Stranger Things 5 Cast: Who’s Back and Who’s Joining for the Final Ride

The final showdown is coming in Stranger Things 5, and our favorite group of nerds is up against a nightmare like never before. The story picks up in the fall of 1987, with Hawkins, Indiana, still reeling from the Rifts that opened at the end of Season 4. The gang is now united, determined to find and stop Vecna. But it won’t be easy, his location is a mystery, and the town is on lockdown. “What’s different about this season is that it starts in a bit of chaos, since our heroes lost at the end of Season 4,” co-creator Ross Duffer told Tudum.

Co-creator Matt Duffer said, “Nothing in Hawkins is normal anymore.” The characters’ movements are limited, and it feels like Big Brother is watching everywhere. So even when they’re active, their everyday lives are far from ordinary. Fans will see familiar faces join one last adventure in Stranger Things 5, along with a few new characters, including Linda Hamilton as the mysterious Dr. Kay. The final season drops on Netflix on Nov. 26 with the first four episodes, followed by three more on Christmas, and the finale on New Year’s Eve. Each batch premieres at 5 p.m. PT. You can even watch the first five minutes of Episode 1 right now. Keep reading to find out who’s back, who’s new, and what lies ahead for everyone in Stranger Things 5.

1. The Nerd - Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven 

Character Overview

• DnD Class: Sorcerer
• Family: Hopper (adoptive dad), Terry Ives (biological mom), Joyce Byers (foster mom), Will Byers (foster brother)

Eleven is a young girl with extraordinary psychic powers, making her very different from other kids. She was raised by Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine), whom she calls Papa, as part of a secret government experiment at Hawkins National Laboratory. After escaping the lab in Chapter 1, Eleven meets a group of curious kids, Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). And he joins them in their search for Will (Noah Schnapp).

As they uncover the mysteries of the Upside Down, Eleven learns more about her own past and forms a family with her friends and her adoptive father, police chief Hopper (David Harbour). But when Vecna opens the Rifts at the end of Season 4, Eleven knows a bigger battle is coming to protect everything she cares about. In Season 5, she’s fully in warrior mode. “Her only focus is keeping her friends safe,” Brown explains. “They’re her chosen family, and she’ll do whatever it takes to protect them.”

2. Noah Schnapp As Will Byers

Character Overview

D&D Class: Cleric

Family: Joyce Byers (mom), Lonnie Byers (dad), Jonathan Byers (brother), Jane Hopper (foster sister)

On November 6, 1983, Will is pulled into the Upside Down, changing life forever for his best friends Mike (Wolfhard), Dustin (Matarazzo), and Lucas (McLaughlin). They learn about this strange shadow world, and by the end of Season 1, Will makes it back home. However, Will’s connection to the dark dimension doesn’t end there. It’s revealed that the Mind Flayer had been secretly controlling him, using him to watch his friends. However, in the fourth episode, you will see the game changing moments of the Will. 

Even after breaking free from its control, Will can still feel its presence. This shows up in Season 3 when the creature takes over Billy (Dacre Montgomery), and again at the end of Season 4 when the Rifts open, causing grass to rot and Upside Down dust to spread across Hawkins. In Stranger Things 5, Will and the Byers return to Hawkins after a short move to California, preparing for the final showdown. “This season, we dive right in from the start, which is really exciting and different from before,” Schnapp says. “Everyone is together with the same goal in mind.

3. Finn Wolfhard As Mike Wheeler

Character Details

• DnD Role: Paladin
• Family: Ted Wheeler (dad), Karen Wheeler (mom), Nancy Wheeler (big sister), Holly Wheeler (little sister)

Mike leads The Party, a tight group of friends that includes Dustin, Will, Lucas, and later Max. He becomes close to Eleven while searching for Will, and the two eventually start dating. Mike often stands on the front lines with his friends, battling threats from the Upside Down. He slays from the Demogorgon in Season 1 to the Mind Flayer in Season 3. However, all while trying to manage his growing relationship with El. In Season 5, “Mike steps back into full leader mode,” Wolfhard explains. “He takes more responsibility in planning their missions, and the whole group is focused on tracking down Vecna and putting an end to everything.”

