The cast of Netflix’s popular sci-fi hit Stranger Things has been extremely beloved by fans since the first season. Fans have gravitated toward the characters’ close friendships, complicated romances, and complex antiheroes who have had satisfying character arcs during the previous seasons.
With the long-awaited first volume of the fourth season premiering last Friday, fans saw the already large ensemble add a few more complicated and important characters. Every episode this season had a runtime of over an hour and many twists and turns, meaning that the characters were explored even deeper. Some surprising developments occurred and new characters stepped into the spotlight as fan favorites.
This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things 4.
10 Joyce Stopped At Nothing To Get Hopper Back
Season three of Stranger Things highlighted the strong connection that Joyce Byers and Hopper have. Suddenly, it was taken away when he supposedly sacrificed his life. However, Joyce discovers that Hopper is alive and recruits Murray to help her track him down.
Joyce gets thousands of dollars, travels to Alaska, and gets abducted by Russians to find Hopper. Joyce and Murray were a hilarious duo to watch on screen and, despite their arguments, managed to succeed in their mission.
9 Eddie Munson Was A Great Addition To Stranger Things
Being freshmen in high school, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin were bound to encounter people with similar interests to them. However, audiences never expected them to befriend someone like Eddie Munson.
Leader of the Hellfire Club, Eddie is a vibrant metalhead who is retaking his senior year for the third time and is a passionate D&D player. When Eddie is caught up in the death of Chrissy Cunningham, the entire town turns on him, but Dustin and the gang fight to prove his innocence.
8 Erica Returned With More Brilliant One-Liners
Lucas’ little sister, Erica, started as a supporting character but really came into her own in the last two seasons. Despite being just 11 years old, she has a huge presence, is impressively intelligent, and gives some of the funniest comebacks on Stranger Things.
Erica proves herself a brilliant D&D player and, when the younger teens have to save the older teens from the Upside Down, she takes it all in her stride. She even joins the team on their quest.
7 Hopper Tried Everything To Get Home
Jim Hopper’s death shocked fans at the end of season three, but it was revealed that he was alive in Russia. Hopper spends volume one of season four trying everything he can to escape and return to Joyce and Eleven, who have become his family.
Hopper’s bravery yet again shines as he takes on beating after beating, self-inflicted broken bones, and a Demogorgon. He does this in the hopes that he can get to back those he loves and help to keep them safe.
6 Dustin Henderson Is Intelligent And Fun
Not only does Dustin continually provide some of the funniest moments and lines in Stranger Things, but he is also possibly the most intelligent character on the entire show. Dustin spends season four with Steve, Robin, Nancy, Lucas, and Max as they investigate Victor Creel and Vecna.
Dustin figures out the most when it comes to understanding Vecna and his motivations. When the older teens find themselves trapped in the Upside Down, it is Dustin who helps to communicate with them and get them back home.
5 Nancy Wheeler’s Bravery Shone Through
Nancy Wheeler is a protective older sister who goes to great lengths to protect those she loves. In season four, she also continues with her pursuit of knowledge and information, being passionately involved with the school newspaper. Nancy’s desire to uncover the truth and help those in danger compels her to dive headfirst into many terrifying situations.
Fans enjoyed seeing her relationships with Steve and Robin develop in season four. Audiences also hope that, given the cliffhanger at the end of episode seven, those she loves will help her out of the situation she is in.
4 Eleven Sacrificed A Lot
Eleven is at a crossroads in her life when viewers rejoin her journey in season four. Not only is she adapting to life in a school with kids her age, but she is also contending with both the loss of her powers, which relate so much to her identity, and the loss of her father figure, Hopper.
Eleven struggles with being treated poorly by bullies and feeling like an outsider. As such, she returns to Dr. Brenner to try to get her powers back, mainly so she can feel like she is useful to her friends again.
3 Steve Harrington Reprised His Role As Babysitter
Hawkins’ resident babysitter, Steve Harrington has had one of the best character arcs on Stranger Things. He goes from classic high school bully in season one to a strong, sacrificial friend and protector in recent seasons.
Steve continues his pursuit to look after the younger kids and help them on their quest to stop Vecna, risking his life multiple times in the process. Steve forms some of the most wholesome relationships with Dustin, Robin, and Nancy and shows yet again why he is many fans’ favorite character.
2 Robin Buckley Brought Much-Needed Comedic Relief
Robin Buckley’s character was a fan favorite addition to Stranger Things in season 3 and her character has continued to delight audiences in the first volume of season four. Robin is a hilarious character whose friendship with Steve continues to be a lot of fun to watch, but she is also deeply caring and risks a lot to help her new friends.
One of the nicest developments of season four was Robin’s growing friendship with Nancy, as they find common ground and protect each other throughout the season.
1 Sadie Sink Portrayed Max Mayfield Brilliantly
Previous seasons of Stranger Things came with huge amounts of social media discourse on release day, and season four was no different. With fans on Twitter discussing their favorite moments and characters, Sadie Sink’s performance stood out as a fan favorite.
Max went on a huge journey in the first volume of season 4, dealing with the loss of her step-brother at the Starcourt Mall battle, growing apart from her friends when starting high school, and finally battling Vecna and her mind. Max frequently proves just how brilliant and strong a character she is.
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