Stranger Things Season 5 Cast: A Final Journey to Hawkins
The Return of Beloved Characters
The season stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Cara Buono, Linda Hamilton, and Jamie Campbell Bower, bringing together the ensemble that has captivated audiences since 2016. Familiar friends will assemble for one last adventure in Stranger Things 5, along with a few new faces.
The core group returns to face their greatest challenge yet. Millie Bobby Brown reprises her role as Eleven, the young girl with psionic abilities who remains central to the battle against the Upside Down. Alongside her, Finn Wolfhard’s Mike Wheeler, Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin Henderson, and Caleb McLaughlin’s Lucas Sinclair reunite for one final adventure. The first two volumes premiered on November 26 and December 25, 2025, respectively, with the finale scheduled for December 31.
New Faces Join the Final Battle
Linda Hamilton (The Terminator, Children of the Corn, Chuck) is joining the cast of Stranger Things 5, marking one of the most significant additions to the show’s final season. Hamilton plays Dr. Kay, Stranger Things 5’s imposing new head scientist in charge of the military occupation in Hawkins who has taken on Dr. Brenner’s work. Her character represents a formidable new antagonist, hunting Eleven whilst overseeing government operations in the besieged town.
Sherman Augustus, Alex Breaux, Jake Connelly, Nell Fisher, Amybeth McNulty, Randy Havens, and Linnea Berthelsen appear in recurring roles. Fisher was later confirmed to appear as Holly Wheeler, who was previously played by twin actresses Tinsley and Anniston Price in the first four seasons, bringing fresh energy to the Wheeler family dynamic.
Behind the Scenes and What’s at Stake
The season was produced by the show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Filming wrapped on December 20, 2024, after an intensive production that saw the cast working together for one final chapter. Ross mentioned that the first episode is the most ‘eventful’ of the entire series along with the series premiere and that the second has the ‘craziest cold open’ they have done.
The stakes have never been higher for the Hawkins crew. ‘I think what’s unique about this season is that it starts a little bit in chaos because our heroes ultimately lost at the end of Season 4,’ series co-creator Ross Duffer previously told Tudum. With the Upside Down threatening everything they hold dear, the cast must deliver performances that bring this epic saga to a satisfying close. For fans worldwide, this final season represents both an ending and a celebration of a series that defined a generation of television.