Fans first meet Max Mayfield in the second season of Netflix's popular sci-fi show Stranger Things. Max moves to Hawkins and quickly becomes best friends with the Party and Eleven. She helps them fight against the Mind Flayer and stands up to her bullying stepbrother Billy whilst protecting her new friends.
Max is a great character who has had several shining moments throughout Stranger Things. The redhead has also made multiple mistakes, however. Here are five of Max's mistakes that frustrated us and five moments that made us love her.
Big Mistake: Telling Eleven To Spy On Mike
Eleven initially struggles to get along with Max, but the girls become best friends in Stranger Things 3. The telekinetic teenager befriends Max after Hopper warns Mike to distance himself from her. When Mike and El fall out, Max encourages El to use her powers to spy on Mike and the boys.
This is a huge invasion of privacy and Mike is right to confront her about this later in the season. Luckily, El's spying missions come in useful after the girls uncover Billy Hargrove's possession.
Shining Moment: Becoming Best Friends With El
El desperately needed female friends her age before Stranger Things 3. Although she is initially jealous of Max, the redhead and the telekinetic teenager become best friends in the third season. It is a nice moment for fans to watch the two friends bond as Max helps Eleven feel like a normal teenager.
El and Max go shopping at Starcourt Mall and Max invites her friend to her house for sleepovers and shows her Wonder Woman comics. Despite El's original hostility, Max is still eager to become friends and encourages El to enjoy the childhood she was mostly deprived of.
Big Mistake: Not Believing Lucas
Dustin and Lucas are keen to invite Max to join the Party in Stranger Things 2, but struggle to omit the events of the previous year surrounding the Upside Down. Lucas decides to tell Max about Eleven and Hawkins Lab, but Max brushes him off and refuses to believe him.
Max loudly mentions Eleven's name in the arcade where anybody from the shady government subsection could have heard them. Max continues to be skeptical about Lucas' story until she sees the Demodogs first-hand.
Shining Moment: Standing Up To Billy
Max first arrives in Hawkins after moving from California with her family. Her stepbrother Billy is an antagonistic bully who terrorizes Max and tries to keep her away from Lucas. Billy's bullying culminates in "The Gate" when he attacks Lucas and almost beats Steve Harrington to death.
Max saves Steve's life by injecting Billy with a shot of sedative. She then takes Steve's iconic bat and warns her stepbrother to stay away from her friends for good.
Big Mistake: Taking Eleven's Powers For Granted
Max urges Eleven to use her psionic powers to telepathically spy on people in Stranger Things 3. Mike confronts her about this and accuses her of taking advantage of El's powers. Max denies this but Mike reminds her that El's nosebleeds are a sign that using her powers takes its toll.
Eleven loses her abilities at the end of the season during a confrontation at Starcourt Mall with the Mind Flayer. Hopefully, her telekinetic powers will return in time for her to save her adopted father Hopper.
Shining Moment: Her Dig Dug Record
Max's Dig Dug abilities impress the party in Stranger Things 2. When Max joins their class, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Mike quickly realize that she is the famed MADMAX who beat their scores. The boys get to know Max and she eventually becomes a member of the Party.
Max's impressive arcade abilities set her apart from peers. She bonds with Lucas over their shared interests and joins a friendship group with like-minded and supportive people.
Big Mistake: Standing Too Close To The Glass
Billy is possessed by the Mind Flayer in Stranger Things 3. The Party discovers this after locking him in a sauna and witnessing the Shadow Monster's control. Max makes a dangerous mistake by standing too close to the glass window and narrowly avoids being attacked by her stepbrother.
Eleven confronts Billy for the first time and is nearly defeated by the possessed bully until she uses her powers to throw him through a wall. The telekinetic teenager saves Max and the Party from the Mind Flayer's wrath.
Shining Moment: Saving The Party From Billy
Fans witness Billy's cruel, bullying ways early in Stranger Things 2. Whilst driving Max back from school, Billy begins to taunt his stepsister and blames her for their move to Hawkins. Billy drives dangerously fast and almost runs Lucas, Mike, Dustin, and Will over before Max grabs the steering wheel at the last minute.
Max prevents Billy from beating Steve to death in "The Gate" and prevents her stepbrother from potentially killing the Party. She saves the lives of her friends more than once and becomes an integral member of the group.
Big Mistake: Not Believing Dustin About Suzie
Max is skeptical about Suzie's existence when Dustin returns from Camp Know Where and tells his friends about his new girlfriend. The Party agrees with her after Dustin fails to contact his girlfriend, but they are proven wrong when Suzie saves the day in the season three finale.
Dustin manages to finally make contact with Suzie and she helps him close the Gate and destroy the Mind Flayer after an abrupt rendition of the Neverending Story. Max is proven wrong - though enjoys teasing Dustin about his musical number with Lucas afterward.
Shining Moment: Helping The Party Fight The Mind Flayer
Max learns the truth about the Upside Down in Stranger Things 2 but remains a valuable ally rather than fleeing with the truth. She drives Billy's car to the tunnels whilst Steve is unconscious and helps Mike and the group distracts the Mind Flayer by setting the tunnels on fire.
Max proves she is a loyal friend and a brave person. She sticks by her friends and risks her life to help them fight against the Mind Flayer. Max has made mistakes but this is undoubtedly one of her shining moments.