DnD class: Sorcerer

Relatives: Hopper (adoptive father), Terry Ives (birth mother), Joyce Byers (foster mother), Will Byers (foster brother)
 

A young girl with psionic abilities, Eleven isn’t like 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 facility in Chapter 1, El befriends AV Club nerds Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and helps them search for Will (Noah Schnapp). 

As the crew learns more about the Upside Down, Eleven discovers more about her past and finds her chosen family among her friends and adoptive dad, police chief Hopper (David Harbour). But after Vecna opens the Rifts at the end of Season 4, El is bracing for the big fight to protect all that she holds dear.

In Season 5, she’s in a warrior state. “All she is thinking about is protecting her friends,” Brown says. “Her friends are her chosen family, so she will do whatever it takes to protect them.” 

Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong

DnD class: Cleric

Relatives: Joyce Byers (mother), Lonnie Byers (dad), Jonathan Byers (brother), Jane Hopper (foster sister)

Will is taken to the Upside Down on Nov. 6, 1983, which changes everything for his best friends Mike (Wolfhard), Dustin (Matarazzo), and Lucas (McLaughlin). They discover the existence of the Upside Down, and Will returns home by the end of Season 1.

But Will’s ordeal with the shadow dimension continues when it’s discovered that he is connected to the Mind Flayer, who had been secretly controlling Will and using him to spy on his friends. Although the creature’s tie to Will gets severed, Will can still sense it, like in Season 3 when it possessed Billy (Dacre Montgomery), and at the end of Season 4 when, after the Rifts opened, the grass began to rot and Upside Down dust appeared in Hawkins. 

In Stranger Things 5, Will and the rest of the Byers are back in Hawkins (after briefly moving to California) and gearing up for the final battle. “We kind of hit the ground running right away this season, which is really exciting and not how we've started any other season,” Schnapp says. “Everyone is all in one place and we all have the same objective.”

The Tutor, Bridge of Spies, The Peanuts Movie

DnD class: Paladin

Relatives: Ted Wheeler (father), Karen Wheeler (mother), Nancy Wheeler (older sister), Holly Wheeler (younger sister)

Mike is the leader of The Party — a close-knit group of friends that includes Dustin (Matarazzo), Will (Schnapp), Lucas (McLaughlin), and later Max (Sadie Sink). After befriending El while searching for Will, they eventually begin dating.  

Mike is on the frontlines with his friends fighting monsters from the Upside Down, like the Demogorgon in Season 1 and the Mind Flayer in Season 3, while navigating his relationship with El. 

In Season 5, “Mike is back in leadership mode,” Wolfhard says, “and he’s taken it more upon himself to help plan out these missions, and he and the whole gang are devoted to finding Vecna and ending this.”

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, It, It: Chapter Two

DnD class: Bard

Relatives: Claudia Henderson (mother), Walter Henderson (father)

As the science nerd of The Party, in Season 1 Dustin discovers the existence of a gate to the shadow realm they come to call the Upside Down. He makes a few other key revelations over the course of the show, such as his pet slug Dart being a baby Demogorgon, and that Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), not his Hellfire Club buddy Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), is responsible for the string of gruesome murders in Season 4. 

Following Eddie’s death in the Upside Down, Dustin is still grieving his friend in Season 5. “Dustin is in a bit of a funk,” Matarazzo says. “We’re all dealing with the day-to-day issues of what it is to try to keep everybody safe and figure out where Vecna is, while having a lot of unpacked baggage from the events in the previous season.”

Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, Honor Society

DnD class: Ranger

Relatives: Sue Sinclair (mother), Charles Sinclair (father), Erica Sinclair (younger sister)

As the pragmatic member of The Party, Lucas is initially skeptical of Eleven but quickly becomes one of her closest friends. He later befriends and begins dating newcomer Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), and is with her when she’s nearly killed by Vecna in Season 4. After she falls into a coma, he remains at her hospital bedside hoping she’ll eventually wake. 

In Season 5, Lucas is still dealing with the aftermath of the tragic events of Season 4’s finale. “We're still trying to figure it out and we may not be able to, so you feel that burden on Lucas as well as everyone else,” says McLaughlin. “Everyone is on edge and we’re all just trying to keep hope alive.”

American Dream: The 21 Savage Story, The Book of Clarence, The Boys Presents: Diabolical

DnD class: Zoomer

Relatives: Sam Mayfield (father), Susan Hargrove (mother), Billy Hargrove (stepbrother)

When Max arrives in Season 2, it’s not long before the skateboarding arcade-game whiz joins the Hawkins crew in their efforts to stop the monsters from the Upside Down. After losing her stepbrother, Billy (Dacre Montgomery), who was possessed by the Mind Flayer in Season 3, she finds herself targeted by Vecna in Season 4.  

Vecna succeeds in nearly killing Max, which triggers the Rifts opening throughout Hawkins, and ends with her in a coma. She faces an uphill battle in Season 5. 