4. Gaten Matarazzo As Dustin Henderson

Character Brief

• D&D Class: Bard
• Family: Claudia Henderson (mother), Walter Henderson (father)

As the group’s science-loving brain, Dustin is the one who first learns about the gate to the dark world known as the Upside Down back in Season 1. Throughout the series, he uncovers more big truths. It is like realizing his pet slug Dart is actually a young Demogorgon, and discovering that Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), not his Hellfire Club friend Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), is behind the brutal killings in Season 4. After Eddie’s death in the Upside Down, Dustin is still mourning him in Season 5. “Dustin is in a bit of a funk,” Matarazzo says. “We’re all dealing with the daily struggle of keeping everyone safe and trying to track down Vecna, while carrying a lot of emotional weight from everything that happened last season.”

5. Caleb McLaughlin As Lucas Sinclair

• D&D Class: Ranger
• Family: Sue Sinclair (mother), Charles Sinclair (father), Erica Sinclair (younger sister)

Lucas is the practical thinker of the group. At first, he isn’t sure about Eleven, but he soon becomes one of her closest friends. He eventually grows close to Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), and the two start dating. Lucas is by her side when Vecna nearly kills her in Season 4, and after she slips into a coma, he stays at the hospital hoping she’ll wake up. In Season 5, Lucas is still struggling with the pain and confusion left behind by the tragic Season 4 ending. “We’re still trying to understand what happened, and maybe we never fully will,” McLaughlin explains. “Everyone feels stressed and unsure, but we’re all trying to hold on to hope.”

6. Sadie Sink As Max Mayfield

• DnD Class: Zoomer
• Family: Sam Mayfield (father), Susan Hargrove (mother), Billy Hargrove (stepbrother)

When Max shows up in Season 2, it doesn’t take long for the sharp-witted, skateboard-loving gamer to become part of the Hawkins group as they fight the creatures from the Upside Down. After the loss of her stepbrother Billy (Dacre Montgomery), who was taken over by the Mind Flayer in Season 3, Max becomes Vecna’s next target in Season 4. Vecna almost kills her, triggering the cracks that tear open across Hawkins. The attack leaves Max in a coma, setting her up for a difficult journey in Season 5. “We left Season 4 with Max in a very tough spot,” Sink explains. “Her last moments were in a hospital bed. Eleven looked for her in the void but couldn’t find her, so Max isn’t the same person she was. Still, there’s a tiny bit of hope, and her friends are holding onto that.”

7. Priah Ferguson As Erica Sinclair

Family: Sue Sinclair (mother), Charles Sinclair (father), Lucas Sinclair (older brother)

You can’t spell America without Erica. Lucas’s smart, fearless little sister. In Season 3, she teams up with Steve, Dustin, and Robin as part of the Scoops Troop. Together, they sneak into a hidden Russian lab under the Starcourt Mall and discover a secret mission to use the Upside Down as a weapon. By Season 4, Erica joins the Hellfire Club and becomes an important part of the Hawkins squad as they work to stop Vecna from opening more gateways to the Upside Down.

The Teens Era

8. Joe Keery As Steve Harrington

Family: His mother and father are never named.

Steve Harrington often joked about as the “world’s best babysitter.” Also, he gets dragged into the chaos after his girlfriend Nancy’s (Natalia Dyer) close friend Barb (Shannon Purser) disappears near his backyard pool. During these wild Upside Down adventures, he builds an unexpected bond with Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and later becomes close friends with Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke). From battling the Demogorgon in Season 1, to exposing a hidden Russian base under Starcourt Mall in Season 3, to helping take down Vecna with Nancy and Robin in Season 4. Steve steps into the final season ready for the biggest fight yet. But this time, he’s also trying to support a heartbroken Dustin. In Season 5, Steve’s connection with Dustin plays a major role. “They team up and get into some fun, messy action moments,” Keery hints. “But like always in Stranger Things, it’s really about the whole group. This season more than ever shows everyone working together, and I loved that.”

9. Natalia Dyer As Nancy Wheeler

Family: Ted Wheeler (father), Karen Wheeler (mother), Mike Wheeler (younger brother), Holly Wheeler (younger sister)

When Nancy’s best friend Barb goes missing, she becomes determined to uncover the truth. Her search pulls her deeper into the strange, supernatural events happening in Hawkins. She has already faced the Demogorgon in Season 1, exposed what really happened to Barb in Season 2, fought the Mind Flayer in Season 3, and stood against Vecna in Season 4. Now, heading into Season 5, she’s more alert than ever. “We find Nancy, and everyone else, dealing with the chaos in Hawkins after the gates open,” Dyer explains. “They’ve made it through and formed a plan. They’re out there hunting Vecna and actively searching for him.”

