The Stranger Things cast is ever-expanding, and it features a staggering number of new and recurring characters. The Duffer brothers' true genius lies in their ability to continually expand the number of characters in Stranger Things, somehow without compromising the narrative momentum at all. As the series draws closer to its epic conclusion, the show has seen a number of characters killed off while the core characters have been established at the center of the fight against the Upside Down.
Even the Hawkins' teenagers have grown in number; Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Will, and Lucas have been ed by Max, Eddie, and Lucas' little sister Erica, who have become firm fan favorites. Stranger Things season 4 cast continued to introduce even more new characters, from allies to antagonists and other figures who fill out the world of this story. The Stranger Things season 5 will continue to bring in new faces with some exciting casting news but the main Stranger Things cast will surely shine in this last adventure.
Season 5 Casting News
Each season of Stranger Things brings in new characters and usually includes some notable actors ing the franchise for the new season. As Stranger Things season 5 draws closer, there is likely to be more news about new additions to the cast list. In fact, fans now have their first new name for the series as Stranger Things for its final season. Hamilton is best known as '80s icon Sarah Connor in The Terminator franchise. While there is no news on Hamilton's role, the show could take advantage of her action hero persona and have her play the new leader of the military operatives hunting Eleven down.
Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven
While the Stranger Things cast is a big ensemble, Eleven can easily be considered the main character. The 19-year-old English actress Millie Bobby Brown delighted viewers with her performance as Eleven in Stranger Things season 1, earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding ing Actress in a Drama Series at age 13. She's the youngest person to be featured in the TIME 100 list, and has used her popularity to launch a high-profile career; she played a key human character in the recent Godzilla films, and stars in Netflix's Enola Holmes 2.
Stranger Things season 4 saw Eleven regain her powers and revealed how she created the first portal to the Upside Down. Her shared connection with Henry/Vecna and his vendetta against her cements that she will continue to be the most important character in the series for its final chapter.
David Harbour is Jim Hopper
David Harbour of the Stranger Things cast is no stranger to high-profile roles, appearing in the Oscar-nominated film Revolutionary Road and Quantum of Solace. However, his most recent excursion saw him playing a sort of combat-Santa Claus in Violent Night. He is set to reprise his role of Red Guardian from Black Widow in the MCU's Thunderbolts and will soon be seen in the video game movie Gran Turismo.
Though he started out as the reluctant hero of the series, Hopper has become a lovable lead with strong connections to several characters. He became a father figure to Eleven and a love interest for Joyce. After Hopper supposedly died in Stranger Things season 3, he was rescued from a Russian prison in season 4 in time to return to Hawkins for the final season.
Winona Ryder is Joyce Byers
One of Hollywood's most popular names, Stranger Things' Winona Ryder made her debut in 1986 in the teen drama Lucas. She earned Oscar nominations for Little Women and The Age of Innocence, and has become known for taking on complex roles in films like Heathers and Bram Stoker's Dracula. She is set to return to one of her most iconic roles as Lydia in Beetlejuice 2.
Ryder was perfectly cast as Joyce Byers, a mother whose world is turned upside-down when her son Will goes missing. Either way, the Stranger Things season 4 cast would be remiss if it didn't include Ryder's Joyce. Over the last four seasons of Stranger Things, Joyce has transitioned from a crusading mother to something of a hero in her own right, helping to stop the Russian plot and leading the rescue mission to bring Hopper home. After leaving Hawkins with her family in season 3, the finale of season 4 sees her brought back home.
Finn Wolfhard is Mike Wheeler
A Canadian actor and musician, Finn Wolfhard shot to fame as "the kid from Stranger Things." This has translated into a number of high-profile live-action or vocal-acting roles - including in It, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and The Addams Family, and his career continues to flourish as his latest project saw him voicing Candlewick in Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. Mike has been dubbed the "heart" of the group by his good friend Will and it is not hard to see why. After befriending Eleven and forming a bond with her, Mike has done everything he can to keep the group together as they face off against one big threat after another.
