Steve and Robin were originally meant to date on Stranger Things

The third season of Stranger Things wouldn’t have been as strong without Steve and Robin’s friendship. The employees of Scoops Ahoy brought a warmth and charm to the sci-fi/thriller series.

The duo won left us teary eyed when they had their heart-to-heart on the floor of the Starcourt Mall bathrooms. 

We all thought Robin was about to confess her feelings for Steve, but instead she told him she was a lesbian and the conversation was too pure for our hearts to handle. The scene was simple yet momentous as Robin became the first LGBTQ+ character on the popular Netflix show. The scene was striking and moving for many viewers, but it almost didn’t happen.

In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Maya Hawke, who plays Robin, said the story between her character and Steve was completely different at the start.

The Duffer Brothers wanted Robin to be Steve’s love interest at the beginning but as they started to film the third instalment, their friendship outshone the romantic storyline.

The actors realised that their bond as friends was always going to be far more impressive than a love story.

Maya explained that they approached the show runners about changing up the storyline, “Throughout filming, we started to feel like she and [Steve] shouldn’t get together, and that she’s gay.” 

“Even when I go back and watch earlier episodes, it just seems like the most obvious decision ever,” the actress shared.

She later told Variety, “Sometimes we can have empathy for people on screen that we wouldn’t normally have empathy for in real life. If I can hope for anything it’s that maybe some people fell in love with Robin and that helped them fall in love with girls who love girls and boys who love boys.”

You can re-watch the touching scene (and swoon over Steve and THAT hair) below: