Top 10 Best Stranger Things Characters

Stranger Things has brought us one of the most memorable and unique ensembles of characters in recent TV history. From the very first episode, we've been pulled into the world of Hawkins, Indiana, where kids on bikes and shady government labs meet terrifying monsters and supernatural twists. But beyond the monsters and mysteries, it's the characters that keep us coming back.

The show wouldn't be the same without its mix of misfit teens, quirky adults, and of course, the unforgettable kids with their tight-knit friendships. From the charming and heroic to the odd and unpredictable, these characters give Stranger Things its heart and soul. Some of them make us cheer, others make us laugh, and a few manage to break our hearts, all while making it look easy.

The Top Ten

Steve Harrington

I like Steve, but he is kind of bossy towards the kids, Robin, and Nancy. But I know he loves them all and wants to protect them. After all, he is older than them. I hope he and Nancy get back together in Season 5. Jonathan is not right for poor Nancy. He always yells at her and makes her cry.
I liked Steve for the most part in Season 1, found him boring in Season 2, and liked him again in Season 3. Hilarious.

Though Steve was a bit of a jerk to Nancy and Jonathan in the beginning, his redemption arc has been amazing.
I honestly get goosebumps every time he twirls the bat or the phone, haha. The way he protects the kids, especially Dustin, is heartwarming. The way he pictures his future with Nancy makes you love him even more.
I really thought he was going to be a goner in Season 4. I'm hoping he makes it through Season 5!
Eleven

Eleven is a fictional character in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things. She is portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown. Eleven has psychokinetic abilities and plays a central role in uncovering the mysteries of the Upside Down.

Okay, the top comment on Eleven is full of buffoonery. How can you watch the first two episodes of season 4 and not want to hate and beat up Angela too? Eleven did not have a crush on Billy. I mean, they only shared like 5 seconds between them anyway. She was just giving him a chance to be the hero.
Amazing how she grows up in a government lab and everyone around her is manipulated to bully her, but she is still a great person all 5 seasons.
By the way, how is Dr. Brenner rated higher than the corrupt guard in season 4? He's great.

Eleven was really adorable in Season 1, and I still love her for the most part. I loved how she helped Billy and felt sorry for him. Holding his hand and touching his cheek was heartwarming. She and Billy, in almost every scene together, were on the verge of tears. I think El had a crush on him. Mike would have definitely been jealous of Billy because of the scenes he and El had together.
El represents girl power, but apparently, people have been saying that Max, Robin, and Nancy all took her place as the awesome girl. I agree with Nancy and Robin, but not Max. I prefer Eleven, Nancy, and Robin over Max. The only thing I didn't like about Eleven was that in Season 4, she hit poor Angela in the face with a roller skate. I know Angela was mean, but seeing her cry and her nose bleeding was sad and horrifying. Mike and Will were shocked, and Angela's friends were very worried about her.
I never hated Angela, and ever since I saw what happened, I stopped disliking Angela. But I still love Eleven for the most part.
Jim Hopper

Great person, but they really should've given him less plot armor. The fact that he survived that explosion makes no sense and really takes the adrenaline and suspense out of the show. The Duffer Brothers really couldn't seem to kill off the people who realistically would never have survived.
Hopper has lots of cool quotes, and there's an awesome song about him. For most of the series, he's the only government official who is actually trying to stop One.

Far and away the best character, Jim Hopper is introduced as a lazy alcoholic cop but receives the best character development on the show. He is a genius, bare-bones detective who stops at nothing to protect the people in his town.
Whether it's finding who killed your pumpkins or traveling to an alternate dimension to find your long-lost son and save him from a rampaging, bloodthirsty, inter-dimensional Demogorgon, Hopper is the detective for you.
Seriously, though, he's one of the best characters I've ever had the pleasure of following in a series. The fact that he's not number one is a crime.
Dustin Henderson

Dustin is great, especially when he keeps the Hellfire Club going despite the press and basketball players irrationally hating on it. He has lots of great advice and figured out a lot of what was going on in the Upside Down.

Young Dustin is perfect. This teen Dustin I don't like as much. I'm not hating on Dustin, but his roles were the best in seasons 1 through 3.
If we ignore seasons 4 and 5, he is my second favorite after Steve. If we count all seasons, then he ranks lower for me.

Oh, Dustin. He's got so much personality! He's the smartest (he's book-smart, but he knows how to apply his knowledge) and the funniest by far. I just love his little rivalry with Mike's dad.
His friendship with Steve is so wholesome, and with Eddie. I ugly cried when he talks to Eddie's uncle and reassures him Eddie died a hero, even if the whole town believes completely otherwise.
He had my heart from the get-go.
YOU ARE A LEGEND, DUSTY BUN.
Mike Wheeler

He's not the funniest guy in the show, but he just wants to help out his friends. I don't know why Hopper doesn't tell him that Eleven is still alive in season 2. That just causes lots of unnecessary pain.

Oh, Mike, he's been getting a lot of hate lately with how he's been written in the fourth season. I agree that seasons 3 and 4 Mike do not live up to seasons 1 and 2 Mike. Before people say, "Mike is a bad friend," let's look back at the first two seasons, shall we?
In season 1, Mike jumped off a cliff for Dustin. He was willing to die for him. Is that a bad friend? In the second season, while I don't like how he treated Max, he was incredibly caring towards Will and was always there for him, no matter what.
Though Mike seemed more insensitive in the later seasons, let's look at it this way: he's a teenager. Teenagers have obnoxious phases. All the characters have their moments like this. But people don't seem to realize that even though he makes mistakes, that caring person he was in the first two seasons is still in there. He apologizes to Will after how he treated him at the skating rink, and his pep talk to El is what motivated her to fight back against Vecna.
Bottom line, everyone's entitled to their own opinions, but let's stop hating on Mike.
Joyce Byers

Joyce is really the first adult in the entire series who starts to realize what is really going on in Hawkins. She's the first adult who joins the kids' side and the first to suspect the government's lies. Without her, Hopper never would've suspected anything, and he would've stayed the complacent alcoholic he was at first for the entire series.

This series needs Joyce Byers. Period. The woman is batting 1000 when it comes to her instincts. She knew in season one that Will wasn't dead, that he was "somewhere else," and it was her conviction that eventually led Hopper to team up with her to get him back, uncovering a government conspiracy and an alternate dimension in the process.
She knew in season two that there was something much more sinister going on with Will's "episodes" than just PTSD, and it turned out the kid was possessed by the Mind Flayer, which she promptly exorcised from his body like a boss.
And in season three: MAGNETS. I rest my case.
She's also the sweet, maternal figure we all need in our lives, and I want her to hug me all the time.
Max Mayfield

Crazy how she listens to the "Running Up That Hill" song on repeat over and over and doesn't get sick of it. It's too bad they never got to give "song therapy" to any of the other characters. Great friend to everyone.

She is honestly just an amazing character! She is so kind and helps El so much, and I love her relationship with Lucas.
I really hope she wakes up from her coma and does not die. I also felt so bad for her about Billy, as I think she really did care about him. Honestly she is my number one.

I love Max. Initially, I wasn't a huge fan of her when she was first introduced, as she seemed kind of rude and aloof. However, as the second season progressed, I grew to appreciate her and her fierce attitude. Major props to her for standing up to Billy like that.
I loved her friendship with El in the third season, and the fourth season really solidified what a good character she is, showcasing how amazing an actress Sadie Sink is. She feels guilty for Billy's death and has been cursed by Vecna. She narrowly escapes death in "Dear Billy," but isn't so lucky in "The Piggyback." Fortunately, El manages to restart her heart, but she's now in a coma.
Mad Max, I really hope you return in season five.
Nancy Wheeler

It's too bad that Nancy's female friends keep dying with almost no screen time. Barb, Fred. Nancy is the one to discover the truth about Victor Creel, even though she doesn't realize Henry did it yet, and she saves Max's life. In season 2, all the fans were screaming "justice for Barb," so Nancy was an outlet for them that whole season. The only problem with her is that her love triangle with Jonathan and Steve lasts WAYYYYYYY too long. They should've resolved it in the first season so that we wouldn't have to keep watching it for the rest of the series.

Ugh, they're all just so lovable - their complexity and depth in character. How can I possibly decide? But I'm choosing Nancy, not because I favor her more than Hopper, Joyce, or the others, but because of the unavoidable chemistry between her and Jonathan.
Nevertheless, I adore each and every one of the cast. Dustin's potty-mouth quirkiness, Lucas's cynicism, Joyce's sheer maternal fury, Hopper's biting sarcasm, Mike's loyalty, Eleven's grammatically limited vocabulary. Heck, I even like Steve, whether out of pity or not. I like Eleven, not particularly because of her character development, but... you know. She kicks butt, so that's a definite merit in her own.
Lucas Sinclair

In season 1, he is first understandably skeptical of Eleven, but then he still helps his friends when the government comes after her. He really tries to have a good relationship with Max and helps her belong. It's over the top how he keeps pulling a David and shooting everything with slingshots instead of using an actual weapon, especially in the final episode, but he comes up with some clutch tactics and defends his friends instead of joining the basketball lynch mob.

Will is not better than Lucas. Will is a bitch and Lucas is chill. I don't hate Will because he's gay. That ain't it. I don't like him because he keeps complaining about things, and when his crush says he's a good friend even though he knew she had a boyfriend, he gets all sad.
Jonathan Byers

It's really sad how his relationship with Nancy goes on for so long but then eventually fizzles out into nothing by the end. If they were always going to have Jonathan and Nancy break up, then they should've had it happen way earlier in the series so we could see them growing past that.
In season 1, Jonathan and Nancy physically attack a Demogorgon on their own without any combat experience, which is pretty awesome. He stands up to his dad and tries to help Joyce out.

He lived through his dad's abuse but protected Will from it as best he could. Lonnie called Will a derogatory name, but Jonathan is breaking the cycle by loving and accepting his brother unconditionally.
He's always had to be an adult, focusing on earning money through whatever job he could get to help Joyce out. But he also takes care of his little brother and the house. In his very first scene, he's making breakfast, and we learn that it's his "duty" to get Will up in the mornings.
This is also why he holds onto the idea that his family will fall apart without him - leading to his self-sabotage when it comes to his and Nancy's college plans so he can stay with them. Maybe he even wants to stay for Argyle, who might be his only real friend.

The Newcomers

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Eddie Munson

I loved Eddie he saved the team Steve said that he did for noting but the bats whould have went to the Creel house to find Nacy ,Steve and Robin tied up on the walls and kill themselves long and painfully so Eddie is the one of the best stranger things character.

Some character are good to die in show, if he did not sacrifice in season 4, we would not love him this much... For me, for 1 season, he is No.1 if we count only 1 season

SO sweet and kind, but has some flaws. He genuinely loves Chrissy and is sad at her death. All-time saddest death.
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Vecna

This guy freaks me out.

The Contenders

Will Byers

I adore Will, and he's one of the most sympathetic characters in my opinion. He's gone through so much throughout the course of the series. Starting in the first season, he was taken by the Demogorgon and was forced to stay in the Upside Down for an entire week. Even after being rescued, he was still plagued by nightmares, flashbacks, and visions afterward.
In season 2, he was literally possessed by the Mind Flayer. In season 3, he felt ignored by his friends, as none of them were interested in spending time with him. In season 4, it is confirmed that he is gay and that he is in love with Mike, who he is forced to watch fall in love with El and grow distant from him.
Let's remember that the show takes place in the '80s, where being gay wasn't accepted the way it is nowadays. Will deserves better, and I truly hope he ends up happy at the end of the series (fingers crossed).
Robin Buckley

Robin is great. She is funny, and I love watching her in this show. She nailed this character, or maybe this character is who she is. For me, she is in the top 5 of the Stranger Things cast.

Robin and Steve are such an iconic duo. They're both my favorite characters, but I picked Robin because, in my opinion, she's very underrated since she was recently added to the Stranger Things cast.
She is lovable, logical, has a witty, sarcastic sense of humor, and keeps Steve from doing stupid things. Not to mention the best part: she's gay.
Bob Newby

It was incredibly heartbreaking when Bob met his death. I personally thought that Bob was one of the most realistic and relatable characters throughout Stranger Things. He just wants to be a good stepdad and role model and is loving and protective. I love his dorky personality and his references to nerdy subjects.
Even though he is somewhat clueless and has character flaws, he's cool and my third favorite character.

Most traumatic character death, in my opinion. He brought stability to the Byers household and brought joy to everyone he knew. Some probably think he's boring, but in my opinion, his character was very refreshing.
Murray Bauman

Best character in the entire show! He is awesome, funny, and sarcastic, and I think he needs more time on the screen than he gets. I hope they continue to include him in the next season!
I have a very similar personality to him, so it is fun for me to watch. I like when he shouts at Joyce and Hopper in the car with Alexei, and Alexei asks what he said. He simply goes, "I told them they should have sex."

Murray is a very funny character and has helped progress the storyline.

Ninja man! He is a sweet guy that can be weird. We all need that, right?
Billy Hargrove

Billy is my favorite character and always will be. He's cute and cool at the same time. Every time I see him in the show, I tear up, especially during the scenes where his father was very cruel to him and where he sacrificed himself to save Max, El, and their friends.
He only had a few people who cared about him: Tommy H, Carol, their friends, Ms. Wheeler, Heather, Eleven, and I guess Max. I was upset when I learned in season 4 that Max wanted him to die. He may have been kind of mean, but he was just a kid who missed his mom and had no good role models. How can someone say it's not an excuse for what he did if he never knew it wasn't okay?
Dr. Alexei

I absolutely love this character. He had a lot of personality despite his short screen time and the fact that he didn't speak a word of English. That's a sign of great writing.

Poor dude was just playing a carnival game and was going to eat a hot dog. RIP.

Alexei was hands down my favorite character in Season 3. He was like a teddy bear.
Erica Sinclair

"Can't spell America without Erica." She is hilarious and enjoyable to watch! I liked the scene where she and Dustin argue about My Little Pony.

Erica is honestly the best character. She makes fun of Lucas for having a crush on Max, and honestly, she needs way more recognition.

Erica brings the joy to the series that we all wanted to see!
Dr. Sam Owens
Dr. Martin Brenner

This guy and his other lab workers are pretty much responsible for all the deaths of all the people the Demogorgon/Mind Flayer killed. We don't even know what happened to this guy after Season 1.
Scott Clarke

I almost feel bad for this guy. They keep asking him weird questions and he has no idea why. Just like when Dustin asked how to build a sensory deprivation tank, you could see the confusion on his face and I loved it.

He's the whole reason they know about the Upside Down. He helped the kids probably the most out of anyone to figure out what was happening.

Mr. Clarke is OBVIOUSLY the best! I want a teacher like him! He is so funny, unique, creative, and so much more (and tied with Hopper for me).
Karen Wheeler

I like her. She is an awesome mom. She may not always know what's going on, but key moments I like were when she had a heart-to-heart with Nancy and told her she was proud of her for sticking up for herself in season three.
She always takes care of Holly throughout the show, and she showed care to Billy. She is a mama bear who seems to really care for her daughters very much!

I like this lady. She and Nancy had a heartwarming conversation in Season 3. She loves her, Mike, and Holly very much. She's one of the few people who cared about Billy, and she's kind of cool.
I hate that she has a very boring husband. She, Mike, Nancy, and Holly should get away from him.
Barbara Holland

She is really underrated. She was killed off too quickly. It's a shame she was trapped in an area of the Upside Down where there were no hiding spots or I think she could've lived. I love Barbara and hate Nancy, and I think she should've gotten a better role.

Everyone feels sad for Will and Eleven, but Barb died too in the Upside Down. She was the one who didn't survive, so I feel sorry for her. She deserves to be higher than 14.

Barb is a minor fill-in character, and they're always my favorites because they are the most relatable.
Kali Prasad

I don't understand why people hated her so much. She was trying to get revenge on awful people who made her lose her life and family. She never forced El to stay and kill people. She literally said it wasn't a prison and that she could leave whenever she wanted to.
She was telling El why she should kill them to avenge her mother, but she never forced El or insulted her if she didn't. Kali was considerate and kind. Hating Kali for killing the bad men is like hating El for killing the Demogorgon.

She and her gang made Eleven break into that one dude's house and almost made Eleven kill the guy who had children only for revenge. I don't really like her for those reasons.
Ted Wheeler

Just a clueless dad supporting his family. Give him some respect.
Dart

DART IS LOYAL. He could've killed them all in that one scene when Dustin and the guys ran into him.
But he didn't. He let them pass.