Noah Schnapp is Will Byers
American actor Noah Schnapp first began performing when he was just six years old, and he shot to prominence in 2015 when he was cast as Roger Donovan in Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies. His most recent credit is that of Tommy in Adam Sandler's Netflix movie Hubie Halloween. Stranger Things was Schnapp's big break, when he was cast for the role of Will Byers - a character most notable for his absence in season 1, but increasingly pivotal given his experience with the Upside Down.
Arguably, Will has gone through the most trauma over the course of the series, being targeted and haunted by the Mindflayer. However, there has also been more insight into his character in recent years with him struggling to recapture the youth that was taken from him and the revelation in Stranger Things season 4 that Will is gay.
Gaten Matarazzo is Dustin Henderson
Gaten Matarazzo began his career on Broadway in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, his most recent project voicing Boris in My Father's Dragon, and played a few minor roles before he was cast as Dustin Henderson, one of the younger of the Hawkins kids in Stranger Things. Remarkably intelligent, Dustin tends to jump to conclusions the others find bizarre and yet which turn out to be true, such as when he figures out that the Hawkins teens are trying to communicate with them through the lights.
Even in the midst of all the danger they face on a regular basis, Dustin often provides the comic relief in the cast. The reveal of his girlfriend Suzie from camp was another charming aspect of the character while his friendship with Eddie in season 4 showed Dustin is a character with an enormous heart.
Caleb McLaughlin is Lucas Sinclair
Another American actor who started out his career in Broadway, Caleb McLaughlin had already built up an impressive reputation, his latest credit voicing Mo-Slo in The Boys spinoff Diabolical before he was cast for the part of Lucas Sinclair in the Stranger Things season 4 cast. Like the rest of the young cast, he's used the Netflix show as something of a launchpad, appearing in a range of TV shows - including Ultra City Smiths, The New Edition Story, and Shades of Blue - as well as several music videos.
McLaughlin's character Lucas is one of the more conflicted of Hawkins' teen community; unlike Dustin and Mike, he visibly longs to fit in. Season 4 sees him get his wish as part of the high school basketball team, but chooses his friends over the vengeful teammates in the end. Lucas has a tempestuous relationship with Max, but the two reconcile in the end, before Max, unfortunately, falls into a coma thanks to Vecna.
Sadie Sink is Max Mayfield
An accomplished actress who's also trained in music, dance, and singing, Sadie Sink began her on-screen career with a one-episode role in Blue Bloods and gained acclaim for her performance as Suzanne Ballard in American Odyssey. Her most recent project saw her starring alongside Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser in The Whale. Sadie Sink can also be seen in The Glass Castle, Eli, and Fear Street.
She ed the Stranger Things season 2 cast playing Max Mayfield, whose family had the misfortune of arriving in Hawkins; Max fell in with the rest of the Hawkins kids, dating Lucas, but her older step-brother Billy fell under the influence of the Mind-Flayer. She spends season 4 mourning Billy's death while simultaneously becoming an unwitting victim of Vecna's curse. Going into season 5 Max will be in a coma, and it's unclear if/when she will awaken.
Natalia Dyer is Nancy Wheeler
A graduate of the Nashville School of the Arts, American actress Natalie Dyer's first break was as Clarissa Granger in Hannah Montana: The Movie. She mostly appeared in shorts until 2016, when she was cast for the role of Nancy Wheeler in Stranger Things season 1, and since then has appeared in films like Velvet Buzzsaw and Yes, God, Yes, as well as the TV series Acting For A Cause and Things Heard & Seen.
Dyer's character Nancy is Mike's older sister, who was drawn into all the strangeness surrounding Hawkins when her best friend Barb disappeared. Fierce and proactive, Nancy is always quick to throw herself in front of danger whenever necessary. As she grew older, her reporter instincts grew as well with her leading the investigations into the strange occurrences in Hawkins. She has also experienced a love triangle with her former boyfriend Steve Harrington and current boyfriend Jonathan Byers.
