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Stranger Things Tier List Maker
Rank Stranger Things characters, from Eleven, Mike and Dustin to Steve, Hopper, Eddie and Vecna.
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Meet every character (29)
These 29 characters load into the maker above. Each write-up covers what the character is and what to weigh when you rank it. Facts were last checked on .
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Eleven
Jane Hopper, born Jane Ives and also called El, is a main character who was born with special psychokinetic abilities. Her mother, Terry, was experimented upon in the lab.
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Mike Wheeler
Played by Finn Wolfhard, he is the leader of the Party and the best friend of Dustin, Lucas, Will and Max. He is Nancy's younger brother, and Holly's older brother.
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Dustin Henderson
Played by Gaten Matarazzo, a member of the Party and the protagonist of the novel Stranger Things: The Dustin Experiment. He is the boyfriend of Suzie Bingham.
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Lucas Sinclair
Played by Caleb McLaughlin, a member of the Party and the protagonist of the novel Stranger Things: Lucas on the Line. He is the older brother of Erica and on-and-off boyfriend of Max.
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Will Byers
Played by Noah Schnapp, the youngest son of Joyce Byers. He has a recurring but pivotal role in the first season, then joins the main cast from the second season onward.
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Max Mayfield
Played by Sadie Sink and introduced in the second season, a newcomer to the Party. She is the protagonist of the novel Stranger Things: Runaway Max and the ex stepsister of Billy Hargrove.
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Steve Harrington
Played by Joe Keery, a Hawkins High School student who starts with a recurring role and joins the main cast from the second season. He was once the boyfriend of Nancy Wheeler.
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Nancy Wheeler
Played by Natalia Dyer, an aspiring journalist and an ally to the Party. She is the older sister of Mike and Holly, and the ex-girlfriend of both Jonathan and Steve.
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Jonathan Byers
Played by Charlie Heaton, the oldest son of Joyce Byers and older brother of Will. He is the ex-boyfriend of Nancy Wheeler and the best friend of Argyle.
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Joyce Byers
Played by Winona Ryder, the financially struggling single mother of Jonathan and Will, and foster mother of Eleven. In 1983 she was certain Will was communicating with her through the lights.
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Jim Hopper
Played by David Harbour, he was Chief of Police in Hawkins, Indiana, living a carefree existence yet haunted by his past. He is the protagonist of the novel Darkness on the Edge of Town.
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Robin Buckley
Played by Maya Hawke and introduced in the third season, the co-worker and best friend of Steve Harrington. She worked at the Starcourt Mall's ice cream parlor, Scoops Ahoy.
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Erica Sinclair
Played by Priah Ferguson, the younger sister of Lucas Sinclair. Introduced as a recurring role in the second season, she was promoted to the main cast from the third season onward.
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Billy Hargrove
Played by Dacre Montgomery, a main character and antagonist who appeared in the second and third seasons. Raised in California, he moved to Hawkins after his mother left him.
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Eddie Munson
Played by Joseph Quinn, a main character in the fourth season and the idiosyncratic leader of the Hellfire Club, a nonconformist school society oriented around Dungeons & Dragons.
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Murray Bauman
Played by Brett Gelman, a former investigative journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times. The Hollands hired him to investigate the disappearance of their daughter Barbara.
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Vecna
Played by Jamie Campbell Bower, an antagonist in the fourth and fifth seasons, aligned with the Mind Flayer. He started as a human, Henry Creel, and is the protagonist of The First Shadow.
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Demogorgon
Also called the Monster, a predatory humanoid creature from the parallel dimension known as the Abyss. It entered Hawkins after Eleven made contact and a gate opened at the lab.
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Mind Flayer
Also called the Shadow Monster, a shadowy entity from the Abyss. It was a group intelligence that controlled many physical forms through silver-black particles.
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Dr. Brenner
Dr. Martin Brenner, played by Matthew Modine, is a main character and false antagonist. He starts as one of the main antagonists, then returns in a more morally ambiguous role in the fourth season.
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Argyle
Played by Eduardo Franco, a main character in the fourth season who is compared to Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He is the best friend of Jonathan Byers.
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Kali
Kali Prasad, also known as Eight, was a child test subject at Hawkins Lab. After her escape, she sought revenge for the injustices she suffered, and was a sister figure to Jane Hopper.
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Bob Newby
Played by Sean Astin, a main character in the second season, boyfriend of Joyce Byers and manager of the town's local Radio Shack. He also appears in Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
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Barb Holland
Barbara "Barb" Holland, played by Shannon Purser, was the best friend of Nancy Wheeler. She vanished in late 1983 and was killed by the Demogorgon, and in 1984 she was given a proper funeral.
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Karen Wheeler
Played by Cara Buono, the loving but somewhat clueless mother of Nancy, Mike and Holly, and the wife of Ted. In 1983 she enforced strict rules about staying inside late.
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Suzie
Suzie Bingham, played by Gabriella Pizzolo, is a recurring character from Salt Lake City, Utah. She became the girlfriend of Dustin Henderson after the two met at Camp Know Where.
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Dart
D'Artagnan, called Dart, was a creature from the Upside Down that Dustin temporarily kept as a pet. It was an adolescent form of the Demogorgon species, which Dustin called a "Demodog."
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Dr. Owens
Dr. Samuel Owens, played by Paul Reiser, was a high-ranking member of the US Department of Energy tasked with containing events in Hawkins in 1983. He replaced Dr. Brenner as director.
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Mr. Clarke
Scott Clarke, played by Randy Havens, is the science teacher of the boys at Hawkins Middle School, and runs the school A.V. club. The Party and their allies often call on him.
Stranger Things tier list questions
Does this Stranger Things list contain spoilers?
Yes. It covers characters across the whole series, including who dies and who the villains are. If you are still watching, you may want to skip the entries for characters you have not met yet.
Who is in the Party?
The Party is the group of friends that includes Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Max and Eleven. Mike is described as its leader, and Max joined as a newcomer in the second season.
How should I rank Stranger Things characters?
Common criteria include character arc, humor, bravery and favorite scenes. Many fans split their lists between the kids, the adults and the monsters, because those groups play very different roles.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these references on .