Max Mayfield joined Stranger Things in the second season and has since become a beloved character. Brilliantly portrayed by Sadie Sink, Max became an important member of the team and was a stand-out character in the most recent fourth season.
Max has experienced some real highs, like her relationship with Lucas and her friendships with the gang, but also some real lows, especially in season four. Max endured some heartbreaking moments and trauma, such as grieving Billy's death and dealing with Vecna. Overall, she's become one of the show's best, well-developed, and most popular characters.
10 MadMax Arrives In Stranger Things Season 2
Max Mayfield became an iconic character and stole scenes before she even appeared on the screen. At the beginning of season two, Dustin and Lucas are angry an unknown persona by the screen name MADMAX keeps beating their high scores in the arcade.
After discovering she's a girl and the same age as the young teens, Lucas and Dustin are impressed. Whilst most of the group want to get to know Max and bring her into their circle, Mike is less keen and feels like the boys are trying to replace Eleven.
9 She Gets In The Driver's Seat
Max proves her position as the group's new 'zoomer' when she gets behind the wheel of a car. After Steve's fight with Billy, he's unable to drive. So, much to his horror, Max steps up.
After Steve wakes up, he panics when he sees a twelve-year-old behind the wheel; however, Max manages to remain focused. She may not be the best driver, but the memorable scene shows Max getting the team to their destination in more or less one piece, despite Steve's screams.
8 Max And Lucas Dance At The Snowball
Throughout season two, both Lucas and Dustin develop feelings for Max, and she teases the two of them about their seeming obsession with her. Branding Lucas a "stalker," he and Max develop a close, playful relationship that ends with her agreeing to dance with him at the Snow Ball.
In a heartwarming moment, Max and Lucas, Mike and Eleven, and Nancy and Dustin sway to the music and forget the hardships of the season. Surprisingly, it's Max who initiates a kiss between her and Lucas, revealing that she has feelings for him too.
7 Max Stands Up To Billy
Max proved she was a real badass at the end of season two. She stands up to her abusive stepbrother, Billy, to protect her new friends. Billy fights against Lucas and then Steve, beating the latter within an inch of his life until Max steps in. Max injects Billy with a sedative and threatens him with Steve's nail-enhanced baseball bat. Seeing the strength his little sister has, and probably impressed she's finally stood up to him, Billy agrees to back off and leave her friends alone.
6 Max Helps Eleven Have Fun
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Max and Eleven get off to a rocky start, but season three sees them developing a positive relationship. When Mike begins lying to Eleven, Max shows El how to have a good time without the boys and takes her to the mall.
As Madonna's Material Girl plays, the duo tries on clothes, take photos, eat ice cream, and pull pranks on mean girls. Max's friendship allows Eleven—for the first time—to experience what it's like to be a typical teen girl and enjoy herself.
5 She Stands Up For Eleven
Max and Mike have had something of a rivalry from the beginning. This continues into season three as Max tries to help Eleven become her own person and build her life outside what Mike wants to do. When Eleven wants to use her powers to help track down the Mindflayer, Mike is adamant it's too much. However, Max pushes Eleven to find her own limits and gain control over the use of her powers on her own terms. Whilst both aren't entirely right, seeing Max stand up for the only other girl in the young teen's group is refreshing.
4 Billy Dies In Max's Arms
No one can argue that Billy Hargrove was a terrible person. He's violent to others, abusive towards Max, and dislikes Lucas because he's black (at least, that's what's heavily implied). However, as Billy dies in Max's arms, every single viewer felt immense sympathy for her.
Due to Sadie Sink's brilliant performance, the grief Max felt towards losing a family member was evident, despite his previous actions. At that moment, every audience member placed themselves in Max's shoes and felt her pain as she suffered Billy's loss.
3 Max Escapes Vecna Using Music
In one of the most talked about scenes of season four, Max manages to do what Fred and Chrissy couldn't and escape Vecna's clutches. Whilst the gang plays her favorite song, Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill, Max remembers all the good things she has to live for.
Seeing visions of her relationship with Lucas and her friendships with the gang, Max manages to overpower Vecna and run towards the light. Fans were on the edge of their seats as Max sprinted across the blood-soaked hellscape and back to reality.
2 She Opens Herself Up To Lucas Again
Caught up in her grief, headaches, and nightmares following Billy's death, Max closed herself off from her friends—especially Lucas. Whilst Lucas gave Max space, he also let her know he was there if she needed him. In the season finale, the two bond again while awaiting Vecna's return.
Max lets Lucas know she's happy he's by her side and agrees to go on a date with him after everything is over. Lucas and Max's relationship is a fan favorite, and many hold out hope the duo will get to go on that cinema date, even after everything that happened.
1 Max Puts Herself In Harms Way To Lure Out Vecna
Max proves she's one of the bravest and most sacrificial characters in Stranger Things when she offers herself up as bait. To keep Vecna busy, Max pushes Kate Bush to the side and lures him in, giving Nancy, Robin, and Steve the upper hand in their fight against his upside-down form.
However, not everything goes to plan and Max succumbs to the same fate as Vecna's previous victims, only for Eleven to bring her back. In one of the most heartbreaking but also terrifying scenes, audiences had to watch one of the best characters on the show go through a huge amount of pain while knowing she was about to die.