Stranger Things is easily Netflix's most beloved original series. The show has legions of fans across the globe, the majority of whom love the main characters. Between Mike, Eleven, Dustin, Max, and Lucas, it's hard to pick a favorite, and that's before you get into all the other older characters on the show who are just as great.
But like any piece of media, Stranger Things isn't without its faults. The following list examines some things that don't quite make sense about Mike Wheeler.
Mike's house is missing from the map of Hawkins
Early in the series, Jonathan and Nancy are shown looking at a map of Hawkins. We get a close-up of the image, which you can see pictured above. Oddly, the street where Mike lives is not shown.
However, the writers likely didn't consider adding the entire scope of town to a map that was only presented on-screen for a brief moment. The other maps shown in the series and created by people online have gone back and corrected this.
Why did Mike dress Eleven in that disguise?
In season one, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas try to disguise Eleven so they can hide her from adults and keep her safe from Dr. Brenner and the other lab technicians searching for her.
Oddly, instead of trying to use an innocuous disguise, they add a wig and over-the-top frilly dresses. Other girls are shown wearing normal clothes, why didn't they do that for El? One possible reason is that the show simply wanted to make the E.T. parallel more pronounced.
Mike was not the nicest to Eleven in season one
Looking back at the first season, the boys were rather cruel to Eleven for no reason. At some points, it made sense, like when Eleven threw Lucas and almost killed him. His anger is understandable then, but prior to that, Lucas snapped at Eleven repeatedly and belittled her intelligence.
Mike was often curt with her at times too, although not as badly. She was clearly looking for help and very confused, it wouldn't have hurt for them to be more understanding. They may have been children but given their own experiences with bullying it seems perhaps they would have tried a little harder.
Mike didn't give Max a warm welcome
In season two, Mike is not the nicest to Max. As the newcomer to the group, she gets treated rather frostily by Mike who is still mourning the loss of Eleven. We know why he's upset and clearly he's traumatized after everything he experienced in the first season.
That said, it doesn't give him an excuse to be rude and curt to Max. While he wasn't outright hostile, he still never offered her a warm welcome until much later in the season. The same can be said for Eleven, although that was rectified in season three.
Mike has some of the most absentee parents
Out of all the parents or parental figures on the show, Joyce and Hopper are the only two that seem to pay attention to the kids. Mike's parents are rather oblivious to everything going on in Hawkins and with their kids, especially Mike's dad.
His mom, Karen Wheeler, starts getting more to do in the second and third seasons but overall she is still portrayed as a somewhat neglectful mother. That's not to say she is a genuinely bad parent, it seems more like the writers aren't sure how to further incorporate them into the plot.
Why didn't he tell El the truth about Hopper?
One of the biggest hurdles Eleven and Mike face in their new relationship during the third season is Hopper. Hopper isn't a fan of Eleven starting to date and he threatens Mike about hanging out with El so often.
For some reason, Mike decides it's a good idea to lie to Eleven about his "grandma" instead of telling her the truth. Why on earth would he think that was a good idea? He didn't have to tell her everything Hopper said but he could have at least hinted at what happened.
Being possessive of Eleven
In season three, after the relationship between Mike and Eleven becomes official, they run into new challenges that often plague typical teenagers. Unfortunately, Mike becomes very possessive over Eleven. It becomes a problem leads to their eventual breakup, along with other factors like Hopper and Mike's lies.
Obviously Mike loves El and wants her to be safe, but one would think he would realize by now that smothering her or trying to keep her from having other relationships outside of theirs would push her away.
His relationship with Nancy
At the beginning of the series, it makes sense that Nancy and Mike don't always get along and aren't a huge part of each other's lives. They have an honest and typical sibling relationship and often wind up bickering.
However, it would have been nice to see the two become closer in seasons two and three after everything they've experienced together. Their bond does evolve, but the two of them still don't lean on each other much. Given the events of the show, it would make sense for Mike yo turn to Nancy for help more often.
His lack of understanding for Will
One of the most disappointing aspects of season three was the dramatic change in Mike's personality. He became more abrasive and sometimes even cruel to his friends. He and Will get into a heated argument eventually because Mike doesn't want to play the same games they used to as kids.
He even seems to take a pointed jab at the possibility that Will is gay. Will lost a lot of his childhood in the first two seasons and is clearly suffering from a great deal of trauma. It wouldn't hurt for Mike to have been more understanding.
Thinking he could sneak past Hopper
The way Will acted towards Hopper in season three wasn't always the smartest. To be fair, the way Hopper acted wasn't great either. He was extremely over the top in the way he treated El and her budding relationship with Will.
It would have been nice to see Mike and Hopper find more common ground, especially as they both care for Eleven and have faced off against the same horrors. Mike could have been less cocky and confrontational with the sheriff, though.