In this story, Jim is an 18-year-old senior at Hawkins High, who’s “desperately trying to fix up his car so he can get out of Hawkins and make a new life for himself,” Lloyd tells Tudum. Young Hopper shares a sweet relationship with Bob that’s similar to the one we see between Steve and Dustin in the ’80s timeline. But unlike the Hopper we know, Lloyd says coming face-to-face with a Demogorgon would most likely leave him screaming and running. 

Lloyd says he prepared for the role by watching a number of movies from the ’50s and listening to Chuck Berry on repeat. 

The 47th, Hotel Portofino, 4 O’Clock Club

Before her life revolved around being the most supportive mom to Will and Jonathan Byers, Joyce was a senior at Hawkins High who wanted nothing more than to graduate and get away from the small Indiana town. 

While preparing for the role, Pappas tells Tudum she rewatched Stranger Things to find elements of Joyce’s character to pull from. “I knew I couldn’t do an impression of Winona [Ryder], so I tried to make my own version of Joyce that can live on her own within the world of the play, as well as working alongside her portrayal.” 

Perhaps differing from Ryder’s Joyce, who isn’t afraid to fight a Demogorgon head-on, Pappas had a different approach to what she might do when faced with such a creature: “Give it a little cuddle, maybe it’ll be nicer if I do. Who knows.” Kill ’em with kindness! 

Finding Alice, The Villains of Valley View, The Nether

Bob, also referred to by Jim as “Bob the Brain,” is a senior at Hawkins High. He’s trying to get his radio show off the ground, though his sister doesn’t take this endeavor seriously. Buckley tells Tudum his character is “the big hearted, bumbling, and technologically gifted ‘nerd’ of the Hawkins High Class of ’59” and is searching for friendship and love from his peers. “But if you manage to find chemistry with somebody, you just need timing. And as all fans know, Bob isn’t the best at timing,” says Buckley.  

While preparing for his role as the beloved character, Buckley rewatched the entire Stranger Things series. Though he drew from Sean Astin’s portrayal of Bob in Season 2, he also considered how a younger Bob might behave en route to becoming the person fans know and love. 

If it ever came time to face off against the spooky monsters of the Upside Down, Buckley says, “My best plan would be to dive through [the Demogorgon’s] legs, sprint to the nearest source of fire, and waggle a makeshift torch to hold it off whilst screaming for Eleven at the top of my lungs.” A noble plan! 

David Copperfield, Orphans, Stig of the Dump

Patty is new to the Stranger Things universe. She’s Bob’s adopted sister and a freshman at Hawkins High. “One could describe her as sassy, stubborn, nerdy, and sweet,” Williams tells Tudum, adding, “She doesn’t really fit in, much like the new student, Henry Creel.” So it’s no surprise the pair begin to develop a close connection, which Williams says turns her life “upside down.” Oh no!

As she prepared to bring this new character into the fold, Williams immersed herself in the Stranger Things world. She also listened to music that she believed Patty grew up listening to, including a lot of Ella Fitzgerald (a great artist to listen to while escaping Vecna’s grasp). She adds that if she ever faced a monster of the Upside Down, she’d “run, hide, cry, scream!” 

The Equalizer 

Before he was Vecna, he was just misunderstood. “When we first meet Henry, he appears to be a young innocent kid, just trying to do the right thing,” McCartney tells Tudum. “But don’t judge a book by its cover.” Henry is the new kid in town and a freshman at Hawkins High, where he meets a love interest in Patty Newby. After relocating to Hawkins, his family quickly learns that escaping their dark past won’t be as easy as they hoped.

McCartney carried out quite a bit of research in preparation for the role of the cold-blooded creator of the Upside Down. “I read a lot of medical studies that discussed aberrant psychology and tried to imagine what it must feel like for Henry to be afflicted by this disease, this demon inside of him,” he says. He also drew inspiration from storylines in the Stranger Things series, noting that he tried to keep the show’s “magical tone” in mind when developing his character. 

Unlike some of his castmates, McCartney isn’t too frightened of Demogorgons. He says if he ever met one, he just might try and befriend it. “After all, we seem to share some sort of connection. #BFFS.” 

Silent Roar, Hope Street, Game of Thrones

You may know him as Papa or Bad Man. Dr. Brenner was first contacted in 1959 by Henry’s mother, who was afraid of his psychokinetic abilities — and he “may have a past that goes straight to the core of the origins of Stranger Things,” Vaill tells Tudum. Once Henry landed in Dr. Brenner’s custody for treatment, he became the first test subject, One. 

While tackling the role of Dr. Brenner, Vaill said he “wanted to play in the mode of sci-fi and horror from the ’50s,” which led him to watch such films as The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Thing From Another World, Queen of Blood, and others. “It’s been fun,” he says. 

Despite his character’s interest in the dark world that lives beneath Hawkins, Vaill said he would probably “shit” himself if ever he came close to a Demogorgon. 

Oklahoma!, Macbeth, Dash & Lily