After Suzie changed his grade, Dustin arrived at Hawkins High School where he attended a basketball pep rally with Mike and Max. In the evening, the Hellfire Club ran their "Cult of Vecna" campaign, in which Erica joined as a substitute for Lucas. As the group were waiting in the bus, they suddenly heard a screeching sound. The sound's source was revealed to During the first season, Dustin's Dungeons & Dragons character race was revealed to be a Dwarf. [7] In the second season, his character class was revealed to be a Bard. Genius-Level Intelligence/Wisdom: The bard in The Party, Dustin has wisdom and knowledge to maintain a balance where things can be endured through the indifference of chaos.

Dustin, Mike, and Lucas were the first visitors aside from Jonathan to see Will in the hospital. The three of them were overjoyed to see him safe and sound. They caught up with Will, telling him about the events which transpired in his absence. On the evening of November 6th, 1983, Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Will played Dungeons & Dragons in Mike's In the Worlds Turned Upside Down companion book, he is erroneously stated to be a Thief. It is possible that his character’s class changed between campaigns. Dustin discovered that an unknown person using the alias “MADMAX” had beaten his high score on Dig Dug. Keith, an employee at the arcade, stated he would tell them the identity of MADMAX in exchange for a date with Nancy, though Mike refused. While driving to the Byers', Dustin talked to Mike and Lucas about their Christmas gifts to Max and El. The conversation was abruptly interrupted when Dustin suddenly freaked out and said he saw an unknown creature, referencing Dart, lurking in the woods, but Lucas, Mike, and Steve did not see anything so they decided to continue their route to the Byers' house.Dustin asking Max if something supernatural could be responsible for the death of Chrissy Cunningham. Make what better? You're newfound love for Quinn?" Dustin asked, mouth full of pudding, a result of him going absolutely ham on the pudding he got. Apparently, Steve had thought out loud.

On October 29, Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Will went to the Palace arcade. After losing a game of Dragon's Lair, Following the gruesome death of her stepbrother Billy Hargrove at the hands of the Mind Flayer, Max spent nearly nine months in depression and solitude, causing estrangement in all of her friendships. Even despite their distance, Dustin tried to reconnect with her and in the last school day before Spring break, Dustin tried to invite her to the Hellfire Club led by Eddie Munson and when an apparently-enthusiastic Max asked if she could have one of the club's "cool t-shirts," Dustin replied that every member would receive a free t-shirt before realizing Max was being sarcastic. Upon learning of the death of Chrissy Cunningham in the Munson trailer, Max immediately shared this with Dustin rather than anyone else. Though Max was skeptical of Eddie's innocence, Dustin stubbornly insisted that Eddie would never harm anyone. The duo reunited with Lucas and their older allies (Nancy, Steve and Robin) to find Eddie, who helped them realize that Chrissy was murdered through supernatural means, specifically by an entity residing in the Upside Down, and they dubbed Chrissy's killer "Vecna," after a villainous "dark wizard" from Dungeons and Dragons.The boys investigated their friend's disappearance that evening and accidentally encountered an escaped Eleven, who they allowed to stay in Mike's basement, making a pillow fort for her to sleep in. I'm good! I did bring a friend, his name is Steve!" He exclaimed, pointing over to him. Quinn looked up, his smile went from being as bright as the sun to a massive frown. He recognized Steve, somehow. Though it had been many years since they last saw each other, he could recognize that jerk anywhere. The jerk that had bullied Quinn for all of his summers. Steve had been best friends with Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins. He had bullied Quinn with them too.

