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Every Main Character in Stranger Things Season 5, Ranked
The final season of Stranger Things has aired recently, and fans are still talking about it nonstop. But after almost a decade of monsters, portals, and long-lasting friendships, one major question lingers: who actually mattered across the show’s final eight episodes? The conclusion drops any illusion of balance between characters and makes it clear that the game has fundamentally changed. Instead of leaning on nostalgia, jokes, charisma, or that familiar lighthearted tone, Season 5 focuses relentlessly on narrative function. With Hawkins collapsing and the final confrontation finally taking shape, some characters actively push the story forward, while others just orbit the chaos.
With that in mind, we’ve ranked every main Stranger Things character based on their relevance in the final season and their role in bringing the overall story to a close. This is about who influenced decisions, shifted the direction of the plot, and carried the weight of the series’ ending. Screen time, visibility, and emotional importance don’t always align — and Season 5 proves that point more than once.
14) Jonathan Byers
When you look at Season 5, it becomes clear that Jonathan doesn’t have all that much to do overall. He may have had far more visibility in earlier seasons, but here his role is noticeably scaled back. That said, he still shows up in a few moments that matter, like being the first person to hug and support Will when he comes out, or stepping in to save Steve after his fall from the tower in the Upside Down. Those beats count emotionally, but they’re isolated.
The bigger issue is that Jonathan is rarely the character who actually changes the direction of the story. He doesn’t drive major decisions, unlock new information, or tip the scales in the final conflict. If we’re being honest, the final season of Stranger Things would still function without him. Jonathan feels more like a structural obligation in the show’s closing chapter than a true narrative necessity, which ultimately places him at the bottom of the ranking.
13) Nancy Wheeler
Over the course of the series, Nancy has steadily gained more space and, as a result, more prominence. By the end of the show, she’s still smart, brave, and proactive — especially when you look at the moments where she genuinely helps push the story forward: she’s the one who kickstarts the plan to kill the Mind Flayer and takes the lead, and she’s also responsible for shooting into the “sky” of the Upside Down, triggering the Volume 2 climax and making everyone grasp how dangerous that place really is.
However, Stranger Things no longer positions Nancy as the powerhouse investigator she once was. She remains important to how the group functions, but her overall impact feels spread thin in a season that clearly chooses to focus on characters with deeper emotional ties to Vecna.
12) Lucas Sinclair
Compared to Season 4, Lucas carries a much stronger emotional presence in the final chapter, with key moments tied directly to the consequences of the past. It’s because of his courage and his love that Max survives and doesn’t become a target for the Demodogs that appear at the hospital in Volume 2. Besides, throughout the episodes, he proves to be reliable in every situation, willing to help, step up, and face whatever comes next alongside the group.
Still, Stranger Things never turns Lucas into a central cog in the narrative machine, because his role remains largely focused on supporting Max’s arc. He continues to function as the loyal friend, the emotional middle ground between action and empathy, but his journey is far more reactive than decisive. Lucas matters, but the story doesn’t depend on him to reach its final destination.
11) Steve Harrington
A longtime fan favorite, Steve remains extremely present throughout Season 5 — and that’s exactly what can make ranking his narrative importance tricky. He’s in plenty of scenes, takes part in confrontations, helps keep the group alive, and continues to act as an emotional anchor. Without Steve, Dustin likely wouldn’t have been able to process Eddie’s death the way he does, for example. On top of that, compared to several other characters, it’s surprisingly his plan that helps get the plot moving in the first place. Without him, the group might’ve taken much longer to even figure out how to approach Vecna.
But presence alone isn’t the same as narrative drive. When you strip it down, Steve isn’t the character actively steering the story in the final season. He doesn’t redefine the conflict or shift its direction — he supports it. Steve functions as backup, protection, and the group’s right-hand man, and he does that job well. Still, Season 5 treats him more as a stabilizing force than a true mover of the endgame.
