The actress who portrayed Max’s mother strange things in seasons 2 and 4, Jennifer Marshallclaims that being invited back for season 5 would have financially helped his battle with cancer.
Marshall, 44, did Instagram on Tuesday, January 6 to tell fans that she will return as Susan Hargrove in the Netflix series. final delivery it would have shown that life was changing. “I had cancer, I get it. But I was in remission while filming season 5. Filming would have helped me get my health insurance through the union. Maybe they had too many characters, no, but obv Susan Hargrove is THE WORST MOM EVER,” the actress posted before adding hashtags that included “#cancersucks #why.
Marshall, a military veteran, shared the road Facebook in October 2022, he was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer at age 39 after stage 1 cancer in his foot had spread to his lymph nodes.
Her recent Instagram post confirming her remission also included a video that addressed how often she thought about where Susan went during Season 5. “Every day. Not all day, every day, but every day,” she replied while looking at the camera.
Susan Sullivan shocked fans earlier this month after undergoing mystery surgery and later revealing she is battling cancer. “Life’s surprising little twists try to be prepared for them with humor and hope. Let’s move on,” Sullivan, 80, wrote via X on Monday, Oct. 16. The Castle alum, played by Martha Rodgers (…)
The video also featured tacked-on graphics that read “HUH?” and “Confused”.
Five days earlier, Marshall shared another one Instagram post that included a photo of Max, played by Sadie Sinklying in a hospital bed as she remained in a coma during the start of season 5. “But where was Max’s mother?” read a block of text above the photo, while the caption continued: “Ok folks! It’s over… but where was he? What kind of mother isn’t there for her child while he’s in the hospital?”
Fans took to the comments section of the previous post to share their curiosity about Susan’s exclusion from Season 5. “I was hoping to see you! Asking the same question,” one fan wrote, while another commented, “I was looking for you at graduation!!! Everyone’s family was there, but Max’s? They did it 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 half-brother. Susan’s last appearance came in season 4, where she was impersonated by Vecna in her trailer yard.
strange things fans have shared theories online about where Susan ended up, with some social media users speculating that she may have died when Hawkins was split into four at the end of Season 4.
Sink, 23, offered his own take on Susan’s disappearance during an interview with vultureposted on December 25, 2025 When asked if he had “thought a lot” about where his fictional mother was during Max’s coma, Sink gave some insight.
“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 dear good). 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 network before admitting that the show “went a little bit” on the end of season 4 in the finale. strange things episodes.