A young girl with telepathic and psychokinetic powers, Eleven is a test experiment from Hawkins National Laboratory who escapes and finds safety in the town. Eleven eventually becomes adopted by Hopper and changes her name to Jane and begins getting adjusted to her normal life with the other kids of Hawkins. Outside of “Stranger Things,” Millie Bobby Brown has starred in the “Enola James” franchise, two “Godzilla” movies, the “Electric State” and more. In 2024, she married Jake Bongiovi, son of musician Jon Bon Jovi, and the couple adopted a daughter in 2025. The middle child of the Wheeler Family, Mike is one of Will Byers’ best friends and one of the leaders of the Hawkins group. In Season 1, Mike and Eleven get closer to one another and throughout the series, begin a romantic relationship with each other. Wolfhard has co-directed and co-written Neon’s “Hell of a Summer” with Billy Byrk and has starred in projects such as Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio,” “Saturday Night,” and “The Legend of Ochi.” One of Will’s best friends, Dustin is one of the members of the Party and often teams up with Steve and the rest of the Hawkins team to solve what’s going on in the Upside Down. As a self-proclaimed player of Dungeons and Dragons along with Lucas, Mike and Will, Dustin is always planning ahead strategically. Matarazzo has voiced characters in projects such as “Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy” and “Angry Birds 2” and starred in the 2023 revival of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” as Tobias Ragg. He also hosted a prank show called “Prank Encounters” for two seasons. Caleb McLaughlin returns as Lucas Sinclair, an original member of the show’s young ensemble and the on-and-off love-interest of Max Mayfield. Though Lucas briefly separated from the group when he joined the Hawkins High School basketball team in Season 4, by the end of that season, he was back with his friends and at Max’s side when she fought off Vecna. Outside of “Stranger Things,” McLaughlin has starred in “High Flying Bird,” “Concrete Cowboy,” “The Book of Clarence,” “The Deliverance” and more. “Stranger Things” all began with the disappearance of Will Byers in the first episode of Season 1. Though he is rescued at the end of the first season, Will never quite shakes his unique connection to the Upside Down, often enduring telekinetic and foreboding visions throughout the series. Noah Schnapp has grown up with the character, having been cast as the youngest member of the main ensemble in Season 1. He’s also appeared in “Hubie Halloween,” “Abe,” “Waiting for Anya” and more. Sadie Sink made her debut as the clever and fearless Max Mayfield in Season 2. By Season 3, Max was dating Lucas, and by Season 4, they had broken up. Nevertheless, they reunited as she became the target of Vecna. With the help of her friends and a Kate Bush cassette tape, Max played a pivotal role in defeating Vecna at the end of Season 4, but ended the finale comatose and possibly still unsafe as her mind is splintered between the real world and the Upside Down. Sink will appear in next year’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and previously starred in “The Whale,” two “Fear Street” movies, Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” short film and Broadway’s “John Proctor Is the Villain.” Joe Keery stars as the high school heartthrob Steve Harrington, a popular student who also happens to be Nancy Wheeler’s boyfriend when the show starts. By Season 2, he and Nancy break up but manage to remain friends. Steve establishes himself as the “unofficial” babysitter for the younger kids, as he is often left to look after them. Keery has since starred in several other shows like “Fargo” and “No Activity” as well as films “Molly’s Game,” “Slice,” “Spree,” “Free Guy” and “Marmalade.” The actor also embarked on a solo music career and has released albums “Twenty Twenty” and “Decide” under the stage name Djo. His recent album, “The Crux,” was released in April 2025. Maya Hawke portrays Robin Buckley, a witty, multilingual co-worker and close friend of Steve after working together at the Scoops Ahoy ice cream shop and later the video store. Their friendship grows after Buckley comes out as a lesbian in the third season. Hawke, the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, has appeared in various projects since joining the series in Season 3. She has starred in films like “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Do Revenge,” “Asteroid City,” “Maestro” and voiced Anxiety in “Inside Out 2.” Her upcoming projects include roles in “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” the Billy Wilder biopic “Wilder & Me” and romantic comedy “Wishful Thinking.” The mother of Will and Jonathan Byers, Joyce is a single mother who is dedicated to protecting her children and protecting the town of Hawkins from the danger that lurks in the Upside Down. Throughout the show, Joyce teams up with the kids of Hawkins and Hopper as she protects Will after he returns from the Upside Down in Season 2. Since starring in “Stranger Things,” Ryder has reprised her role as Lydia Deetz in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” Jim Hopper is the chief of Hawkins Police Department, where he oversees the town from criminal activity. After the death of his daughter Sara from cancer, Hopper takes in Eleven as her father figure and guides her throughout her adolescence as her powers grow stronger. Throughout the series, Hopper and Joyce also develop feelings for one another. Harbour has also starred in “Thunderbolts*,” “Black Widow,” “Violent Night,” “Hellboy,” “Gran Turismo” and “Creature Commandos.” Mike’s older sister, Nancy Wheeler is an inquisitive and ambitious hero, determined to get to the bottom of all of Hawkins’ secrets, be them paranormal or otherwise. Though she has been dating Jonathan Byers since Season 2, their relationship has been rocky and she remains the pivotal vertex in the love-triangle with Jonathan and Steve Harrington. Natalia Dyer has played the character since Season 1 and also appeared in “Velvet Buzzsaw,” “Based on a True Story” and more. Will Byers’ older brother and Nancy Wheeler’s boyfriend, Jonathan is a reserved young man who has run the gamut of emotions since his debut as a wallflowery teenage shutterbug in Season 1. He is protective and supportive of his brother Will, but sometimes distant in his relationship with Nancy and frequently at odds with Steve as a result. Charlie Heaton returns as the character in Season 5 and has previously appeared in “New Mutants,” “The Souvenir Part II” and more. Priah Ferguson plays Lucas’ younger sister, Erica, who often helps out her brother and his friends. An unlikely hero, she eventually became a vital part of the group’s efforts to fight off the supernatural creatures from the Upside Down. Following Ferguson’s breakout role in the hit show, she has starred in the Netflix film “The Curse of Bridge Hollow,” voiced characters in animations like “Hamster & Gretel” and “My Dad the Bounty Hunter” and appeared in short films like “Glitter Ain’t Gold.” Jamie Campbell Bower plays Vecna, the primary villain of the series and main antagonist of Season 4. His human identity is Henry Creel, and he was born with supernatural abilities. He is also known as Number One and has a shared past with Eleven as subjects at Hawkins Lab. Since taking on Vecna, Campbell Bower has continued his acting career with appearances in the films “Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1,” “Emmanuelle” and “Witchboard.” He will join the new season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” Beyond acting, he formed a band called “Blood Magic” with drummer Kyle Adams, in which they released their debut single “Death / Rebirth” in 2024. Brett Gelman brought to life Murray Bauman, a conspiracy theorist, private investigator, former investigative journalist and longtime friend of Hopper who helps Nancy, Jonathan, Hopper and Joyce in their fight against the Upside Down. Gelman has continued to act in several other projects, including, most recently, starring in the Apple TV drama “Lady in the Lake.” He’s contributing his voice acting skills to other projects such as “I Heart Arlo” and “Inside Job” on Netflix.
https://variety.com/lists/stranger-things-5-cast-characters/
‘Stranger Things’ Cast Guide: All the Stars in Season 5 and Everything They’ve Done Since the Show Started 9 Years Ago
