Another season ofStranger Thingshas been released into our reality. Though the stakes are raised, and foes aremore dangerous than they’ve ever been before, nothing can stop the charm of the series’ characters from shining through.
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WhatStranger Thingsdoes well is emulating the 80s to a tee, up to and including its faithfulness to the era’s cinematic obsession with unlikely misfit heroes. Admittedly, the series has now firmly established the courage of its main characters, though the centrality of the Hellfire Club and the popularity of the show’s primary cast just goes to show there’s still an appetite for endearing outcast groups.
Hellfire Club from ‘Stranger Things’ (2016-present)
The cast and characters ofStranger Thingshave been lovable and compelling since their introduction in 2016. From the powerful Eleven (Milly Bobby Brown) and the trusty older kids, Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Steve (Joe Keery), audiences love them all.
Now in high school, long-time friends Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), alongside newcomer Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) and crew, call themselves the Hellfire Club. At first glance, they’re a sturdyDungeons & Dragonsgroup. In truth, each one of them is heroes in their own right.
Goonies from ‘The Goonies’ (1985)
One of the seminal adventure films of the 1980s,The Gooniesfollows a group of small-town teens as they venture out to find the treasure trove of the infamous pirate One-Eyed Willy. While on their perilous quest, they are pursued by a buffoonish family of criminals who seek the treasure for themselves.
Directed byRichard Donner(Superman), written byChris Columbus(Home Alone), and with a story bySteven Spielberg(Ready Player One),The Gooniesundeniably remainsa generation-defining classic.
Spider-people from ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2017)
InSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the fate of the multiverse is thrust intoMiles Morales’ hands after the supervillain Wilson Fisk (Liev Schreiber) opens a portal to other worlds. Grappling with both new superhero abilities and the legacy ofSpider-Man, Miles (Shameik Moore) teams up with other spider-people from across the multiverse to put an end to Fisk’s nefarious schemes.
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The award-winning animated film features a wide array of different heroes, each one a different version ofMarvel’s iconic webslinger. From a dancing/drumming Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld) to a noir detective Spider-Man voiced byNicolas Cage, the team of spider-people is as wholesome and enjoyable to watch as they are formidable and heroic.
Pope Family from ‘Running on Empty’ (1988)
Released in 1988,Running on Emptytells the story of a different kind of 80s outcast. In this coming-of-age drama,River Phoenix(Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) plays Danny Pope, the only child of Arthur and Annie Pope, two political outlaws being pursued by the authorities for playing a part in the accidental death of a janitor during an anti-war protest in 1971.
Danny, raised on the run, is constantly changing schools, hometowns, and identities. When he begins to find himself in school, love, and a potential future career, Danny’s family history begins to collide with his journey of self-realization. This is a film you cannot miss, with a timeless coming-of-age tale andone of the best performances of Phoenix’s career.
Losers Club from ‘It’ (2017)
Based on the famous novel byStephen King,Itfocuses on the Losers Club, the unlikely heroes of a small town’s struggle against the evil clown calledPennywise. In 2017, the Losers were portrayed byJaeden Martell(Knives Out),Jack Dylan Grazer(Shazam!), Finn Wolfhard,Chosen Jacobs(Sneakerella),Wyatt Oleff(Guardians of the Galaxy),Sophia Lillis(I Am Not Okay With This) andJeremy Ray Taylor(Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween).
The Losers returned to their old hometown, this time as adults, in 2019’sIt Chapter Two. Much likeStranger Things’ lovable cast, the Losers Club is a charming group of misfits that helped define the horror adventure genre.
Otis and Maeve from ‘Sex Education’ (2019-present)
InSex Education, starsAsa Butterfield(Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children) andEmma Mackey(Barbie) play Otis Milburn and Maeve Wiley, respectively. In the acclaimedNetflixseries, Otis and Maeve strike up an unlikely bond after setting up an underground sex therapy clinic to make some money. With Otis’ unusual encyclopedic knowledge of relationships and sex, gleaned second-hand from his mother’s work as a sex therapist, and Maeve’s business-savvy mind, the two make a strong pair, but also a bizarre-yet-lovable pair of young protagonists.
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We haven’t even mentioned the other lovely characters that support them. Some, like Otis’ best pal Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) or Adam Groff (Connor Swindells), feel they don’t belong. Despite the show’s wide array of quirky characters,Sex Educationworks hard to ensure that no one character is less endearing than the rest.
Skaters from ‘Mid90s’ (2018)
No one made being an outcast cooler than skaters in the 1990s.Mid90s, directed byJonah Hill(Superbad), shines a light on this underappreciated culture, telling the story of 13-year-old Stevie and his found family of mostly-older skater boys.
The film touches on how society loved to look down on people likeMid90s’ lovable skaters. The movie starsSunny Suljic(The Killing of a Sacred Deer),Na-Kel Smith,Olan Prenatt(Good Girl Jane),Gio Galicia,andRyder McLaughlin(Obi-Wan Kenobi) as the loyal band of brothers ofA24’s fantastic 2018 film.
Breakfast Club fromThe Breakfast Club(1985)
It’s strange to think that we can hold detention responsible for shaping one of the most definitive 80s outcast groups in fictional history. But, as fans ofThe Breakfast Clubknow well, one fateful detention was all it took to bring cinema’s most iconic teens together.
In the classic 1985 film, five high schoolers of various backgrounds and social cliques forge unlikely friendships as they spend an agonizing Saturday together in detention. The film starsEmilio Estevez,Molly Ringwald,Judd Nelson,Ally Sheedy,andAnthony Michael Hallas the eponymous detention crew.The Breakfast Clubis now considered one ofthe most iconic feel-good films, fondly remembered for its charming misfit cast.