“We left off Season 4 in a tough place for Max,” Sink says. “Her final moments were her in a hospital bed. Eleven was searching for her in the void and couldn't find her, so Max is definitely not the way she once was. There’s still a small glimmer of hope though and her friends are hanging on to that.”

O'Dessa, The Whale, American Odyssey

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

You can’t spell America without Erica, Lucas’s sharp-tongued genius younger sister. In Season 3, she’s recruited by Steve, Dustin, and Robin — forming the Scoops Troop — to help them sneak into a secret Russian lab underneath the Starcourt Mall, where they uncover a covert operation to weaponize the Upside Down. 

In Season 4, Erica becomes a member of the Hellfire Club and joins the Hawkins crew’s plan to stop Vecna from opening more gates to the Upside Down. 

Hamster & Gretel, The Oath, Atlanta 

Relatives: Unnamed mother and father 

Steve Harrington, the “ultimate babysitter,” is pulled into the action when his girlfriend Nancy’s (Natalia Dyer) best friend Barb (Shannon Purser) vanishes near his pool. It’s during these Upside Down escapades that he forms an unlikely friendship with Dustin (Matarazzo) and later Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke). 

After fighting the Demogorgon in Season 1, uncovering a secret Russian operation under Starcourt Mall in Season 3, and taking on Vecna alongside Nancy and Robin in Season 4, Steve heads into the final season bracing for the ultimate battle. But he also must deal with a grieving Dustin. 

In Season 5, Steve’s “relationship with Dustin is at the forefront in this last conflict — they team up and have some fun, messy action scenes together,” Keery teases. “But in true Stranger Things fashion, it’s really about the group. This season more than any other is about everyone operating as a unit, and I really liked that.”

Cold Storage, Fargo, Free Guy

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

When Nancy’s best friend Barb (Purser) disappears, she makes it her mission to find out what happened and is then pulled into the supernatural occurrences around Hawkins. After fighting the Demogorgon in Season 1, revealing the truth about Barb in Season 2, taking on the Mind Flayer in Season 3, and battling Vecna himself in Season 4, she’ll be on full alert in Season 5. 

“We find Nancy, and really everyone, together in this situation of Hawkins [after the] gates opening,” Dyer says. “They’ve all managed to somehow come through it and come up with some sort of plan. They’re out there and they’re going after Vecna. They’re actively trying to find him.”

Based on a True Story, All Fun and Games, Chestnut

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

Jonathan,Will’s older brother, joins the search for Will and teams up with Nancy for answers about Barb (Purser) in Season 1. While hunting the Demogorgon, he and Nancy grow close and eventually become a couple. 

Jonathan’s pursuits with Nancy lead to the pair revealing the truth about Barb’s death in Season 2, fighting the Mind Flayer in Season 3, and working with the rest of the group to take down Vecna in Season 4. But with the shadow dimension infiltrating Hawkins, the gang faces their biggest threat yet. 

Billy Knight, Soulmates, The New Mutants

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

We first meet Robin in Season 3 working alongside Steve (Keery) at the Scoops Ahoy ice cream shop, and she’s quickly pulled into the investigation of a secret Russian lab under the Starcourt Mall. After escaping Russian operatives, she confesses to Steve that she’s got a crush on their fellow classmate Tammy, which solidifies their friendship.  

Although Robin, Nancy (Dyer), and Steve take a strong stand against Vecna in Season 4, severely injuring him, Vecna escapes into hiding and the Upside Down particles rain down on Hawkins. 

In Season 5, Robin is preparing for the big fight. “Robin’s a soldier in this final battle,” Hawke says. “She’s not on any personal mission; she’s on this community mission. She’s a part of the solution, and I think that’s beautiful and what I hope to be.”

Inside Out 2, Maestro, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Season 4 introduces Vickie, a member of the Hawkins High marching band who’s unaware of the supernatural happenings in Hawkins. After the Rifts open, she volunteers to help make sandwiches for the homeless and shares a sweet moment with Robin. 

She Came Back, All My Puny Sorrows, Morgan

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

When we meet him in Season 1, Jim Hopper is a cynical police chief who’s grieving his daughter’s death. After Will (Schnapp) goes missing, he and Joyce (Ryder) uncover secret experiments at Hawkins Lab, a mysterious girl named Eleven (Brown), and the shadow dimension known as the Upside Down. In Season 2, Hopper secretly shelters Eleven at his cabin, and she later seals the gate at Hawkins Lab with him by her side.

In Season 3, Hopper and Joyce discover a Russian operation beneath Starcourt Mall aimed at reopening the gate. Hopper seemingly sacrifices himself to prevent this from happening, but Season 4 reveals he survives and was captured by the Russians. Joyce and Murray rescue him from a brutal labor camp where Upside Down creatures are being held, and Hopper reunites with Eleven after nearly a year apart.

