a hill i will die on: mike wheeler is actually so clever and so good at problem solving, probably the best in their party. dustin is definitely the most knowledgeable and therefore people think he’s cleverest (which is true!!! he has a very broad range of knowledge about monsters and alternate dimensions and stuff like that, which makes him Knowledgable, not Ingenious). mike doesn’t have as much of that sort of knowledge on hand, but he has such a quick brain!! at the very beginning in s1 he comes up with the plan for el to ring the doorbell to ask his mom for help (the plan didn’t work, but it was a good one nonetheless). then in the last ep in s2 he’s the one who had the plan to set fire to the tunnels. and THEN AGAIN in season 4 he’s the one with the idea to seek out suzie’s help. coming up with creative solutions to problems as they come up makes him CLEVER and INGENIOUS and i’m so tired of people just associating mike with being the one dimensional love interest especially in recent seasons! no! he has a very interesting character arc if you would just take the time to read into his actions a little more, you’d see too that he has so much more to offer that isn’t tied to eleven or will, much as i love both of them. in this household we appreciate mike wheeler and his special, invaluable input to our favourite show!