Table of Contents
Lucas is definitely not an underrated character. He is one of the four kids who keep driving the story forward. He has a love interest as well (Pretty Max). But his scenes, dialogues, and moments – many go unnoticed.
Let’s be honest — when people talk about Stranger Things, it’s always “El this,” “Eddie that,” or “Steve’s hair supremacy.” We do that too. But somewhere between psychic nosebleeds and guitar solos, we forgot to hype up the boy Lucas Sinclair, who has become one of the most grounded, loyal, and real characters in Hawkins.
Is Lucas Sinclair an underrated character?
Lucas isn’t the loudest, or the most tragic, or the most meme-worthy — and that’s exactly what makes him special. He’s the kid who questions things when everyone else blindly follows. The one who balances D&D sessions with basketball practice. The guy who chooses both friendship and growth instead of picking a side.
In a show where monsters come from the Upside Down, Lucas’s biggest battles are sometimes internal — about fitting in, doing the right thing, and figuring out where he belongs in a town that’s falling apart (literally).
So, yes! He has done a lot, has good screen presence, but is an underrated character.
The “Lucas Sinclair Is Underrated” Starter Pack
If Stranger Things had a “Most Underrated Character” award, Lucas Sinclair would win by a landslide. He’s the steady heartbeat of the group — the realist, the skeptic, the emotional anchor. And the deeper you look, the more you realize he’s quietly one of Hawkins’ best-written characters.
1. When He Held Max During Dear Billy
📺 Season 4, Chapter 4 – “Dear Billy”
This is the moment. Lucas crying over Max as she levitates, pleading for her to come back — that’s not just one of his best moments; it’s one of the most emotional beats in the whole series.
He’s helpless, terrified, but he doesn’t let go. And when “Running Up That Hill” hits, it’s Lucas’s heartbreak that pulls us back down to earth.
2. The Talisman Scene — Symbolism & Subtlety
📘 Season 4, Episode 9 – “The Piggyback”
Lucas reading Stephen King’s The Talisman while watching over Max is such a small scene — but it’s loaded.
| Element | Symbolism | Why It Matters |
| The Talisman | A story about two parallel worlds | Mirrors Lucas’s life between Hawkins & the Upside Down |
| Reading quietly | Reflection & growth | Shows Lucas maturing emotionally |
| Caring for Max | Love & loyalty | The heart of his character arc |
3. The Basketball vs. Hellfire Conflict
This subplot doesn’t get enough credit. Lucas isn’t choosing “popularity” over friendship — he’s choosing growth. He’s figuring out where he fits, how to belong, and whether he can exist in both worlds.
Lucas in Hellfire club
And honestly? That’s a struggle most teens (and adults) relate to. Especially being a young Black kid in small-town Hawkins, he’s navigating pressures no one else in the group truly understands.
| Unpopular take: Lucas’s Season 4 arc is one of the most realistic depictions of growing up in Stranger Things. |
4. Lucas saved the group (Multiple Times!)
Lucas is the voice of reason. While Mike’s driven by emotion and Dustin’s by curiosity, Lucas thinks.
Some quick-fire underrated hero moments:
📡 Season 1: He’s the first to question trusting Eleven — not out of malice, but caution.
⚔️ Season 2: Fights bravely against Billy to protect Max and his friends.
🎯 Season 3: Keeps the group grounded amidst love drama and supernatural chaos.
💬 Season 4: Calls out his friends for treating him like a sidekick — and he’s right.
5. The Battle with Jason
When Jason storms the Creel House and attacks Lucas, that fight is brutal — raw, emotional, and symbolic.
Lucas doesn’t fight because he wants to; he fights because he has to. He’s protecting Max and standing up against ignorance and rage — two themes baked into Stranger Things since Season 1.
6. Top tier humor
Everyone talks about Dustin’s one-liners, but Lucas’s sarcastic realism deserves its own highlight reel. Whether it’s roasting Dustin’s experiments or side-eyeing Mike’s plans, Lucas is the one who says what we’re all thinking.
| Lucas to Mike in season 1: “You’re gonna trust her over me?!” |
7. Lucas represents the real world in a fantasy show
He represents the regular kid — one who’s brave without needing to be chosen.
- No superpowers.
- No plot armor.
But shows up, consistently.
Lucas wins the award for having the most balanced relationship on the show
While talking about Lucas, we can’t ignore Max – Lucas dynamics. People go gung-ho about it online calling it, “masculine restraint done right”.
- Lucas’s biggest trait in the relationship is presence. He does the boring, connective work: he sits with her, reads aloud, physically anchors her when she’s slipping.
- Fans often argue that this is the modern romantic dynamic: not rescuing like a movie knight but stability when everything else collapses.
How Lucas Max became a brand
- Their intimacy is built on silence, shared rituals, and small performances of care. Lucas rarely gives a big speech; he acts.
- Fans treat “LuMax” as a low-key ship — not explosive, more protective. Fanfic tends to give Lucas more inner monologue because the show gives him fewer grand declarations.
| Criticisms do exist too. Some viewers want Lucas to be allowed a more independent arc — they argue he sometimes exists for Max rather than with her, which many fans agree with too. |
How does the show sell the relationship?
Lucas’s steadiness balances Max’s volatility; one steadies the other’s narrative spine.
- Direction often frames their bond in tight compositions—two heads in a frame, one hand in another, long lingering close-ups. That visual language signals intimacy without melodrama.
- Performance-wise, Caleb McLaughlin’s restraint (a look, a small tremor, a delayed response) plus Sadie Sink’s stormy vulnerability creates a “push/pull” chemistry that feels lived-in rather than manufactured. There are even canon building where Lucas scenes are used to create an alternate narrative — one where his emotional growth is foregrounded.
Final Thoughts
Lucas Sinclair might not get the fan edits or the merch, but he’s the soul of Stranger Things. His story isn’t about monsters — it’s about growing up, standing your ground, and caring deeply even when the world turns upside down (literally).
“He’s not the hero Hawkins deserves… but the one it needs.”