In Season 5, Hopper is dealing with the aftermath of the Rifts opening at the end of Season 4. “Hopper’s been back from Russia, and for about a year, he’s been training for these Upside Down crawls, basically prepping for a final battle with Vecna,” Harbour says. “He doesn’t tell the people he loves exactly what he’s planning, but he’s gearing up for something big in this quarantine environment.”

Thunderbolts*, Marvel Zombies, Hellboy

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

Joyce is a single mom whose life is upended when her son Will (Schnapp) disappears in Season 1. She teams up with Hopper to uncover Hawkins Lab’s experiments, a mysterious girl named Eleven (Brown), and the shadow dimension known as the Upside Down. She even manages to communicate with Will via Christmas lights before helping rescue him. In Season 2, Joyce starts dating Bob (Sean Astin), but he’s killed during their escape from Hawkins Lab as she fights to save Will from the Mind Flayer’s possession.

Still grieving in Season 3, Joyce uncovers a secret Russian operation beneath Starcourt Mall and helps close another gate, though Hopper appears to die in the process. She moves her family — including Eleven — to California, but in Season 4, she learns Hopper is alive and travels to Russia with Murray (Brett Gelman) to rescue him. After battling Upside Down creatures to weaken Vecna, Joyce returns to Hawkins as ominous signs signal even bigger dangers ahead.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The Plot Against America, Destination Wedding

Murray, a former investigative journalist, is hired by Barb’s (Purser) parents in Season 2 to investigate her disappearance. When Nancy (Dyer) and Jonathan (Heaton) bring him proof that Barb is dead, he helps expose Hawkins Lab without implicating them. In Season 3, he serves as the translator for Alexei and joins Joyce (Ryder) and Hopper (Harbour) in uncovering the Russian operation beneath Starcourt Mall and helping close another gate using Alexei’s intel.

Murray takes on an even bigger role in Season 4, teaming up with Joyce to find Hopper. The two travel to Russia, where they rescue Hopper from a brutal labor camp and fight Upside Down creatures to help weaken Vecna. As rifts tear open across Hawkins, Murray stands ready to join the final fight. 

Lady in the Lake, Boy Kills World, Fleabag, Go On

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

Karen (Cara Buono) is a dedicated wife and mother, largely unaware of the supernatural events unfolding in Hawkins. In Season 3, she briefly considers an affair with Billy (Montgomery) after meeting him at the Hawkins Community Pool, but changes her mind when she sees her family at home. 

In Season 4, she joins the other worried parents at a town hall meeting following a string of teen murders. She remains in Hawkins as Upside Down particles fall from the sky, signaling Vecna’s plan is underway.

Queen of the Ring, Supergirl, The Girl from Plainville, Mad Men

An intelligent, no-nonsense man, Lt. Colonel Sullivan believes he knows how to stop the evil in Hawkins once and for all. In Season 4, he investigates the circumstances surrounding teens Chrissy (Grace Van Dien) and Fred’s (Logan Riley) deaths, believing Eleven has gone rogue and is behind the horrific acts of violence. 

He travels to Nevada with a crew of US Army members to raid Dr. Owen’s lab. Dr. Brenner (Modine) is killed in the crossfire, and Sullivan fails to stop Eleven, who uses her powers to take out a helicopter before escaping in Argyle’s (Eduardo Franco) van. 

Death Letter Blues, P-Valley, Into the Badlands, The Young and the Restless

Holly is the youngest Wheeler, who’s trying to find her place among her family and friends. In Season 5, she’s having a tough time at school and looking for a place to belong, and finds comfort in an imaginary friend.

Bookworm, Evil Dead Rise, Northspur

Derek Turnbow is a classmate of Holly’s (Fisher) — and definitely not her friend, if you ask Holly. He’s rude to adults and a bully to those his age, spoiled, and has quite a potty mouth.

Between the Silence

Dr. Kay is the new head scientist overseeing the military occupation in Hawkins, taking on Dr. Brenner’s (Modine) work. She’s smart, intimidating, and the latest adversary for our group. Her work is her singular focus, and she ruthlessly pursues her goals. She’s hunting Eleven (Brown) — and wants to find her alive.

Resident Alien, Claws, Terminator: Dark Fate, Chuck 

One of Dr. Kay’s (Hamilton) henchmen, Lt. Akers is part of the military, but his real work is at the lab alongside Dr. Kay and hunting Eleven (Brown).

Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway, Joe Pickett, See

There are nightmares, and then there’s Vecna — the ultimate monster responsible for all the supernatural occurrences in Hawkins. 

Born Henry Creel, he was the first child taken by Dr. Brenner (Modine) and is hence nicknamed One. Flashbacks in Season 4 reveal that Eleven eviscerates One, thus opening the first gate, and sending him to the Upside Down. As the first resident of the shadow dimension, One eventually becomes Vecna.

Although he’s severely wounded by Nancy (Dyer), Robin (Hawke), and Steve (Keery) at the end of Season 4, Vecna manages to escape and opens the Rifts throughout Hawkins, setting his sinister plan in motion. 

Witchboard, Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2