10) Joyce Byers
From the very first season of Stranger Things, it was clear that Joyce would be an essential character. Over time, though, she drifted away from the main arc and was often pushed into parallel storylines, which caused her presence to fade a bit. In the final season, that pattern continues, with Joyce firmly occupying her familiar role as the always-on, fiercely protective mother. For her, everything is personal and always has been.
But Joyce still stands out more than several other characters in this case because that very instinct ends up mattering. From truly listening to Will when it counts, to fighting a Demogorgon, to ultimately being the one who kills Vecna in a powerful and deeply symbolic moment, her impact is undeniable and unforgettable. Even so, the season’s narrative never revolves around her choices. Joyce reacts, protects, and shows up, but she doesn’t steer the story’s direction.
9) Robin Buckley
Robin was introduced back in Stranger Things Season 3 and, for a long time, never quite felt essential to the larger story. It often seemed like the show didn’t know where to place her in a way that actually mattered. But that changes in the final season, where she quietly becomes one of the most useful characters on the board. When you break it down, if it weren’t for her, Will wouldn’t have unlocked his powers for the first time in Volume 1. Even indirectly, that alone makes her a crucial piece of the endgame, since Will is key to defeating Vecna.
On top of that, Robin is the one who realizes that Max isn’t technically in a coma, but trapped alongside Holly inside Vecna’s mind. She also plays a direct role in helping Lucas save his girlfriend at the hospital. So Robin’s value in Season 5 comes down to efficiency and practical intelligence. She consistently delivers when the story needs answers or solutions. Still, despite how much she contributes, her role never crosses into true narrative control. She makes a real difference, but remains firmly in the realm of strategic support.
8) Mike Wheeler
Mike is an interesting character because, looking at Season 5 alone, he occupies a curious space: he’s not the action-packed protagonist, but he’s absolutely the emotional anchor for the group — and that makes an enormous difference. From the very start of Stranger Things, he’s been treated as the leader of the gang, but over time, his emotional struggles with Eleven pulled him out of that role and almost made him retreat. Meanwhile, his relationship with Will became strained and tense.
By the final chapter, Mike had grown more mature, and it became clear that his influence comes less from action and more from handling the emotional challenges that allow the group to function. He’s the first to recognize Will as a hero, the one who keeps everyone together when everything seems about to collapse, the one encouraging bravery in his sister Holly, and the one who instills hope for both the characters and the audience in the series’ closing moments.
7) Dustin Henderson
Nothing — absolutely nothing — works without Dustin. In Season 5, he’s easily one of the most consistently active characters: he’s involved in strategy, helps figure out solutions, and keeps the narrative moving at all times. His importance comes from execution: when something needs to happen, Dustin is usually the one making it happen. He’s the brain of the group, the one thinking things through and deciding if a plan has a chance of working or if it’s full of holes.
On the other hand, Stranger Things also puts him through a tough personal arc, forcing him to grapple with Eddie’s death. This adds depth and complexity to his character, showing how loss and grief shape who we become. And if Dustin couldn’t handle that tragedy, who knows what would have happened in the series finale, considering how essential he is to the outcome? That tension is highlighted even more during his awkward, badly timed fight with Steve, which underscores how much the stakes depend on him.
6) Jim Hopper
Hopper enters the final season of Stranger Things as someone who understands the stakes better than most. He’s literally the father figure of the group: taking action, defending others, leading, and stepping into real physical danger when needed. His main importance lies in creating space for the characters most directly connected to the Upside Down to do what they need to do. On top of that, he’s always been Eleven’s anchor, and throughout Season 5, that role is highlighted as he covers for her to make key parts of the plan work. Hopper embodies strength, sacrifice, and protection.
He’s also the one you can count on to outsmart the military when they’re more of a hindrance than a help. Imagine the series without him, and you’ll see just how big a hole the story would have. Sure, he makes mistakes — he fails to protect Kali and, manipulated by Vecna, believes he shot Eleven, putting things at risk. But overall, Hopper is the one holding the line whenever the situation demands it.
