Dustin Henderson

**Dustin Henderson**, portrayed by Gaten Matarazzo, is a main character in *Stranger Things*. He is the best friend of Mike Wheeler, Eleven, Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers, Max Mayfield, Eddie Munson and Steve Harrington, and is the boyfriend of Suzie Bingham.

Dustin was a typical nerd. However, he had a rare genetic disorder (cleidocranial dysplasia) that prevented his teeth from developing properly. His life changed in the fall of 1983, when his best friend Will Byers disappeared. Dustin took it upon himself - alongside his other best friends, Mike Wheeler and Lucas Sinclair - to search for Will in the woods, only to find a mysterious girl with a shaved head named Eleven who possessed telekinetic powers. Dustin had a neutral opinion of El in contrast to his other friends, more obsessed with her powers than where she came from and what people are after her. But the three boys soon formed a close bond with Eleven, teaching her the value of friendship and in return, El rescued him and Mike from the school bullies who were holding Mike and Dustin at knife point. Dustin, Lucas, and Mike would eventually reunite with their friend, Will, but lost Eleven after she vanished from killing the Demogorgon.

A year later, in the fall of 1984, Dustin and Lucas found themselves competing for the affection for a new girl in their class, Max Mayfield. They invited her to go trick-or-treating with them for Halloween, and attempted to integrate her into their Party, despite Mike's resistance. On Halloween night, however, Dustin discovered a slug-like creature in his trash that he named D'Artagnan (Dart for short). Dustin initially believed that he has discovered a new species. When he showed it to his friends, they realized it wasa creature from the Upside Down. Dustin, having a close bond with Dart, secretly hid Dart in his home. This proved to be a mistake when Dart grew into a juvenile demogorgon that ate Dustin's cat and eventually escaped. Dustin joined forces with Steve Harrington to hunt Dart. Dustin received dating advice from Steve and slowly accepted that Max was more romantically attracted to Lucas, while also discovering that Dart was a part of an army of demogorgons sent by an evil entity, the Mind Flayer, that wants to destroy the world. Dustin reunited with his friends and successfully burned the Mind Flayer's tunnel system. A month later, Dustin attended the Snow Ball with his friends. Initially, all the girls rejected Dustin's invitation to dance with them. When Nancy Wheeler invited Dustin to dance with her, he gained back his confidence.

In the summer of 1985, after a month away at camp, where he spent his time making gadgets with his girlfriend, Suzie, Dustin is back in Hawkins. More than a bit peeved that his best friends are seemingly leaving him out, he tries to contact Suzie using the radio they created together Cerebro, but instead intercepts something much more cryptic. Afterward, he requested Steve, along with Steve's co-worker Robin Buckley and Lucas's younger sister Erica to help him with the message. The message lead them to discover the Russians were in Hawkins working on opening another Gate underneath Starcourt Mall. After escaping the Russian base, Dustin reunited and reconciled with his friends and helped them defeat the Mind Flayer once again. Dustin obtained Planck's Constant from Suzie, which Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper needed so they could destroy the Russian machine and close the gate. Three months later, Dustin said goodbye to Will and Eleven as they move out of Hawkins. He and Lucas give Will's *Dungeons & Dragons* set to Erica.

By the spring of 1986, tech-savvy Dustin's long-distance relationship with Suzie is still going strong, and he's now part of the Dungeons & Dragons group, Hellfire Club, along with Lucas and Mike. Their dedication to the club subjects Mike and Dustin to the tirades and demands of the club's Dungeon Master, Eddie.