Stranger Things began with a group of awkward, bike-riding 11-year-olds stumbling into something far bigger than themselves. Over the years, those kids grew up, emotionally, physically, and painfully right in front of the audience. Crushes turned into relationships, and relationships turned into responsibility.

In Stranger Things Season 5, these relationships finally either flourished or quietly reached their natural end. But which couples truly stood out when it was all over?

Robin Buckley is introduced in Season 3 as sarcastic, hyper-verbal, and emotionally guarded, but her personal arc deepens significantly when she comes out to Steve Harrington. Season 4 establishes Robin’s crush on Vickie through subtle cues. These moments are intentionally small, reflecting Robin’s fear and inexperience rather than dramatic romantic beats.

By the end of Season 4, Robin and Vickie share clearer mutual interest, especially after Vickie breaks up with her boyfriend, opening the door to something more intentional. However, Robin is alive and thriving post-finale, in college and still close with the group. Meanwhile Vickie survives but is not shown in the 18-month epilogue, and her romantic relationship with Robin is left ambiguous.

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As the stakes grow, relationships in Hawkins become more complicated, and far more fragile.

Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship begins in Season 1, rooted in shared grief over Barb and Will. They officially become a couple in Season 3, but by Season 4, cracks begin to show. In Season 5 Volume 2, Nancy and Jonathan find themselves trapped in the Upside Down’s melting Hawkins Lab and under extreme stress.

During that near-death moment, they finally say things honestly about their relationship. Jonathan pulls out an engagement ring he had been carrying, but then offers what he calls an “un-proposal.”

“Nancy Wheeler, will you not marry me?” he says. Nancy accepts this un-proposal and they share a heartfelt exchange

Mike and Eleven meet in the series premiere, when Mike offers Eleven shelter, trust, and belief at her most vulnerable. Their early relationship represents innocence and unconditional acceptance, culminating in their reunion and first kiss at the Season 2 Snow Ball. For much of the series, they function as the emotional core of the younger cast.

As the story progresses, particularly in Season 4, their relationship is tested by distance, trauma, and Eleven’s struggle for self-definition. Mike’s difficulty expressing love verbally and Eleven’s need to exist beyond being saved reframes their bond. 

In the final episode, she tells him, “None of this will ever end if I’m still here” and explains her choice to disappear. They share a final kiss in that psychic space before Eleven creates an illusion of remaining at the portal and leaves the party forever.

Hopper and Joyce, first glimpsed as a tentative couple navigating Hawkins’ dangers back in Season 1. They emerge from the final battle with Vecna and the Upside Down forces stronger than ever, their resilience tested but unbroken. Fighting side by side with the Hawkins crew, they survive the climactic confrontation in the finale episode.

The series’ epilogue offers a tender and hopeful payoff to their arc. Eighteen months later, Hopper and Joyce are a happy couple, with Hopper proposing and Joyce saying yes, a heartfelt testament to how love finds its way even after years of uncertainty and danger. They discuss leaving Hawkins for a fresh start, with Hopper poised to take a police chief role in Montauk, hinting at a new chapter together. 

Lucas and Max's relationship first began to take shape during Season 2 of Stranger Things, when youthful flirtation slowly gave way to genuine affection. After all the supernatural threats and personal trauma, particularly Max’s season-long struggle with Vecna’s psychic grip and near-death experience in the earlier season, Lucas remained a constant in her life.

In Mike Wheeler’s epilogue narration, Lucas and Max’s relationship is described as enduring and stronger than ever, with the two of them finally enjoying a long-anticipated movie date together and heading into their future side by side.

By the 18-month time jump after the finale, Lucas and Max are shown together as young adults forging a path beyond Hawkins, their love having endured past the series’ darkest moments. Max, fully recovered from her injuries and even returning to activities like skateboarding, and Lucas, supporting and present, are portrayed as a couple at peace, their bond deepened by everything they have faced. Their relationship is positioned in the finale not just as a return to normalcy, but as an affirmation that love can grow stronger through adversity.

By the end of Stranger Things, love in Hawkins reflects a different stage of growing up, from first crushes to lasting partnerships.

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Now it’s your turn do you agree with the ranking? Which couple defined Stranger Things for you? Share your thoughts.