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The actress who portrayed Max’s mom on Stranger Things in seasons 2 and 4, Jennifer Marshall, claims that being invited back for season 5 would’ve financially aided her cancer battle.
Marshall, 44, took to Instagram on Tuesday, January 6, to tell fans that returning as Susan Hargrove in the Netflix series’ final instalment would’ve proved life altering. “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,” the actress posted before adding hashtags that included “#cancersucks #butwhy.”
Marshall, a military veteran, shared via Facebook in October 2022 that she was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer at the age of 39 after stage 1 cancer in her foot had spread to her lymph nodes.
Her recent Instagram post that confirmed her remission also featured a video that addressed how often she thought about where Susan ended up during season 5. “Every day. Not all day, every day but every day,” she answered while looking into the camera.
The video also featured pasted graphics that read “HUH?” and “Confused.”
Five days earlier, Marshall shared another Instagram post that included a photo of Max, played by Sadie Sink, lying in a hospital bed as she remained in a coma during the beginning of season 5. “But where was Max’s mom??” a block of text read atop the photo, while the caption continued, “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?”
Fans took to the earlier post’s comments section to share their curiosity over Susan’s exclusion from season 5. “Was hoping to see you! Asking the same question,” wrote one fan, while another commented, “I was looking for you at the graduation!!! Everyone’s family was there but Max’s? They did her wrong!”
In the hit series, Susan turned to alcohol after her husband, Neil Hargrove, left the family home following the death of Billy Hargrove, Max’s stepbrother. Susan’s final appearance came in season 4 where she was impersonated by Vecna in the yard of her trailer.
Stranger Things fans have shared online theories as to where Susan ended up, with some social media users speculating that she may have died when Hawkins was split in four at the end of season 4.
Sink, 23, offered her own take on Susan’s disappearance during an interview with Vulture, published on December 25, 2025. When asked if she’d “given much thought” as to where her fictional mother was during Max’s coma stint, Sink provided thoughts.
“It’s kind of common for the parents on the show: You just don’t know where they are except for Karen Wheeler [played by Cara Buono]. My theory is that Max’s mom must have disappeared or died at some point in the rift at the end of season four, because it goes through the trailer park,” Sink told the outlet before admitting that the show did “kind of gloss over” the season 4 finale in the final Stranger Things episodes.