Dustin did not seem to have a good relationship with Lucas's little sister, Erica, despite being social with her. When Dustin tried to get in touch with Lucas to inform him about D'Artagnan, Erica did not bother to help Dustin and turned off Lucas's Supercom. In 1984, when Dustin, along with Lucas, invited Max Mayfield into the Party without informing Mike first, Mike was upset, but showed no hostility towards Dustin. While they had an argument over the situation regarding Dart, their friendship never turned bad as he directly headed to Mike's house to warn him about its danger and also searched for him with the group during the Demodogs' invasion. Dustin also supported Mike's plan to distract the Demodogs from El and Hopper by burning the tunnels of the Upside Down, proving that they still endanger themselves to protect their friends. A month later, at the Snow Ball, Dustin still remained on good terms with Mike, who playfully teased his hairstyle.In 1986, Dustin met up with Nancy where he, along with Steve, Robin, and Max Mayfield, informed of an entity from the Upside Down known as Vecna was responsible for committing a murder spree in Hawkins. They, along with their friends, worked together in investigating and trying to search for Vecna. After Nancy, Steve, Robin, and Eddie get trapped in the Upside Down due to entering a gate at Lover's Lake, the four older teens manage to communicate with Dustin, Lucas, and Erica through Holly's Lite Brite and the kids were able to rescue them from the Upside Down. In 1984, Dustin and Steve form an unlikely bond while trying to hunt down D'Artagnan. Dustin tells Steve about his attempts to win the heart of Max, where Steve gives advice on how to approach women, and how to style his hair. When everybody else failed, Dustin was the one who convinced Steve to put aside his responsibility of protecting the group and instead assisting them in burning the tunnels infected by the Upside Down. Steve later drives Dustin to the Snow Ball Dance, and gives him a pep talk before Dustin enters the dance. After Eleven saved him and Mike from bullies, he proudly declared that she was their friend and thoroughly cared about her from that point on. He also comforted her when she revealed that she accidentally opened the gate. From then on, Dustin cared for and helped Eleven in any ways he can, such as calling Mr. Clarke on how to build a sensory deprivation tank to help El enhance her powers and get chocolate pudding for her so she can recharge. As they rode their bikes home, Dustin informed Mike through his Supercom that Max was indeed "MADMAX," but Mike was not interested. He then decided to invite Max into the Party, despite Lucas's worries over Mike not liking the idea, but Dustin insisted as they are allowed to take new members into their Party if they want to. After saying saying good night to Lucas, Dustin arrives home, but is unable to notice or hear the sound of a strange creature inside his outdoor trashcan. He and Lucas are the only characters in the show to have appeared in every episode since the first one, despite " The Lost Sister" having them appear only in archival footage.

basement. Mike, acting as Dungeon Master, summoned a Demogorgon, which ultimately defeated Will's character. While they looked for the missing dice, Mike's mother Karen insisted it was time for his friends to leave; and shortly after this, Lucas, Dustin, and Will cycled home. On the way, Dustin challenged Will to a bike race home for one of his X-Men comic books, and shortly after, Will went missing. Months later, Dustin and Steve are sitting in Steve's car, a red BMW 733i. Camp Know Where was about three hours away from Hawkins, they were two and a half hours in. Dustin was born on May 29, 1971, to Mr. and Claudia Henderson. By around 1980, the Henderson family arrived in Hawkins, Indiana, where Dustin met Lucas, Mike, and Will when he arrived at their school in fourth grade, growing a strong bond with them and becoming best friends. They would often gather at Mike's house to play Dungeons & Dragons. The four boys had a great relationship with their science teacher Mr. Clarke, and they were members in the AV Club he ran. In addition, they would take part in the annual science fair, winning almost every year.By the spring of 1986, tech-savvy Dustin's long-distance relationship with Suzie is still going strong, and he's now part of the Dungeons & Dragons group, Hellfire Club, along with Lucas and Mike. Their dedication to the club subjects Mike and Dustin to the tirades and demands of the club's Dungeon Master, Eddie. [4] When Eddie becomes a suspect in the murder of fellow student, Chrissy Cunningham, Dustin and his friends discover an entity from the Upside Down known as " Vecna" is responsible for Chrissy's death. As Vecna begins committing murders around Hawkins, Dustin and his friends work together to investigate Vecna and stop him. However, upon discovering Vecna's true identity and motives, Dustin and his friends formulate a plan in an attempt to kill Vecna. Dustin joins Eddie, Robin, Steve, and Nancy in venturing into the Upside Down where he and Eddie distract the Demobats guarding Vecna's hideout, the Creel House. However, while fighting the Demobats, Dustin gets injured where Eddie ends up being killed after preventing the Demobats from entering in the real world through a gate.