4) Holly Wheeler
It was a huge surprise to see a character who had mostly been a background figure take such a massive role. That’s why Holly is, without exaggeration, one of the most interesting choices in Season 5. For the first time, Stranger Things uses her not just as family background, but as living proof that horror has reached Hawkins’ most vulnerable children. And she’s not just a trigger, because she’s explored across all episodes, both in advancing the main plot and in her own arc, evolving from an innocent, scared girl into a brave, resourceful leader.
It’s also worth noting that Holly plays a key role in shedding light on Henry’s past and how he became Vecna. The villain is crucial to the series finale, but up to that point, much about him remained unexplained — and Holly is the one who, unintentionally, helps fill in those gaps. She doesn’t drive the plot on her own, of course, but her presence raises the stakes significantly and gives the final season much of its tension and urgency.
4) Max Mayfield
For a long time, there was doubt about whether Max would have any active role in Season 5, given her state at the end of Season 4. And it’s true — compared to the past, she doesn’t have as much screen time or direct action. Still, she proves that a character doesn’t need to be in the thick of the fight to be crucial to the plot. Everything that happens to her is a direct consequence of Vecna, which keeps the villain anchored in something personal and cruel.
Max serves as a reminder of the real cost of the conflict, but she’s also the one showing Holly what she’s capable of on her own and guiding Eleven and Kali to the right place at the right time. She understands the enemy’s mindscape from the inside, which is something the other characters simply can’t do on their own. Some viewers may not have loved it, but looking closely, Max is another key piece of the plan, one that’s easy to underestimate if you only watch the action unfold.
3) Eleven
Eleven has always been Stranger Things‘ main protagonist, but many fans felt her presence was a bit muted in the final season. The thing is, even if she seemed quieter in the story (at least until the finale), her reunion with Kali sparks a real internal struggle about what she should do versus what she wants to do. Still, there’s no denying that she remains the backbone of the narrative resolution. Season 5 makes it clear: the final confrontation with Vecna, the irreversible choices, and the thematic closure of the series all had to go through her.
It doesn’t matter if she appeared less than other characters at certain moments — the narrative weight was undeniably hers. The story begins and ends with Eleven facing what no one else could, and that firmly cements her in the top three most important characters in the series’ final chapter.
2) Will Byers
Everyone knew Will had a connection to the Upside Down and to Vecna, and that eventually, he’d play a decisive role. Theories about his character ran wild for seasons, and for a long time, he was mostly the show’s mystery. But in Season 5, his arc takes such a massive leap that it exceeds even what fans expected. Will has always been important, but once he unlocks his powers, the stakes of Stranger Things shoot up dramatically. He becomes a kind of emotional radar for the entire season.
Carrying the foundational trauma of the series, Will is the bridge between the past and the story’s conclusion. His importance can’t be overstated — he’s the heart of everything, and Season 5 makes that crystal clear. Every moment he’s on screen carries weight, even the seemingly minor ones. Thanks to him, Max manages to survive Vecna once again, and the group gains crucial insight into the villain’s mind. Simply put, Will is absolutely essential.
1) Vecna/Henry Creel
Stranger Things has always had its crucial characters, showing their importance from the very beginning. But if there’s one figure that forms the backbone of Season 5, it’s Vecna. Why? Because everything revolves around him: every plan, every sacrifice, every decision the gang makes exists in response to his presence. Even with the reveal that the Mind Flayer has always been the bigger force behind the chaos, Vecna solidifies as the conscious embodiment of evil — the face, the voice, and the intent driving nearly a decade of terror.
As an antagonist, he doesn’t compete for attention; he defines it. He sets the tone for every episode, dictates the pacing, and even shapes the series finale when he tells Will there’s no chance of redemption. He is the inevitable product of everything Stranger Things has aimed to explore: trauma, abandonment, anger, and unchecked power. By embracing that without holding back, Season 5 turns Vecna not just into the ultimate villain, but the thematic closure of the entire series.
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