TikTok's remix culture has a habit of turning even the most ordinary clips into meme formats — as is the case with a recent viral video of the Stranger Things cast.

What began as a promotional appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon quickly evolved into a flexible meme template used for jumpscares, loud punchlines and a throng of brainrot edits.

By mid-2026, the format had become especially associated with the viral "Withered Flight" image macro of YouTuber FlightReacts and other absurd TikTok memes.

So, where did the "Dustin Lucas Will Mike" meme trend come from, and how did it spread online? Let's get into it (you might want to lower your volume for this one).

@edoardodistefanourzi dustin lucas will mike #memes #fyp #strangerthings ♬ suono originale – Edoardo Di Stefano

Where Does The 'Dustin Lucas Will Mike' Meme Come From?

The Dustin Lucas Will Mike meme originates from a rap recap performed by the cast of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

On November 26th, 2025, the official TikTok account of the show posted the clip, which featured cast members rapidly introducing themselves as "Dustin," "Lucas," "Will" and "Mike."

The video quickly became a massive hit on TikTok, accumulating more than 192 million views and 16 million likes within just over six months.

@fallontonight The cast of @Stranger Things rap a recap of the entire series ahead of the final season! #FallonTonight #TonightShow #StrangerThings #StrangerThingsOnFallon ♬ Tonight Show Stranger Things Rap Recap – FallonTonight

How Is 'Dustin Lucas Will Mike' Used In Memes?

As the Stranger Things cast clip spread, social media users began focusing on the memorable cadence of the opening introductions from the actors, which proved easy to recognize and remix.

@kingmong349 #flapjackscream #strangerthings #fyp ♬ original sound – No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

By early 2026, creators had begun repurposing the clip as a simple setup for jokes, typically interrupting the introductions with an unrelated sound effect, especially a burp or fart, as well as an image or video.

@ghost2heaven ух ты #strangerthings #meme #fyp #viral #dustinlucaswillmike ♬ original sound – 𝓖𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓽

As the trend continued spreading, many creators began replacing one of the Stranger Things characters with unrelated images or characters.

By mid-2026, the meme had become heavily associated with the so-called "Withered Flight" meme, with some edits swapping one of the cast members for the distorted image macro alongside a loud grunting or burping sound effect.

@bartek.zielinska.wojcik #fyp #real #relatable #funny #viral ♬ original sound – Bartek Zielińska Wójcik

The format also became a vehicle for other recurring TikTok jokes as it garnered virality in June 2026.

One notable example was posted on June 6th, 2026, when TikTok user @baltazar_wilton_wolken interrupted the sequence with a booming introduction for "Baltazar Wilton Wolken."

@baltazar_wilton_wolken #baltazar #upsidedown #song #funny #B ♬ Big B – Baltazar Wilton Wólken

Related Memes

Before its cast rap recap became the basis for the Dustin Lucas Will Mike meme, Stranger Things had already inspired numerous internet memes over the years, though most of them are more "traditional" meme templates.

Robin Holding Whiteboard Exploitable

Another meme derived from Stranger Things is "Robin Holding A Whiteboard," an exploitable image macro based on a scene from the show's third season in which Robin presents a whiteboard tallying Steve Harrington's failed attempts to flirt with customers at Scoops Ahoy.

After the season's release, internet users began editing the whiteboard to display different messages and jokes.

Despite using different formats, both originated from Stranger Things and were later repurposed by internet users into flexible templates.

Like the Dustin Lucas Will Mike meme, Robin Holding A Whiteboard transformed a brief scene from the series into a widely adaptable meme that spread far beyond its original context.

What Are Some 'Dustin Lucas Will Mike' Memes?

@daniimals.__ came out a little harder than expected but its ok #strangerthings #funny #laugh #viral #meme ♬ original sound – ♯ ⋮ 𝄞 𝓭𝓪𝓷𝓲 ༉ .ᐟ ★

@air_noah801 Dustin Lucas will make #dustinlucaswillmike #strangerthings #flight #burp #fyp ♬ original sound – Noah gd gtag

@le_cloporte Dustin Lucas Will Mike Max EHRRR #artmeme #dustinlucaswillmike #dustinlucaswillmikeme ♬ original sound – belieber🤏🏼

@b8rle Dustin Lucas will Mike- HOW YOU DOING TONIGHT GRINDRRR #xyzabc #fyp #foru #charlixcx #brat ♬ original sound – b8rle

@supercoolguy632 Dustin luca- AAAAA #funny #flight #strangerThings #burp #fyp ♬ original sound – 𝖢𝗋𝖾𝗀

@vetats #CapCut #Meme #dustinlucaswillmike ♬ original sound – ʟᴏᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴀᴘᴄᴜᴛ ᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴀᴛᴇꜱ

---

For the full history of the 'Dustin Lucas Will Mike' meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry.