A Quick Catch-Up On What Happened To All The ‘Stranger Things’ Characters In The Season 4 Finale
THE RUNDOWN
- Stranger Things season 5 premieres on November 27, at 12 pm AEDT.
- The series will be delivered in three instalments, with the finale dropping on New Year’s Day.
- The first season of Stranger Things premiered on July 15, 2016, and has made Netflix over $1 billion in subscriptions.
After nearly a decade of Demogorgons, adolescent friendship dramas and universe-bending showdowns, Stranger Things is preparing for its final chapter. The Stranger Things season 5 cast is currently busy promoting the series finale, which consists of eight episodes delivered in three drops, marking the end of one of Netflix’s most influential series. So, given the season 4 finale was almost three years ago, we’re catching up on everything that happened to the characters in the final season.
What Happened In The Stranger Things Season 4 Finale?
When the fourth season closed, Hawkins was literally cracking open. Vecna’s plan to merge the Upside Down with the real world had already begun; ash was falling like snow, Max lay in a coma, Eleven’s powers had returned, and Hopper was finally home. The heroes had won, but at a cost that left the town of Hawkins, Indiana, perilously changed. The Upside Down had started to spill into the real world with cracks between the dimensions yawning open and dark ash falling from the clouds as the boundary between worlds dissolved. The stage was set for an all-or-nothing showdown, and characters’ lives were left hanging in he balance.
Where The Stranger Things Cast And Characters Left Off In Season 4
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven (Jane Hopper)
Image: Courtesy of Netflix
Millie Bobby Brown has had a remarkable couple of years since the release of season 4 in 2022. She’s gotten married, adopted a daughter and has even been a part of a celebrity rumour (exciting!). Things were no less thrilling for Eleven in season 4 when she navigated a series of relatable and less relatable events. She was bullied in high school (normal) and ended up being arrested for assault for hurting one of her bullies (unusual) before avoiding juvie by helping deal with monsters on the loose in Hawkins (haven’t heard of it).
Season 4 also saw Eleven grappling with the loss of her powers before regaining them through a series of harrowing memories in the Nina Project lab. She attempted to intervene physically to save Max in the final battle, ultimately reviving herself, but was unable to prevent Vecna’s larger plan, she’s just stopped him for the time being.
Since filming Season 4, Brown has continued her ascent as one of the world’s most recognisable young stars. She released the fantasy novel Nineteen Steps, starred in Enola Holmes 2, launched clean beauty brand Florence by Mills, and led the Netflix fantasy film Damsel.
Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
Image: Getty
In Season 4, Mike served as Eleven’s anchor — both emotionally and narratively — keeping her grounded as they maintain a long-distance relationship. He spent most of the season alongside Will and Jonathan in California before the cross-country race to help Eleven confront Vecna. The couple also have a series of fights when it turns out Eleven has been less than honest about her life in Hawkins, and Mike hasn’t been telling her he loves her enough (relatable).
In the end, Mike was by Eleven’s side as she stood up against Vecna, but we don’t know what’s in store for him this season.
Wolfhard has stayed busy between seasons. He starred in Jesse Eisenberg’s When You Finish Saving the World, continued his music projects, and made his feature directorial debut with the horror-comedy Hell of a Summer.
Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield
Image: Netflix
Max was at the heart of Season 4, traumatised by Billy’s death and targeted by Vecna. She starts experiencing strange headaches and pulling away from her friends, when she realises she is part of Vecna’s curse. Cue the now-famous Kate Bush, ‘Running Up That Hill” sequence. Max is back from the brink when she volunteers to bait Vecna into trying to kill her. In the finale, Max was left in a coma, with Eleven sensing only “nothing” where Max once was — a chilling set-up for Season 5.
Sadie Sink has since earned critical acclaim for her role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale and appeared in the film Berlin. Along with acting accolades, Sink has also become a fashion favourite; she is currently both a Prada ambassador and the face of Armani Beauty.
Noah Schnapp as Will Byers
Image: Netflix
Will’s emotional arc came into focus in Season 4, with the show confirming that he harbours unspoken love for Mike. His connection to Vecna also resurfaced — a remnant from his time trapped in the Upside Down — suggesting he will be central in the final showdown.
Schnapp has since spoken publicly about his sexuality, launched his sustainable snack brand TBH, and returned to university, where he has documented parts of his college life online.
Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson
Image: Netflix
Season 4 saw Dustin join forces with Eddie Munson and the Hawkins crew to take down Vecna’s lair. His grief over Eddie’s death was one of the season’s emotional peaks. Between seasons, Matarazzo starred on Broadway in Sweeney Todd and continued his voice work and charity advocacy.
Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair
Image: Netflix
Lucas’ journey in Season 4 explored social pressures and identity, as he attempted to fit in with Hawkins’ popular crowd before returning to his true friends. The finale forced him into devastating emotional territory when his girlfriend, Max, nearly died in his arms.
McLaughlin starred as a young LeBron James in the biographical film Shooting Stars and continues to work in music and fashion.
David Harbour as Jim Hopper
Image: Netflix
Season 4 split Hopper off into a Soviet gulag before a dramatic escape and emotional reunion with Eleven. He returned to Hawkins just as the true threat arrived. Harbour has been prolific in the break between seasons, starring in Violent Night, Gran Turismo, weathering multiple personal scandals and preparing to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Thunderbolts.
Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers
Image: Netflix
Joyce spearheaded the mission to save Hopper from Russia — a culmination of their long-running, slow-burning romance. She returned to Hawkins ready to face whatever came next. Ryder has kept a lower public profile between seasons but continues to collaborate with fashion houses and remains a cornerstone of the series’ emotional core.
Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler
Image: Netflix
Real-life couple Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton are back as Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, but in season 4, their on-again-off-again relationship seemed uncertain. Nancy distracted herself from the angst by staying busy in Hawkins. Following her friend Fred’s death, Nancy realises that there is another supernatural monster on the loose (property values in Hawkins are plummeting). She sounds the alarm and along with Robin (Maya Hawke) solve the Creel murders, proving Vecna has been alive for years. After being shown Vecna, or Henry Creel’s plan in the Upside Down, Nancy steps into a leadership role, recruiting the others to foil Vecna’s plan. Nancy partners with her ex-boyfriend Steve and Robin. We’ll see how the trio and Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship are faring this season.
Dyer starred in the thriller All Fun and Games in 2023.
Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers
Image: Netflix
In season 4, fans were worried that Jonathan’s character was getting sidelined. The actor told British GQ: “I know why you’re asking that,” he said, “and I’ve definitely seen some forums like Screen Rant or something — ‘What happened to the character?’ It is an ensemble cast, obviously, every season they’ve brought in new characters, wonderful characters, and they’ve taken the story to different places.”
He was struggling in his relationship with Nancy, uncertain about how she would react to his college plans and taking responsibility for Will, Mike, and Eleven after his mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), heads to Alaska. By the end of season 4, Jonathan and Nancy have reunited in Hawkins, and Jonathan has helped Will navigate his feelings for Mike.
Joe Keery as Steve Harrington
Image: Netflix
Season 4 furthered Steve’s evolution from high school golden boy to beloved, emotionally intelligent monster-fighter. His bond with Nancy was reignited, adding tension to the group dynamic and his friendship with Robin (Maya Hawk) becomes closer. When he rescues Nancy, he tries to share his lingering feelings for her, but they’re interrupted by Robin. We’ll see if any sparks ignite in Season 5.
Keery starred in Fargo Season 5 and continued releasing music under his moniker Djo, including the viral track “End of Beginning.” Dating rumours have also swirled around Keery and Sabrina Carpenter after the Manchild singer “arrested” him at one of her shows. Watch this space.
Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley
Hawke as Robin Buckley in ‘Stranger Things’.
Robin’s Season 4 arc focused on her growing confidence and her crush on classmate Vickie. Her partnership with Nancy in the season’s climax highlighted her as one of the show’s most nuanced characters. Robin also navigates her crush on her outgoing classmate Vickie.
Hawke, whose parents are Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, has appeared in Asteroid City and Maestro and continued her music career, releasing her second studio album.
Amybeth McNulty as Vicky
Image: Netflix
Fans will be pleased to hear Amybeth McNulty is back as Robin’s crush, Vicky. Amybeth is a Hawkins’s schooler who plays in the marching band and is blissfully unaware of the supernatural goings on in her town. We’ll see how long that lasts. She and Robin connected over making sandwiches for the homeless last season, so we’ll have to tune in to see if their romance bubbles up.
Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair
Image: Netflix
Erica embraced her role as a full member of the team, delivering some of Season 4’s sharpest observations and comedic timing. Ferguson has continued to appear in film and television projects, including the Halloween comedy The Curse of Bridge Hollow.
Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman
Image: Netflix
Murray’s Russian rescue mission solidified him as the series’s most unconventional action hero. Gelman is a comedian famous for his role in Fleabag, The Other Guys and The Inbetweeners. He’s another actor nd character who brings so much-needed levity to the strange happenings in Hawkins. Between seasons, Gelman has continued working across comedy and drama, both in television and stand-up.
Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna / Henry Creel
Image: Netflix
In season 4, the gang discovered that Vecna was originally Henry Creel. As a young boy, Creel had special powers, much like Eleven. He used them to murder his mother and sister, which is when he came into Dr Brenner’s care at the Hawkins’ Lab. Eleven helped him escape, only to have him murder all the other test subjects. After this incident, he is banished to the Upside Down. The revelation that Eleven created Vecna — and that Henry Creel had been behind the Upside Down’s horrors from the beginning — reshaped the entire mythology of the show. Season 5 will almost certainly centre on the final confrontation between the two.
Jamie Campbell Bower made one of his first screen appearances as the evil wizard Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010) and had a recurring role in the Twilight series. Since then, he’s starred in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). Bower has also toured with his band Counterfeit and as a solo artist.
Who Is New?
Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler
Image: Netflix
Holly Wheeler is Mike and Nancy Wheeler’s youngest sister, and while she’s been with us since season one, she’s been a (babyish) background character. But the Duffer brothers have revealed that Holly Wheeler will be integral to this season of Stranger Things. Holly has also been recast with 14-year-old New Zealand actress Nell Fisher stepping into the role. In previous years, Holly was played by twin sisters Anniston and Tinsley Price.
Who Is Not Returning?
Image: Netflix
The most heartbreaking loss of Season 4 was Eddie Munson, played by Joseph Quinn, who died after helping distract the Demobats during the assault on Vecna’s lair. His sacrifice became one of the series’ defining emotional moments. Dr Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) also died, closing the chapter on the man who shaped Eleven’s early life. While there were rumours that Eddie may be returning in some capacity for Stranger Things season 5, Joseph Quinn is not on the cast list for the final instalment.
When Was ‘Stranger Things’ Season One Released?
Stranger Things season 1 premiered on July 15, 2016. Some of the actors, like Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp and Finn Wolfhard, have been performing in the series for almost 10 years.
Watch The Stranger Things Season 5 Trailer
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