Stranger Things fan art reimagines Steve Harrington as the star of a classic Tom Cruise film. The Netflix show has been a huge success since it premiered in 2016 thanks to its unique mixture of 1980s culture, science fiction, and horror elements. Stranger Things will conclude with season 5, which does not yet have an official release date.
Stranger Things has become so popular that the show's main characters have attracted their own individual followings, which has led to some impressive cosplay and fan art. One example of the latter is a recent Instagram post from CBettyArt depicting Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) as Cruise's character Joel Goodsen from Risky Business. Check out the piece below:
The post plays on the fact that Harrington would have been in high school at the same time as Joel since Stranger Things season 1 takes place in 1983, the same year Risky Business was released. Steve also looks primed to do his own version of Cruise's iconic "Old Time Rock & Roll" lip sync in the familiar shades, button-up shirt, and underwear ensemble from the movie.
How Stranger Things Turned Steve Into One Of Its Best Characters
It's not surprising to see fans doing Steve Harrington fan art because Keery and the Duffer Brothers, who are the showrunners and creators of Stranger Things, have provided him with one of the more impressive multi-season character arcs in recent years. Steve started off as the classic rude and obnoxious high school bully, though he could've been so much worse if not for Keery stepping in and pushing for a pivot on the character.
Steve never did anything that was irredeemable, which allowed for the character to evolve and grow in a meaningful way. After starting off as the cool tough guy with the popular girlfriend, Billy Hargrove steals Steve's thunder and Nancy Wheeler breaks up with him. Instead of trying to force a love triangle between Steve, Jonathan Byers, and Nancy, Stranger Things instead steered Steve into a new and richer storyline with pals Dustin Henderson and, later, Robin Buckley.
There is no character on Stranger Things who has had as much development as Steve, which is all the more impressive considering he was supposed to be killed off in season 1. He has been selfless and caring in his role as the resident babysitter, he's been able to laugh at himself, and he's built a platonic bond with Robin after previously having romantic feelings for her, which was a huge sign of growth. Going into Stranger Things season 5, it will be interesting to see where Steve's story ends.
Source: CBettyArt/Instagram