10. Charlie Heaton As Jonathan Byers

Family: Joyce Byers (mother), Lonnie Byers (father), Will Byers (younger brother), Jane Hopper (foster sister)

Jonathan, Will’s older brother, joins the search for Will in Season 1 and teams up with Nancy as they try to uncover what happened to Barb. While chasing the Demogorgon, Jonathan and Nancy grow closer and eventually start dating. Their journey continues in Season 2, where they expose the truth behind Barb’s death. In Season 3, they fight the Mind Flayer together, and in Season 4, they join the rest of the group to battle Vecna. Now, with the shadow dimension creeping into Hawkins, the team faces their most dangerous challenge yet.

11. Maya Hawke As Robin Buckley

Family: Richard Buckley (father), Melissa Buckley (mother)

Robin first appears in Season 3, working with Steve (Keery) at the Scoops Ahoy ice cream shop. She quickly becomes involved in the investigation of a secret Russian lab beneath Starcourt Mall. After a dangerous encounter with Russian agents, she tells Steve that she has a crush on their classmate Tammy, which strengthens their friendship. In Season 4, Robin teams up with Nancy (Dyer) and Steve to fight Vecna, seriously wounding him. However, Vecna escapes and the Upside Down begins affecting Hawkins. By Season 5, Robin is ready for the ultimate battle. As Hawke explains, “Robin is a soldier in this final fight. She’s focused on the bigger mission, not personal goals. She’s part of the solution, and that’s what makes her role so inspiring.”

12. Amybeth McNulty As Vickie

In Season 4, we meet Vickie, a Hawkins High marching band student who doesn’t know about the strange events in town. When the Rifts appear, she helps by making sandwiches for the homeless and has a heartwarming moment with Robin.

The Adults

13. David Harbour As Jim Hopper

Family: Diane (ex-wife), Sara Hopper (daughter, deceased), Jane Hopper (adoptive daughter)

When we first meet Jim Hopper in Season 1, he’s a tough, world-weary police chief struggling with the loss of his daughter. After Will (Schnapp) goes missing, Hopper teams up with Joyce (Ryder) to uncover secret experiments at Hawkins Lab, a mysterious girl named Eleven (Brown), and the strange parallel world called the Upside Down. In Season 2, Hopper secretly hides Eleven in his cabin, and she later helps him close the gate at Hawkins Lab.

In Season 3, Hopper and Joyce uncover a Russian plot under Starcourt Mall that aims to reopen the gate. Hopper appears to sacrifice himself to stop it, but Season 4 reveals he survived and was captured by the Russians. Joyce and Murray rescue him from a harsh labor camp where Upside Down creatures are held, and Hopper is finally reunited with Eleven after almost a year apart.

In Season 5, Hopper is dealing with the consequences of the Rifts opening at the end of Season 4. “Hopper has returned from Russia and spent about a year preparing for the dangers of the Upside Down, training for a final showdown with Vecna,” Harbour explains. “He keeps his plans secret from those he loves, but he’s readying himself for a big confrontation in this isolated, tense environment.”

14. Winona Ryder As Joyce Byers

Family: Will Byers (son), Jonathan Byers (son), Jane Hopper (foster daughter)

Joyce is a devoted single mom whose world is turned upside down when her son Will goes missing in Season 1. She joins forces with Hopper to uncover the secrets of Hawkins Lab, a mysterious girl named Eleven, and the strange parallel world called the Upside Down. Joyce even finds a way to talk to Will through Christmas lights before helping bring him back. In Season 2, she begins a relationship with Bob, but he dies while helping them escape Hawkins Lab as she fights to free Will from the Mind Flayer.

In Season 3, still mourning Bob, Joyce discovers a hidden Russian operation under Starcourt Mall and helps close another gate, though Hopper seems to perish. She moves her family, including Eleven, to California. In Season 4, she discovers Hopper is alive and travels to Russia with Murray to save him. After battling creatures from the Upside Down to weaken Vecna, Joyce returns to Hawkins, aware that even greater threats are looming.

