As Netflix is set to release the much-anticipated Volume 2 of “Stranger Things season 4” later today, July 1, Filipino fans expressed their concerns about the potential demise of fan-favorite character, Steve Harrington, portrayed by Joe Keery.
Steve is an ally to the “party” initially composed of Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas Caleb McLaughlin.
Last June 28, the official Facebook page of Netflix Philippines released a photo of an art installation of the recent season’s main antagonist, Vecna, available for public viewing and photo-taking at the Glorietta 4 Activity Center in Makati City.
The post captioned “Inaantay ka na ni Vecna” garnered 54,000 reactions and 7,800 shares as of posting.
Meanwhile, threats against Vecna, the fearsome sentient creature from Upside Down, filled the post’s comment section, warning him not to kill Steve.
The Upside Down is an alternate dimension that coexists with the human world, particularly situated in a fictional town, Hawkins, Indiana.
“Nako Vecna, subukan mong idedz si Steve, gagawin talaga kitang longganisa,” a Filipino user joked.
Another Filipino cannot keep his chill. “Vecna ‘pag si Steve talaga namatay, ako papatay sayo,” he commented.
“Sama-sama tayong patayin si Vecna para ‘di mamatay si Steve,” another quipped.
Protect the ‘babysitter’
Steve, who was often joked about his close ties to Dustin and his friends, has officially taken on the role of their protective “babysitter.”
From being an antagonistic boyfriend of Will’s sister Nancy (Natalia Dyer) in Season 1, he proved to be a reliable ally and a witty protector of the party.
At the end of Volume 1, Steve is seen assisting Nancy in escaping the Upside Down, where Vecna is hovering around after being wounded in an attack by “demo bats,” creatures resembling bats.
Fans had to wait months to see how the cliffhanger ended since Nancy went into a trance while fleeing when Vecna invaded her mind.
A day before the release of the hit-Netflix show, the United States Facebook page of the streaming platform posted a billboard photo containing “Protect Steve” and captioned it “AT ALL COSTS!!!!”.
Worldwide viewers of the series speculated that this might be a foreshadowing, and some have even threatened to cancel their subscriptions if Steve passes away.
The post has now garnered 246,000 reactions and 16,000 comments.
The season finale will drop at 3 p.m., Friday, Philippine time.
