Stranger things have been a hit from the start and we can’t believe we’re already on season 3 with season 4 to come? Those kids are growing up so fast and they just keep getting cuter with every episode. By season 4 we might just die of cuteness overload if it wasn’t for the scary creatures that seem to follow them all the time. The cast of this amazing show also keeps growing with every season so today we thought we’d take a look at the main characters and actors who play them and how they’ve changed throughout the years or how different they look in real life. We do have to warn you (in case you haven’t seen the show) – there are spoilers ahead.
1. Eleven – Millie Bobby Brown
Eleven started out as this scarred little girl with superpowers that knew nothing about life apart from horrible science facilities that made her go through painful tests. But then she found herself surrounded by friends, gained a family and even a boyfriend. Her style went from whatever is given to her, to bitchin’ to very colorful 80s look. Millie herself has grown into a beautiful girl who’s quite a fashionista herself.
2. Mike – Finn Wolfhard
Mike is kind of the default leader of his friendship group. He went from this little geek to Eleven’s saviour and then her boyfriend. His attitude might’ve gone a bit icky and teenage-y last season but you can tell that his heart is in the right place and Eleven is what he cares about the most. Finn, who plays Mike, seems way cooler looking in real life and who would’ve known his hair is that curly in real life.
3. Will – Noah Schnapp
Will’s storyline is possibly the most tragic one and that’s saying a lot considering Eleven is in the mix. But he’s just this super geeky boy who gets possessed and basically loses an entire year of his life and no one even notices at first. So he spends a lot of season 3 trying to get things back to how they were but his friends have moved on from Dungeons and Dragons and are into their girlfriends instead. Noah, however, seems to be a real stunner in real life.
4. Lucas – Caleb McLaughlin
Lucas is always the one who’s focused on the problem at hand and he doesn’t get distracted like his other friends do. By season 3 he’s dating Max and while he admits he’s not the best boyfriend ever he never stops winning her back. Caleb is 17 in real life and it’s a bit crazy to see how different he looks to his character on screen.
5. Dustin – Gaten Matarazzo
Most will probably agree that Dustin is the most adorable character on Stranger Things. He’s usually the one to come up with D&D names for monsters they encounter, he’s really smart, he’s really into radios and he goes to science camps too. His curls and his adorable smile is what drew us in but he’s really the brains of the group. Gaten shares a lot of qualities with Dustin, but it looks like he doesn’t love hats as much as Dustin.
6. Steve Harrington – Joe Keery
Steve was introduced as this popular guy with awesome hair who’s a bit of a douche, then he becomes Nancy’s boyfriend, and we finally get to see that really has a heart of gold and by season 2 he’s like the babysitter for these kids. By season 3 he’s literally Dustin’s best friend and we love seeing their friendship grow.
7. Nancy Wheeler – Natalia Dyer
Nancy was a real goody two shoes and kind of strived for popularity but she quickly understood what’s really important to her and chose to stay on that path even if that means some people think she’s weird. That 80’s perm though – what a look. Natalia Dyer seems much more laid back in real life.
8. Jonathan Byers – Charlie Heaton
Jonathan is this real loner with greasy hair and no style in Stranger Things. He’s just weird and moody and honestly kind of creepy, but he somehow manages to capture the heart of Nancy by being loyal to his family. Charlie Heaton is much more stylish and charming that the part he plays.
9. Erica – Priah Ferguson
Lucas might think he’s the bee’s knees, but he always has his little sister calling him a nerd. Her funny one-liners made us laugh out loud in season 2 and 3. But hey, turns out she’s a bit of a nerd too, and she didn’t even know it. Priah Ferguson, who plays Erica seems to favor a more grown-up and elegant style though.
10. Max – Sadie Sink
Max is literally introduced as Mad Max, and then we find out she’s not that mad, she’s just this tomboy girl who likes skating and has a very mean brother. We love seeing her character grow and open up once she becomes part of the friend group. And her interactions with Eleven is absolutely brilliant.
11. Billy – Dacre Montgomery
Billy is the biggest bully at school, and honestly just a very weird and menacing fellow with some real anger issues. But by the end of season 3, we find out that he wasn’t always like that and it’s some childhood trauma that made him become this mean spirited creepy guy. And did you know that Dacre Montgomery who plays him is actually an Aussie?
12. Robin – Maya Hawke
We only got introduced to Robin in season 3 and honestly, we love her already. She’s funny and smart and she’s constantly making fun of Steve and we live for it. Their interactions are so freaking funny and even Dustin notices right away that Robin is pretty awesome. So we sure hope to see more of her in the next season. Maya Hawke, who plays her actually got so worried about what people will say about her joining the cast that she deleted the Instagram off her phone.
13. Jim Hopper – David Harbour
Jim Hoppes is the town sheriff who’s a classic sheriff in some ways and completely unique in others. He has his bit and he doesn’t really seem to have much to do but once Eleven enters his life he’s a changed man. We don’t really understand what they did with his character in season 3 but we hope that gets resolved next season. David Harbour hasn’t really changed much since season 1 except that he grew this massive beard for unknown reasons.
14. Joyce – Winona Ryder
Joyce went from a very worried and borderline crazy mom to a very confident woman. Once she gets something into her head she won’t stop until she figures it out and we’re kind of loving how she completely just abandons Jim occasionally when he slows her down. Winona, of course, is a far cry for the super neurotic Joyce in real life.