Is Jonathan still in high school in season 4

Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton recently addressed Jonathan Byers' season 4 storyline complaints. Heaton returns to Stranger Things as the love-struck Jonathan. After a nearly three-year gap, the science-fiction horror 80's-themed show has returned to Netflix to find the teenage heroes once again battling the dark forces of the Upside-Down parallel dimension. However, the Byers family, including Eleven (Millie Bobby-Brown), have relocated following the Battle of Starcourt. As a result, many have found Jonathan's story pushed down the narrative totem pole, and his character substantially changed from his previous portrayals.

Set six months after the events of season 3, Jonathan finds himself separated by over 2,000 miles from his love interest, Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer). Although there is a significant distance between them, the two struggle to stay close emotionally. Jonathan and Nancy initially planned to go to Emerson College in Massachusetts together, but their time apart has the couple questioning their directions in life. Jonathan's enrollment in Emerson would put him in financial debt and commit himself to a dream that isn't his. And if he chooses to attend the local community college, Jonathan runs the risk of having Nancy follow him to a school that does not suit her talents. Jonathan's dilemma has him delaying the inevitable confrontation by hanging out with his pothead friend and indulging in marijuana.

In a recent interview with GQ, Heaton addressed complaints regarding his character's storyline in Stranger Things season 4. Jonathan was once the unlikely hero of the first few seasons of the show, an unassuming photographer who rises to the occasion and gets the most popular girl in school. However, his turn back to the very apprehensive character that he once overcame has people questioning his character arc. Read how Heaton responded below.

"I know why you’re asking that. And I’ve definitely seen some forums like Screenrant or something – ‘What happened to the character?’ It is an ensemble cast, obviously every season they’ve brought in new characters, wonderful characters, and they’ve taken the story to different places."

"We find him in a place of questioning himself and his relationship. You want the people to be invested in them. Sometimes it blurs into one. Me and Natalia have been together for a long time, so you’ve even got to separate it yourself sometimes."

Heaton rightly explains that Stranger Things is an ensemble show that adds new characters every season. It must balance the introductions of those characters while advancing the overarching plot and developing the established characters through their arcs. The need to build the foundation for the season's story while continuing to advance the main character's storylines has ballooned Stranger Things season 4 into its biggest season yet. The runtimes for each episode surpass the one-hour-minute mark, with the final episode of the season clocking in at nearly two and a half hours.

Although Jonathan's character initially seemed to only smoke weed and waste time with his friend Argyle (Eduardo Franco) at the beginning of Stranger Things season 4, he quickly took charge after Eleven was arrested and taken by a mysterious government force. Even though he is far removed from the main story in Hawkins, Indiana, his own story is pulling him closer to reuniting with Eleven and thus Nancy when Stranger Things season 4 comes to a close on July 1.

Next: Why Isn't Kali In Stranger Things 4's Hawkins Lab Flashbacks?

Source: GQ

With the Stranger Things season 4 release happening three years after season 3 ended in 2019, the ages of the characters clearly don’t reflect those of the actors. Back in Stranger Thingsseason 1, many of the younger cast members like Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp were close in age to their characters. However, the large gaps between installments, especially before season 4, have led to every actor becoming much older than their characters.

The different age groups in Stranger Things have helped appeal to a broad range of viewers at home, which is part of what has made the series so popular. Stranger Things began with three distinct groups: The Party, which featured the middle-school-aged kids; the older high schoolers with Steve, Jonathan, and Nancy; then the parents with Hopper and Joyce. The cast of characters has expanded since Stranger Things season 1 ended, with season 4 seeing all the notable figures grow closer to adulthood and introducing new fan-favorite supporting characters like Eddie Munson.

Stranger Things seasons 1 and 4 are separated by a six-year gap in the real world - but much less time has passed in the fictional town of Hawkins. Though this has no effect on the older adults in the cast, it's become pretty obvious in the younger cast. Here are the ages of the main characters in Stranger Things compared with the ages of their respective actors.

Eleven

Although the exact date of Eleven’s birth is unknown, Stranger Things revealed that the character was born in 1971. As such, Eleven was 12 years old in season 1 (1983), 13 in season 2 (1984), and 14 in season 3 (1985), with her ages corresponding to those of the boys in The Party. During Eleven's flashbacks to Hawkins Lab, she was 8 years old (1979) and was played by child actor Martie Blair, whose exact age at the time is unknown but presumed to be around 11. In the current Stranger Things season 4’s timeline, Eleven finished out the season at 15 years old after enduring her freshman year in high school. In comparison, Eleven actor Millie Bobby Brown was 18 years old during the premiere of Stranger Things season 4.

