The Stranger Things season 4 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. To be fair, Stranger Things season 4 was helped by extended episode lengths — episode 9 was 2 hours 30 minutes — making it the equivalent of an entire movie. But balancing all these characters and storylines was still an accomplishment nonetheless.
Even the Hawkins’ teenagers have grown in number; Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Will, and Lucas have been joined by Max, Eddie, and Lucas’ little sister Erica, who have become firm fan favorites. The Stranger Things season 4 cast introduced even more new characters, however, simply because it spanned the globe, with Joyce and Murray freeing Hopper from Russia. With so many Stranger Things characters in play, viewers can be forgiven for struggling to figure out where they’ve spotted a familiar face before. As such, as the show approaches its fifth and final season, it’s never been more important to look back and recognize who’s who.
Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven
First up on the Stranger Things season 4 cast is Millie Bobby Brown. 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 Supporting 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.
David Harbour is Jim Hopper
David Harbour of the Stranger Things season 4 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. Playing Hawkins police chief Jim Hopper, he became a father figure to Eleven and a love interest for Joyce. The last few years have seen him join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well, playing the Russian super-soldier Red Guardian. Joyce and Murray were successful in getting Hopper out of Russia, and the Stranger Things season 4 ending sees the trio back in Hawkins.
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. 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. Hopper’s apparent death in season 3 led to Joyce finally leaving Hawkins, heading to California with her family in hope of a fresh start – but it doesn’t take her long to return to action in Stranger Things season 4 when she and Murray fly to Russia to break Hopper out of a Russian prison. The team is successful in the end and will start off Stranger Things season 5 back in the now portal-ridden Hawkins.
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. As a part of the Stranger Things season 4 cast, season 4 saw Mike on a wild goose chase to locate Eleven. When the two are finally reunited, he tells her he loves her and is able to assist her in controlling her powers to defeat Vecna.
Noah Schnapp is Will Byers
American actor Noah Schnapp first began forming 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.
As a member of the Stranger Things season 4 cast, Will has a better understanding of this horrific plane of reality than anyone else, having been trapped there for a while and unwillingly bonded with the Mind-Flayer. Will’s connection to Vecna was crucial in season 4. The ending saw Will telling Mike in Hopper’s cabin that Vecna isn’t done terrorizing Hawkins and it’s confirmed by the Duffer brothers (via Collider) that Will is going to play a much larger role in season 5.
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 members 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.
Stranger Things season 3 saw him begin a relationship with Suzie, a girl he met over summer that was instrumental in finding Eleven in season 4, and stayed in contact with via radio. As a part of the main Stranger Things season 4 cast, Matarazzo will be returning to reprise Dustin for season 5. Matarazzo has a rare condition called cleidocranial dysplasia, and he’s used his fame as an opportunity to increase its profile.
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.
He’s formally trained on dance, and has used those skills to delight his fanbase with impromptu performances on social media. McLaughlin’s character Lucas is one of the more conflicted members of Hawkins’ teen community; unlike Dustin and Mike, he visibly longs to fit in and even loses touch with his friends as a part of the popular basketball team in season 4. 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 joined the Stranger Things season 2 cast, and remains in the Stranger Things season 4 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.
As part of the Stranger Things season 4 cast, 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 has a reporter’s instinct for the truth, and she’s built up quite a reputation for herself around Hawkins after working for the local paper in Stranger Things season 3. Nancy’s love life is complicated, because in truth she’s torn between her first love Steve and her current relationship with Jonathan, something that is exacerbated in season 4; in the real world, Dyer is dating co-star Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan.
Charlie Heaton is Jonathan Byers
An English actor and musician, Stranger Things marked Charlie Heaton’s international debut. Since 2016 he’s continued to build his career with films like The New Mutants, Shut In, and No Future; Heaton also played alongside George MacKay, Anya Taylor-Joy and Mia Goth in the Spanish horror film Marrowbone and most recently appeared in The Souvineer: Part 2. His character in the Stranger Things season 4 cast, Jonathan Byers, is an introverted teenager who struggles in social situations and feels deeply responsible for his brother, Will.
