this with a joke referencing a cannibal film they made, asking Jonathan if his movie is similar. His storyline seems to mirror the creators’ personal experiences during their time as students.

As a huge fan, I’ve always loved how Stranger Things really let its core trio grow and change over the seasons. They all end up forging their own paths, but what’s so special is that they maintain this incredibly strong bond, no matter how far they drift from Hawkins. It’s genuinely heartwarming to see them all find some happiness and move forward with their lives, even with everything they’ve been through.

Read More

2026-01-02 17:19