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The MVP of ‘Stranger Things’ Has Always Been Mr. Clarke

Mr. Clarke standing

There have been some great characters on Stranger Things throughout the years. But the real MVP of the series is one man that our favorite kids call on whenever they have an issue: Mr. Clarke.

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Played by Randy Havens, Mr. Clarke was Will (Noah Schnapp), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and Lucas’ (Caleb McLaughlin) science teacher and the man who helped them with AV Club. They never gave him more information than he needed and Mr. Clarke, to his credit, helped his students answer their question and gave them to tools to figure it out. He constantly helped to teach them.

And now, in season 5 vol. 2, we are finally getting to the moment we’ve all been waiting for: Mr. Clarke’s big time to shine. Spoilers ahead for the three episodes of Stranger Things that dropped on Christmas Day lie ahead.

Dustin, Steve (Joe Keery), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) are all trapped in the Upside Down and Erica (Priah Ferguson), Murray (Brett Gelman), and Mr. Clarke all try to triangulate Dustin’s location. Except no one tells Mr. Clarke what is going on. All they do is go to his house in the middle of the night, demand he helps them, and he does. That’s a good teacher!

The thing about Mr. Clarke is that he never told his students no. Even when he “tried,” he still helped them. In season 5, he was in bed with a woman and he still answered the door and listened to what Erica had to say despite the fact that he has every reason not to. That’s what makes it even wilder when they do find Dustin’s signal and he hears that he’s on the other side! Mr. Clarke didn’t ask questions, he just jumped in!

This man deserves a Noble Peace Prize

Mr. Clarke sitting on a couch
(Netflix)

Since season 1, Mr. Clarke made sure that his students had what they needed. And every time, the boys of the AV Club would take him for granted. The same thing happened with Erica. They love his class, love learning from him, but also use his knowledge to help them. Meaning that this man was just either driven by science the entire time or really cared about his students and their love for it.

And ultimately, he did it again for the love of the game because they barely explained anything to him and then let him go on his way. What did he do? Go back home and tell his partner that he found a kid hidden in concrete and just not say anything else? He just wanted to help and left and that’s why Mr. Clarke is easily one of the best characters on this show!

(featured image: Netflix)

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Rachel Leishman
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Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is the Editor in Chief of the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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