Stranger Things: Max's 5 Best Traits (& 5 Worst)

Max Mayfield is a new character in season 2 of Stranger Things. At first, she seems rude, standoffish, and completely uninhibited. Nevertheless, Lucas and Dustin take a liking to her and explain to her the secrets of the Upside Down. Mike isn't too happy with the way everyone thinks she's taking Eleven's place, but he eventually befriends her, too.

As the audience gets to know Max, more and more about her is revealed, most of it completely unexpected. She is the younger sister of Billy, who abuses her and anyone he comes in contact with. Max's only safe place is with her friends, which is why she's so desperate to be accepted into the Party. She proves to be useful in their adventures, and also becomes a valued friend to the boys and Eleven.

10. BEST: Assertive

One of the first things anyone notices about Max is how assertive she is. She doesn't need anybody to take care of her, though it certainly couldn't help, given her family situation. In any case, she stands up for herself and her friends without fear.

Still, one of Max's most impressive moments is when she threatens Billy and scares him away from the Byers' household at the end of season 2. Typically, Max uses her sarcasm and sharp wit to frighten others, but with Billy, she overcomes her fear of him to protect her friends.

9. WORST: Standoffish

At first, Max finds it hard to make friends in Hawkins. She comes across as cold, rude, and disinterested. But when she learns that the boys are involved in things more exciting than the arcade, Max decides she has to find out what they know.

Before she tries to befriend the boys, they try to get her attention, but to no avail. In fact, she even scares Dustin a little bit. People might not realize how kind and caring Max really is based on their first impression of her.

8. BEST: Courage

If Max is anything, she's courageous. She's never to back down from a fight - in fact, she's often the one to initiate it. She's also never shy to bring up awkward topics, like who Eleven is or why Mike should stop controlling her.

Max is also very courageous to try to befriend four rather odd boys who seem to either fear her or want nothing to do with her. There's also the instance of her driving a car for the first time in the hope that they'll be able to help their friends in the Upside Down.

7. WORST: Judgemental

Max may be courageous, but sometimes she is a little too forward. She is quick to form opinions on other people, especially the four boys that make up the Party.

She's so headstrong and passionate about voicing her own thoughts, and making her own voice heard, that she doesn't take the time to read a situation and understand other people.

6. BEST: Compassionate

Even though Max is a little rash sometimes, she can be very compassionate once people get to know her. She takes Eleven under her wing and shows her the ropes of being a girl in middle school, especially one who only hangs out with boys.

At first, Max and Eleven don't get along, but Max is quick to put aside her past misgivings. She understands that Eleven has suffered trauma and forgives her for their rocky first impression.

5. WORST: Prejudice

Not only is Max quick to form opinions, but she's often hard to sway from them. For instance, she harbors a lot of hatred for Billy, which may well be warranted, but also dismisses the Party on principle. She thinks they're nerds, and so automatically doesn't believe a word they tell her about the Upside Down.

Max's fiery temper is known to get the better of her, as she's one of the only characters in the show to ever raise her voice. She's a great addition to the series, which consists of so many quiet, more introverted characters.

4. BEST: Curiosity

The reason Max gets into the group at all is that she's so curious about what it is they're hiding from her. She pesters the boys incessantly until Lucas finally gives in and reveals everything he knows about Eleven and the Upside Down.

Max doesn't believe him at first, but when she joins them on a few quests, she's immediately invested. She tries to help them on the science side of things and is always wanting to learn more about this alternate world.

3. WORST: Inconsiderate

Max's character can be empowering at times, as is her friendship with Eleven. However, her independence and free-spiritedness don't always come across as quite right.

Max often acts and speaks out of turn, not caring how her words affect others. For example, she shows little sympathy for Dustin and Lucas when she insults them, doesn't seem to notice how Mike is hurting in season 2, and enjoys watching him suffer when Eleven breaks up with him.

2. BEST: Daring

One of Max's most admirable traits is how daring she is. Unlike many of the other characters, Max doesn't need to think every detail through before deciding to go through with something, even something dangerous.

She knows that she wants to fight for something, like protecting her friends, and she does it. When she threatens Billy, she only uses her innate natural reserves of courage and tenacity to make herself heard.

1. WORST: Brash

Max isn't exactly the kind of person others would expect to have a reasonable conversation with. Instead of hearing others out, she rushes to be heard and wants her voice to matter more than anyone else's.

She's assertive, which is great, but she can often come across as rude. For example, when she lets the boys know she wants to hang out with them, she bursts in on their fun, interrupting their evening, and continues talking noisily all night. She can go so far as to seem overbearing at times.

[Originally shared with ScreenRant.]