Jim Hopper

Stranger Things’ dad figure is still in his 40s during season 4, but Hopper’s time doing labor in a Russian prison is apt to make him feel much older. Although Stranger Things’ series hasn’t quite revealed his age, the canon book Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town reveals that he was 35 years old in 1977. Adding another 9 years onto this in correlation with the spring 1986 timeline puts Jim Hopper's age at 44 years old during Stranger Things season 4. While David Harbour began Stranger Things slightly younger than his character, the actor was 46 when season 4 dropped, making him only two years older than Hopper.

Mike Wheeler

Just like his girlfriend Eleven, Mike Wheeler was born in 1971, making him 12 years old when Stranger Things season 1’s madness begins. While his birthday was revealed as April 1, 1971, in Stranger Things’ comic books, the comics don’t appear to be canon for Netflix’s story, so his birthday may be different in the series. Either way, Mike is 15 years old in Stranger Things season 4's timeline. Mike’s actor Finn Wolfhard, however, was 19 years old when Stranger Things season 4 was released, making him at least four years older than his character.

Nancy Wheeler

Mike’s older sister Nancy was a sophomore in high school during Stranger Things season 1, which put her at about 15-16 years old in the fall of 1983 timeline. Since Stranger Things season 3 took place during the middle of summer in 1985, it’s assumed that Nancy was still only 17 years old as she was heading into her senior year of high school. With season 4 bringing her to spring 1986, Stranger Things' Nancy Wheeler was 18 years old during her horrifying encounters with Vecna. While Nancy’s age is 18, Natalia Dyer was 27 during Stranger Things season 4, just about 9 years older than her character.

Dustin Henderson

Fan favorite character Dustin Henderson is the same age as Mike and Eleven, which makes him 15 years old during Stranger Things season 4. While Stranger Things hasn’t officially revealed Dustin’s birthday, it’s logically assumed that he has the same birth year as his friends – 1971. This means that Dustin’s age in Stranger Things season 4 was 15, though his actor Gaten Matarazzo will be 19, reflecting the same Stranger Things character-cast age gap as Mike with Finn Wolfhard.

Will Byers

While Will has typically come off as seeming younger than the other characters his age, Stranger Things season 2 revealed his birthday as March 2, 1971, possibly making him even older than some of his friends. Since Spring Break for the Byers family in California will likely be sometime between mid-March and late April, it can be assumed that Will Byers was 15 years old during Stranger Things season 4. As the youngest prominent cast member in Stranger Things season 1, Noah Schnapp is still the actor closest to his character’s age in season 4, given that he was 17 when it aired. This is especially true after viewers noticed how an episode in season 4 occurs on the same day as Will's birthday, which showrunners somehow forgot – just one of the many headscratchers and plot holes in Stranger Things season 4. That said, the Duffer brothers responded to this by saying that they might rectify the situation by changing Will's birth month, which would keep the character's season 4 age at 15.

Jonathan Byers

Will’s older brother Jonathan Byers and Nancy are in the same year in school, though Jonathan's actual age is slightly easier to pin down. Jonathan was revealed to be 16 in Stranger Things season 1’s fall 1983 timeline, though he’s only a sophomore in high school. As such, it seems likely that he was born in the late summer or fall of 1967, which makes sense as to why he would still be 17 during Stranger Things’ season 2 and 3 timelines. During Stranger Things’ season 4 timeline, Jonathan was an 18-year-old high school senior. Charlie Heaton, however, was 28 years old in season 4 – a full decade older than his character.

Joyce Byers

Joyce was the same age as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things season 1, with the pair often discussing their friendship in high school. Since Hopper was born in 1942, it seems Joyce likely shares the same birth year, making her also 44 years old during Stranger Things season 4. Like David Harbour, Winona Ryder was the same age as her character when Stranger Things season 1 began but will now be three years older than her character in season 4. Interestingly, Ryder was born in 1971, meaning she is the same age in real life as the younger Stranger Things characters would be in the show timeline's 2022.

