In Season 2 of Stranger Things, viewers were first introduced to the Maxfield-Hargrove family, including Max Mayfield, played by Sadie Sink, and her emotionally distant, grieving, and depressed mother, Susan Hargrove, portrayed by Jennifer Marshall.
While the Netflix series has now concluded its nearly decade-long run, Marshall is speaking out about her absence from the fifth and final season, a decision she says carried personal and professional weight amid her cancer recovery.
For the non-Stranger Things watchers: Marshall appeared as Ms. Hargrove in Seasons 2 and 4 of Stranger Things, but Susan did not return for Season 5, which premiered in November and ended with a two-hour finale that included Max’s eventual awakening from a coma… without Mom or a parental guardian at her side.
Weird, right?
Shortly after the episode aired on New Year’s Eve, she prompted followers on Instagram:
“But where was Max’s mom?? Give your theories below… best ones get reposted!”
Parents such as Ted and Karen Wheeler are visible during the finale’s graduation scenes, making Susan’s absence especially noticeable to viewers.
She did return to the question, expanding on the emotional disconnect in the storyline:
“Okay folks! It’s over…but where was she? What kind of mother isn’t there for her child while she’s in the hospital? Give me all your theories…”
The posts quickly gained traction, with fans echoing her confusion over Susan’s absence during Max’s hospitalization, recovery, and graduation. As the conversation grew, Marshall began sharing more context about what was really happening behind the scenes.
Earlier this week, she posted a video joking about how often she thinks about Susan’s whereabouts, titled “How often I think about where TF Max’s mom was during season five.” Later that day, she addressed the issue more directly, explaining that returning for Season 5 would have had real consequences for her health coverage while recovering from cancer.
In a caption, Marshall wrote:
“I had cancer, I get it. But I was in remission during the shooting of season five. Shooting would have helped me obtain my health insurance through the union. Maybe they had too many characters, idk, but obv Susan Hargrove is THE WORST MOTHER EVER LMAO.”
You can watch the video below:
In the comments, some viewers speculated that scenes featuring Susan may have been filmed and later cut. Marshall pushed back on that assumption, clarifying that she did not shoot new material for the final season.
She replied:
“[N]o I was in one scene at her bedside. It wasn’t a full fledged scene. It was something we shot during season four.”
Marshall revealed that she was battling cancer during the production of Season 4 and was in remission by the time Season 5 was filmed. She also shared that she was diagnosed with stage three melanoma in 2021. She later explained that returning to the series would have actually helped her qualify for union health insurance while in recovery.
In a statement to People, Marshall reflected on her time on the series and not returning:
“It would have helped me not only financially, but would have been a mental and emotional uplift after battling cancer for almost two years. Either way, no one is entitled to a role, cancer or not. My heart remains grateful, and I will always give those involved in the decision-making the benefit of the doubt.”
She described portraying Susan as “the opportunity of a lifetime” and said she would have been “ecstatic to return,” even without knowing why the character was ultimately excluded from the final episodes. People reached out to representatives for Stranger Things for comment on the character’s omission.
Since her posts, fans have flooded Marshall’s comments with messages of support, praising her performance and continuing to question Susan’s absence. One viewer joked that Ted Wheeler attended the graduation while Susan did not.
On social media, viewers echoed Marshall’s concerns, expressing confusion and disappointment over Susan’s absence during Max’s hospitalization, graduation, and even her reunion with her love interest, Lucas.
You can view the reactions below:
Marshall has been pretty open about her health struggles in the past. In a 2022 Facebook post, she wrote about undergoing cancer treatment while working on Season 4, noting that the environment on set was supportive. She credited Sink with showing “kindness and compassion,” and said the creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, offered their well-wishes during her illness.
You can view her social media post with Sink below:
Beyond Stranger Things, Marshall has built a career across television. She is a Navy veteran and longtime advocate for the military veteran community, and previously hosted Mysteries Decoded on The CW. She has also spoken publicly about being a fully licensed private investigator on the side.
Hopefully, Marshall’s comments will draw attention to the real-world consequences behind casting decisions and the intersection of storytelling, labor, and for-profit health care in the U.S.
