Jennifer Marshall, the actress who portrayed Max’s mother, Susan Hargrove, on Stranger Things, has opened up about how being invited back for the show's final season could have had a life-changing impact on her.
Marshall, 44, took to Instagram on January 6 to reveal that returning to the show would not only have been a good career opportunity but could have also given her much-needed financial support for her ongoing battle with cancer.
“I had cancer, I get it. But I was in remission during the shooting of season five,” she penned in her Instagram post. “Shooting would have helped me obtain my health insurance through the union.”
She continued: “Maybe they had too many characters, idk but obv Susan Hargrove is THE WORST MOTHER EVER LMAO.” She finished the post with the hashtags "#cancersucks" and "#butwhy".
A Cancer Diagnosis
Marshall, a military veteran, first revealed her stage 3 cancer diagnosis in October 2022 on Facebook.
At the age of 39, she was diagnosed with stage 1 cancer in her foot, which later spread to her lymph nodes.
She continued her battle for years, undergoing treatment while keeping her fans updated on her progress.
In her recent Instagram post, Marshall confirmed that she was in remission and reflected on how often she thought about her character’s absence in the final season. “Every day. Not all day, every day, but every day,” she admitted in a video.
Fans Express Their Disappointment Over Susan's Absence
In a separate post shared just five days prior, Marshall questioned her character's disappearance during the events of Stranger Things season 5.
Sharing an image of Max (Sadie Sink) lying unconscious in a hospital bed at the start of the season, Marshall asked: “But where was Max's mom??” in the accompanying caption. “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…"
Fans quickly took to the comments section to voice their own confusion and disappointment.
“I was hoping to see you in the last episode! Hope life is treating you well my friend!” one fan wrote. Another fan commented: “I was looking for you at the graduation!!! Everyone's family was there but Max's? They did her wrong!”
A third chimed in" “The way I kept asking where you were after every episode, you were missed!”
Susan's Story on Stranger Things and Fan Theories
In the series, Susan struggles with alcoholism after the death of her stepson, Billy Hargrove, and the departure of her husband, Neil.
Her final appearance in season 4 was brief but memorable, as she was impersonated by the sinister Vecna in a vision of Max’s past.
Since then, fans have been left wondering about her fate, with some suspecting that she may have died when Hawkins was split into four parts at the end of season 4.
The absence of Susan in season 5 has sparked discussion among fans, many of whom have offered their theories.
One fan speculated: "Billy’s dad was out of the picture, you were a drunk, and the only time we saw you was in a Vecna vision through Max.”
They went on to say: “You deserved to be in the loop of everything including hospital visits, knowing the Sinclairs, and graduation day. You’re one of the many missing pieces from ST5.”
Sadie Sink Weighs In on Max’s Missing Mother
Sink also weighed in on the mystery surrounding Susan's disappearance during a December 2025 interview with Vulture.
When asked if she had thought about where her fictional mother might be during Max's coma in season 5, Sink theorized: “It’s kind of common for the parents on the show: You just don’t know where they are except for Karen Wheeler.”
Sink added that her theory was 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".
Despite her take, she admitted that the show “kind of glossed over” some plot points, including the unresolved fate of Susan.
You can stream season five of Stranger Things on Netflix.