Fans Think They Know The Real Reason Why Mike Hates Max on Stranger Things
Despite the characters not interacting much in recent seasons, Mike and Max have not been the best of friends for sure.
While Finn Wolfhard's Mike Wheeler is an OG Hawkins gang member, Sadie Sink 's Max Mayfield is relatively a newcomer who only joined the group in season 2 but quickly became one of the main characters.
However, Mike was not overly enthusiastic about the new girl joining the gang, even though Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin) liked her and did his best to make sure she fits. Mike frequently blasted Max as "annoying", arguing that she shouldn't be a part of the gang. When Sink's character became friends with his girlfriend, Eleven, the Max vs. Mike beef became even more bitter.
Fans think they know the reason why the two seemingly can't stand each other. According to Twitter user giannahalbyers, both Max and Mike have "strong tempers" and are, in fact, very similar.
If you think about it, it makes sense.
Before Max arrived in Hawkins, Mike considered himself an undisputable leader of the gang, and no one was stealing his girlfriend's attention from him. However, Max is not too submissive and is known to have a sharp tongue and bad attitude: something that Mike clearly doesn't enjoy and views as a challenge to his leadership.
Many people believe that Max is basically a female version of Mike, and that's why he has a problem with her. Others argue that Mike hates her because "she is not Eleven." Some even suggest that her friendship with Eleven irked Mike even more — not least due to his fear of losing his "authority" over his girlfriend.
In season 4, however, the two had their time to chill, with Mike being in California sorting out his relationship with Eleven, and Max remaining in Hawkins and helping the rest of the gang in the fight against Vecna. Who knows, maybe season 5 will have Mike and Max finally becoming friendlier — or, chances are, completely turning against each other.