Imagine surviving Demogorgons, Mind Flayers, and Vecna’s spooky mind games—only to get dragged on the internet for being a little sassy with your bestie. Yup, Stranger Things Season 4 had some fans raising eyebrows at Dustin and Steve’s friendship, saying their banter felt more like low-key bullying.
But hold up—aren’t we talking about the same duo that gave us Scoops Ahoy legends, and hair tips? From babysitter Steve to the goofy gremlin Dustin, their dynamic has always been a chaotic mix of sass, and heart. So let’s check out if Dustin was truly bullying Steve or if they were just friendly banter and brotherly love.
Instances where fans felt Dustin and Steve’s banter was bullying
Season 4 of Stranger Things turned up the heat—not just on Vecna, but also on fan debates about the Steve-Dustin duo. While their bromance has always been gold, some viewers thought Dustin got a little too sharp-tongued this time. His sarcastic quips and zero-chill replies felt more like digs than jokes, especially coming from a younger teen to an older friend.
So, taking to Reddit, some fans even wondered if the friendship was becoming one-sided, with Steve getting roasted more than he deserved. Take the walkie-talkie moment from the Starcourt Mall, where Steve tries to stop Dustin from draining the batteries, and later simply asks if they have any left. Dustin then pulls out the sass cannon with a sharp “I’m not even answering that.”
In another instance, when Steve and Dustin watch Max safely enter her house, and Steve, out of muscle memory, informs Dustin that Max just entered her house, Dustin claps back with “I’m missing collarbones, not eyes.” It may sound like witty comebacks, but a few fans couldn’t help but feel Steve didn’t deserve the snark.
Now, let’s not forget Joe Keery’s character, Steve Harrington, is basically the unbothered king of Hawkins. He takes all the hits—literal and emotional—like a champ. But fans felt that compared to earlier Seasons where Steve and Dustin traded jabs equally, Season 4 had Dustin firing more shots.
Most importantly, fans couldn’t accept that the sass was coming from a freshman with no driver’s license to the town’s most reliable monster-fighting babysitter.
Dustin and Steve were the epitome of brotherly love in Stranger Things
Now, let’s be real—Dustin and Steve are Stranger Things royalty when it comes to iconic duos. Their friendship is built on trust, teasing, and a whole lot of Scoops Ahoy history. Sure, Dustin may have come off a little spicier in Season 4, but that’s what happens when teenagers hit puberty and grow more confident.
Dustin Henderson is no longer the cute kid with a compass—he’s a sarcastic freshman with opinions and no filter. Steve, on the other hand, is the ultimate older brother type. He has been through high school popularity contests, got dumped more times than we can count, and nearly died several times fighting monsters.
So, we’re sure that he can take a few snarky remarks from Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin. That’s nothing compared to getting attacked by Demobats. Steve knows Dustin doesn’t mean any harm—it’s just how they talk. Like real brothers, they jab, argue, and then share snacks and trauma. And let’s not forget the heartfelt moments.
One of the best examples in Season 4 is when Steve jokes about Dustin’s teeth, and Dustin actually calls him out. Steve doesn’t get defensive—he immediately apologizes and even Dustin forgives him immediately. That’s major character growth right there! It also proves that if something really hurt Steve, he’d speak up and Dustin would listen.
Also, we can’t ignore the fact that they’re still living in a horror show of supernatural chaos. The Upside Down is literally breaking into reality, people are dying, and everyone’s on edge. When the stress levels are maxed out, a few extra sarcastic zingers are bound to fly. So, at the end of the day, with these kids literally battling monsters, there’s going to be jabs and eye-rolls as coping mechanisms.
So while a few moments might look like bullying, they’re in reality, just a deeper level of friendship. Steve and Dustin may throw shade, but they’d also throw fists to protect each other any day.
Over and Out.
Stranger Things is currently streaming in the US on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