This guilt is especially poignant after Will’s experiences with the Upside Down in Stranger Things season 1. He moved to California with the rest of the Byers family, and Stranger Things season 4 saw him attempt to continue his now long-distance relationship with Nancy, while maintaining his friendship with Argyle. Presumably, the Byers family will be back in Hawkins going into season 5, meaning the Nancy/Jonathan/Steve drama could come to a head.
Joe Keery is Steve Harrington
Joe Keery had a string of smaller roles before he was cast as Steve Harrington in Stranger Things, becoming something of a teen sensation. This has launched a successful career that’s seen him appear in films and TV shows such as Free Guy, Molly’s Game, Death to 2021, and an episode of Fargo. Keery’s Stranger Things season 4 cast character Steve was originally supposed to be the show’s “giant douchebag,” killed off in season 1, but the Duffer brothers loved working with Keery and instead gave him a redemption arc. It’s unclear if he and Nancy will rekindle their romance in season 5, but the tension between them is palpable.
Maya Hawke is Robin Buckley
The daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, actress, and model Maya Hawke made her debut in the BBC adaptation of Little Women before joining Stranger Things for season 3. In addition, she can be seen alongside fellow Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink in Fear Street. She’s a musician as well, making numerous music videos for her songs “Sweet Tooth,” “Thérèse,” and “Blue Hippo.” The internet is desperately hoping that Hawke will take over for her mother in the long awaited Kill Bill 3, but nothing is in development as of now.
Her character Robin Buckley in the Stranger Things season 4 cast was an instant hit as Steve’s colleague at Hawkins Mall who wound up helping him break into the Russian lab. Robin and Steve have become close friends, in large part because there’s absolutely no chance of any sparks between the two – Robin is lesbian, as she admitted to Steve while drugged in season 3. She’s clearly wound up involved with the whole Hawkins gang in Stranger Things season 4, and it looks like Robin’s crush Vickie plays for the same team going into season 5.
Priah Ferguson is Erica Sinclair
Priah Ferguson plays Lucas’ little sister Erica Sinclair. Priah has been in a number of movies and television shows, starting her career in 2015 with the TV movie Perfectville. Since then, Ferguson has appeared on Atlanta, My Dad the Bounty Hunter, and Hamster and Gretel. Erica was a background character until Stranger Things season 3, when she was inducted into the Hawkins gang after helping Steve and Robin break into the Russian lab beneath Hawkins Mall.
The end of Stranger Things season 3 saw Erica finally embrace her inner nerd when she was given Will’s old Dungeons & Dragons set, which is why she was inducted into the Hellfire club in season 4 to replace Lucas, and she’s sure to become even better at the game than the boys. Arguably one of the best characters, Erica wasn’t around as much as the rest of the Stranger Things season 4 cast members, she did help communicate with the Hawkins teens in the Wheeler house and is sure to be a fixture in season 5.
Gabriella Pizzolo is Suzie
Stranger Things season 3 introduced Gabriella Pizzolo (BrainDead, Butterbean’s Café, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin) as Dustin’s Mormon girlfriend, who he met at summer camp. The other Hawkins kids initially believed Suzie was a figment of Dustin’s imagination, until she proved essential in the end – even if she did force Dustin to duet to the theme tune of Never Ending Story before helping. Suzie returns to the Stranger Things season 4 cast, demonstrating her technological genius once again as she helps Mike and co. locate Eleven. It’s unclear if she will play a part in season 5.
Matthew Modine is Dr. Martin Brenner
Actor Matthew Modine first rose to prominence in the 1980s, when his performance caught the eye of director Harold Becker. He’s known for performances in Birdy, Full Metal Jacket, and The Trial. He also recently played Rick Singer in Operation Varsity Blues. The veteran actor was seen as a major coup for Stranger Things when he was cast as Dr. Martin Brenner back in 2015; the scientist is responsible for the experiments at Hawkins Lab.
It was initially believed that Brenner was killed by the Demogorgon back in season 1. Eleven learned he had survived the Demogorgon attack in season 2, but he hasn’t returned until being in the Stranger Things season 4 cast, and the installment saw him help Eleven regain her powers through the NINA project. Brenner died for good in Stranger Things season 4, so he won’t be returning for the last chapter.