Lucas Sinclair

Lucas is also assumed to be born in 1971 alongside Eleven, Mike, Dustin, and Will, though Stranger Things has never officially declared his birthday. If following the same age range as his friends, Stranger Things' Lucas Sinclair was 15 during season 4, with the character finishing out season 4 in a situation no 15-year-old should be in. Meanwhile, actor Caleb McLaughlin was 20 years old when Stranger Things season 4 began – five years older than Lucas.

Steve Harrington

Steve “The Hair” Harrington has become one of Stranger Things’ biggest fan favorites, with the series finding clever ways to keep him in Hawkins due to the character being older than the other teens. Steve is revealed to be one year older than Jonathan and Nancy, with the character having just graduated from high school in Stranger Things season 3. In Stranger Things season 4’s spring 1986 timeline, Steve was 19 years old. Joe Keery, on the other hand, was 30 years old when Stranger Things season 4 dropped, making him over 10 years older than his character.

Max Mayfield

Max joined Stranger Things in the season 2 premiere, eventually finding friends in the Party, with the boys all being in her same grade. Max Mayfield is also assumed to have been born in 1971, which makes her four years younger than her step-brother Billy, whose March 1967 birthday was revealed in Stranger Things season 4. While Max was 15 in Stranger Things season 4, Sadie Sink was 20, which makes her 5-year age gap the same as Lucas and Caleb McLaughlin’s.

Robin Buckley

Maya Hawke’s character, Stranger Things season 3's Robin Buckley, was introduced as Steve’s new coworker at Scoop’s Ahoy, though she’s mentioned to be at least a year younger than him. Since Robin was still in high school during Stranger Things season 3 yet knew everyone around Steve and Nancy’s age, it was assumed that she was in the same grade as Nancy and Jonathan. The official Stranger Things novel Rebel Robin, which was released after season 3, revealed that Robin was born in March 1968, putting her age at 18 years old during Stranger Things season 4. Maya Hawke was 23 when the season premiered, so the actress is about 5 years older than her character.

Erica Sinclair

Despite Lucas’ sister Erica Sinclair being the youngest of the bunch, she is also potentially one of the few people who could kill Vecna in season 5. This is even more impressive considering Erica was likely in the 5th or 6th grade during Stranger Things season 4. Erica was revealed to be 10 years old in Stranger Things season 3, which means she was 11 in the fourth season. Erica’s actress Priah Ferguson was 15 when Stranger Things season 4 came out, which is a pretty big difference when portraying an elementary-school-age character.

Eddie Munson

Also known as the hero of Hawkins, the former leader of the Hellfire Club Eddie Munson explained that he was supposed to have graduated from high school at Hawkins High in 1984, which means that he was approximately 20 years old during his epic Upside Down guitar solo. As for Joseph Quinn, the actor who played Eddie Munson, he was 29 when Stranger Things season 4 was released. While Eddie was only part of the Stranger Things cast for a short time, he will forever be remembered for how his sacrifice saved lives in the fight against Vecna. Though Eddie's rough eccentricity gave others the wrong impression, his speech about Dungeons and Dragons being a refuge for outcasts during the season 4 pilot belied his true age and character.

Henry Creel/Number One/Vecna

Stranger Things villain Vecna was born in 1947 as Henry Creel, who was 12 years old when he telepathically murdered his family – slightly younger than child actor Ralph Luce who played the version of the character in 1959. At Hawkins Lab, where Henry/Number One posed as the orderly Peter in 1979, Henry was around 32 years old, the same age as the actor that portrayed this version, Jamie Campbell Bower. How old is Vecna himself? Technically, Vecna was 39 in Stranger Things season 4, but since he's been in the Upside Down for 7 years since he was 32, his real age is actually closer to 50.

Suzie Bingham

Stranger Things season 4 also saw the return of Suzie Bingham, who was the same age as Dusty Bunat 15 years old. Meanwhile, Gabriella Grace Pizzolo who played Suzie was 17, just two years older than her character during the fourth season. Suzie met some backlash from viewers around how she wasted time during a crucial moment in Stranger Things season 3, but this was rectified in season 4 when the Party realized that they needed Suzie's help in order to help Eleven. Indeed, Suzie Bingham's return in season 4 was not only important to the plot but also sets up a potentially bigger role for the character in Stranger Thingsseason 5.