15. Brett Gelman As Murray Bauman

Murray, once an investigative journalist, is hired by Barb’s parents in Season 2 to look into her disappearance. When Nancy and Jonathan show him proof that Barb is dead, he helps expose Hawkins Lab while keeping them out of trouble. In Season 3, he acts as Alexei’s translator and joins Joyce and Hopper in uncovering the Russian operation under Starcourt Mall, using Alexei’s information to help close another gate. In Season 4,

Murray takes on a bigger role, teaming up with Joyce to search for Hopper. They travel to Russia, rescue Hopper from a harsh labor camp, and battle creatures from the Upside Down to weaken Vecna. As rifts start appearing all over Hawkins, Murray is ready to join the final fight.

16. Cara Buono As Karen Wheeler

Family: Ted Wheeler (husband), Nancy Wheeler (daughter), Mike Wheeler (son), Holly Wheeler (daughter)

Karen (played by Cara Buono) is a loving wife and mother who mostly stays unaware of the strange events happening in Hawkins. In Season 3, she briefly thinks about getting involved with Billy (Montgomery) after meeting him at the Hawkins Community Pool but quickly decides against it when she sees her family at home.

In Season 4, she joins other concerned parents at a town hall meeting after a series of teen murders. She stays in Hawkins even as mysterious particles from the Upside Down begin to fall, hinting that Vecna’s plan is in motion.

17. Sherman Augustus As Lt. Colonel Sullivan

Lt. Colonel Sullivan is a sharp, no-nonsense officer who thinks he has the key to ending the evil in Hawkins for good. In Season 4, he looks into the deaths of teens Chrissy (Grace Van Dien) and Fred (Logan Riley), convinced that Eleven has lost control and is responsible for the violent events.

He heads to Nevada with a team of US Army soldiers to raid Dr. Owen’s lab. During the mission, Dr. Brenner (Modine) is killed, and Sullivan fails to stop Eleven, who uses her powers to destroy a helicopter and make her escape in Argyle’s (Eduardo Franco) van.

The Newbies You Need to Know

18. Nell Fisher As Holly Wheeler

Holly, the youngest Wheeler, is figuring out where she fits in with her family and friends. In Season 5, she struggles at school and feels out of place, finding solace in an imaginary friend.

19. Jake Connelly As Derek Turnbow

Derek Turnbow is one of Holly’s classmates, but definitely not her friend. He’s rude to adults, mean to other kids, spoiled, and has a foul mouth.

20. Linda Hamilton As Dr. Kay

Dr. Kay is the new lead scientist running the military operations in Hawkins, continuing the work that Dr. Brenner (Modine) started. She’s sharp, commanding, and now the main challenge for the group. Fully devoted to her research, she stops at nothing to reach her goals. Her target is Eleven (Brown), and she’s determined to capture her alive.

21. Alex Breaux As Lt. Robert Akers

Lt. Akers, one of Dr. Kay’s (Hamilton) assistants, officially serves in the military, but he mainly works in the lab with Dr. Kay and tracks down Eleven (Brown).

The Monster That Haunts Stranger Things 5

22. Jamie Campbell Bower As Vecna

There are scary things, and then there’s Vecna, the ultimate monster behind all the strange events in Hawkins. Originally named Henry Creel, he was the first child taken by Dr. Brenner (Modine), earning the nickname “One.” Season 4 flashbacks show that Eleven defeats One, opening the first gate and sending him to the Upside Down. There, he becomes the first inhabitant of the shadowy world and eventually transforms into Vecna. Even though Nancy (Dyer), Robin (Hawke), and Steve (Keery) seriously hurt him at the end of Season 4, Vecna escapes and starts opening rifts across Hawkins, putting his dark plan into motion.

Final Thoughts

Stranger Things 5 promises to be the most intense and emotional chapter yet, with Hawkins on the brink of chaos and Vecna’s dark influence spreading across the town. Our favorite heroes, Eleven, Mike, Will, and the rest of the gang, are back, stronger. They are more determined than ever to protect their friends and loved ones. Alongside familiar faces and a few intriguing newcomers, the stage is set for an epic showdown that will test courage, friendship, and the limits of the human spirit. With the first four episodes already streaming on Netflix and the rest dropping through the holiday season, fans are in for a thrilling ride full of suspense, heart, and nostalgia. Stranger Things 5 is not just a battle against a monster, it’s the ultimate fight to save Hawkins and bring closure to a story that has captivated audiences for years.