Bree Gelman is Murray Bauman
Brett Gelman is a celebrated actor and comedian, known for The Other Guys, Fleabag, and Inside Job. He joined Stranger Things in season 2 as Murray Bauman, a conspiracy theorist who helped Hopper out of a jam. Murray’s suspicious nature and keen observation skills make him an ideal fit for a series involving black ops government organizations and Russian infiltrators during the Cold War, and his role has increased every season along with the scope of the show. As a part of the Stranger Things season 4 cast, he helped break Hopper out of prison and will likely be in season 5.
Joseph Quinn is Eddie Munson
The Stranger Things season 4 cast introduced Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson, the intense head of Hawkins High School’s D&D club – the so-called “Hellfire Club.” Confident and charismatic, Eddie is drawn into the chaos of the Upside Down against his wishes, and learns there really are monsters in his hometown that make his games look tame. Unfortunately, Eddie heroically sacrificed himself in season 4, and won’t be back for season 5. He’s played by Joseph Quinn, best known for his previous roles in Dickensian, Game of Thrones, and Howards End.
Robert Englund is Victor Creel
Veteran horror actor Robert Englund is best known for his iconic performance as Freddy Krueger, the creepy villain of the Nightmare On Elm Street slasher series. This time round he’s playing Victor Creel in the Stranger Things season 4 cast, an inmate at Pennhurst Mental Hospital who was imprisoned after he was blamed for the murders of his wife and daughter in 1959, which were actually perpetrated by his son Henry/Vecna. Victor plays a crucial role in Stranger Things season 4, giving information to Nancy and Robin, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be in season 5.
Jamie Campbell Bower is Vecna
Jamie Campbell Bower started out as a model before moving into film and television. He’s no stranger to villainous roles, playing Caius – the leader of the sinister Volturi – in the Twilight films, and even a young Gellert Grindelwald in both Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Bower also has singing chops, appearing alongside Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He’s also appeared in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, voices Skiff in Thomas & Friends, and was in the unaired Game of Thrones prequel pilot.
However, being in the Stranger Things season 4 cast gave Bower the chance to be the main villain, Vecna. It takes a long time before Vecna’s origins are fully revealed, as it’s not revealed that the friendly orderly who takes to Eleven is actually Henry Creel/One and then eventually becomes Vecna once he is banished to the Upside Down after being the sole perpetrator of the Hawkins Lab massacre. At the end of season 4, Vecna has caused irreversible damage to Hawkins and will be the main and final antagonist of season 5, seeing as he’s the leader of the Upside Down.
Stranger Things Supporting Cast
In addition to the main Stranger Things season 4 cast, the series features an ever-growing supporting cast. These include:
- Cara Buono (Person of Interest, God Friended Me, Supergirl) as Karen Wheeler, Mike and Nancy’s mother, and Joe Chrest (Sun Records, The Purge, The First Lady) as their father Ted. Tinsley Price (The Walking Dead, Forever My Girl, Galveston) plays Mike and Nancy’s little sister Holly.
- Arnel Powell (Switched at Birth, Greenleaf, Snatchers) and Kareen Ceesay (Resurrection, The Gifted, Fear the Walking Dead) play Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, Lucas and Erica’s parents.
- Catherine Curtin (Orange is the New Black, Amsterdam Ave., What Breaks The Ice) is Claudia Henderson, Dustin’s loving mother.
- Mason Dye (Finding Carter, Roommates, Bosch) appears as Jason Carver, a charismatic basketball player who incites mob justice in Hawkins against the Hellfire Club. Unfortunately, he died in the season 4 finale and won’t be back for season 5.
- Paul Reiser (Married, TripTank, Red Oaks) plays Sam Owens, a government official assigned to protect Hawkins in seasons 2 and 3 who returns as an ally in Stranger Things season 4.
- Eduardo Franco (The Cool Kids, Masters of Doom, Gabby’s Dollhouse) is introduced in Stranger Things season 4 as Argyle, Jonathan Byers’ new best friend in California. Hopefully he’ll be back in season 5.
- Tom Wilaschiha (Crossing Lines, Game of Thrones, Thanks for the Memories) plays Dmitri, one of Hopper’s corrupt prison guards.
- Nikola Djuricko (Black Sun, Hollands Hoop, For All Mankind) is Yuri, the Russian smuggler who becomes part of Joyce and Murray’s plans.