Nearly a decade has passed sinceNetflixturned our world upside down byreleasing "Stranger Things." But in the fictional and hazardous town of Hawkins, Indiana, only a few years have passed.
While starsFinn WolfhardandCaleb McLaughlinhave grown upsince the 2016 premiere, the characters they portray have yet to finish high school in Season 5 despite experiencing a lifetime's worth of trauma.
Millie Bobby Brownand her character,Eleven, were both 12 years old during the filming and events of Season 1. Now, the actress is a 21-year-old wife and mother, while the telekinetic heroine on TV is still 16 in the new season, according to theStranger Things wiki page.
The fifth and final season takes place four years after the events of Season 1, which occurred in November 1983. With the first four episodes of the sci-fi juggernautnow available to stream on Netflix, here's a breakdown of how the characters' andcast agesdiffer fromNovember 1987 and November 2025, respectively.
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown)
Character's age: 16
Actor's age: 21
Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard)
Character's age: 16
Actor's age: 22
Fast forward a decade later to Nov. 6, 2025, at the final red carpet premiere of "Stranger Things," as the cast prepares to say goodbye to the end of an area filled with Demogorgons, Mind Flayers, bicycle rides, Eggos, secret labs, first loves, heartbreaks and the biggest bad of them all: Vecna. From left: Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin, Millie Bobby Brown and Gaten Matarazzo attend Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 5 world premiere at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on Nov. 6, 2025, in Hollywood, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Following the first batch of episodes, fans will have to wait until Christmas Day for "Volume 2" to binge three more episodes. Finally, it will all come to a bittersweet end on New Year's Eve with the series finale (which will also be hitting theaters).After the Season 5 premiere in Los Angeles, Jamie Campbell Bower, Caleb McLaughlin, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Finn Wolfhard attended a For Your Consideration event at Netflix's Tudum Theater on Nov. 8, 2025. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Millie Bobby Brown was only 11 (no pun intended) when she attended the Season 1 premiere of "Stranger Things" at Mack Sennett Studios on July 11, 2016, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Now 21, Brown is all grown up in a Rodarte black gown at the final premiere. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
On Nov. 13, 2025, Brown wore another elegant black gown at the UK screening of "Stranger Things 5" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Noah Schnapp was also 11 when "Stranger Things" first began. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Schnapp, now 21, looked dapper at the final "Stranger Things" premiere." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Schnapp and Brown, who have fostered a close friendship offscreen, share a laugh at the London premiere of "Season Things 5." " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Gaten Matarazzo was almost 13 when "Stranger Things" premiered in 2016. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Matarazzo, now 23, who plays the beloved Dustin Henderson onscreen, looked rocked a three-piece dark grey suit at the final "Stranger Things" premiere." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Matarazzo at the London screening of the final season. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Caleb McLaughlin was almost 14 when "Stranger Things" Season 1 premiered in the summer of 2016. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
McLaughlin, now 24, attends the world premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 5 in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
McLaughlin wore custom Joshua Kane at the London premiere. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Finn Wolfhard was almost 12 when "Stranger Things" premiered in 2016. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Wolfhard, now 22, spoke to USA TODAY at the "Stranger Things 5" red carpet about how it feels to say goodbye to the hit Netflix show and his costars. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
"I feel like I haven't ever said goodbye totally," Wolfhard said. "It comes in waves, I feel like. But it's really nice to be able to be here with everyone and experience sort of the end, even though it doesn't really feel like the end, because we all still talk a lot."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Natalia Dyer was 20 years old when she first appeared on Netflix's "Stranger Things" in 2016. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dyer, now ushering a new season as a soon-to-be 31-year-old, opted to wear a bold red dress for the final "Stranger Things" premiere as she did for the first. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dyer attends the "Stranger Things 5" screening in London on Nov. 13, 2025. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
After a breakout Season 1 of "Stranger Things," the core cast was back at it on the red carpet circuit for Season 2. Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown attend the premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 2 at Regency Bruin Theatre on Oct. 26, 2017." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Season 2 of the show saw new cast additions including Sadie Sink as May Mayfield and Dacre Montgomery as her brother, Billy Hargrove. "The Goonies" actor Sean Astin, "Beverly Hills Cop" actor Paul Reiser and "Teenland" actress Linnea Berthelsen also joined the cast." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Sadie Sink, now 23, attends Netflix's "Stranger Things 2" premiere on Oct. 26, 2017, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sink attends the world premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 5 in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sink attends a "Stranger Things" Season 5 screening in London. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Brown walked hand-in-hand with costar Sink on the black carpet at the Hollywood premiere of "Stranger Things" Season 5 on Nov. 6, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
The two have been red carpet besties since the beginning. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Joe Keery, now 33, has been part of the original "Stranger Things" cast since Season 1. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Fast forward a decade later, Keery has also forayed into the music industry. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Keery opts for an edgy, all-black look at the final premiere of "Stranger Things" in Los Angeles. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Charlie Heaton, the brooding Jonathan Byers on "Stranger Things," has also been on the show since the start. Here he is pictured at the 2017 BAFTA Tea Party at Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Heaton, now 31, attends the world premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" final season. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Heaton, a UK native, attends the "Stranger Things" screening in London. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Mother! Winona Ryder attends the Season 1 premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" at Mack Sennett Studios on July 11, 2016, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ryder attends the 2025 world premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Blast from the past! David Harbour at the premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" at Mack Sennett Studios on July 11, 2016. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
David Harbour, now 50, attends the final premiere of "Stranger Things." He plays Jim Hopper. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Father-daughter duo from the start. Harbour and Brown attend the after party for the premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" in 2016. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
The final "Stranger Things" premiere was nearly plagued with controversy after reports surfaced from the Daily Mail on Nov. 1 that Brown had allegedly filed a harassment and bullying claim against her onscreen dad before filming began. During the Nov. 7 premiere, however, the actors showed a united front, conveying nothing but admiration toward each other as phones and cameras measured their every move." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Priah Ferguson, who plays Lucas Sinclair's younger sister Erica Sinclair, also joined the cast of "Stranger Things" in Season 1. She has gradually become a fan favorite with her sassy attitude and quick wit toward her onscreen brother Caleb and the rest of the Hawkins gang. Here she is pictured at the Season 3 premiere of the show on June 28, 2019, in Santa Monica, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Priah Ferguson attends Netflix's "Stranger Things" red carpet premiere for Season 5. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Say "Vecna"! "Stranger Things" cast Gaten Matarazzo, Natalia Dyer, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown (front right) attend the BUILD Series at AOL HQ on Aug. 31, 2016, in New York City. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Strike a pose! The Core Four of Hawkins hit the 22nd annual Critics' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on Dec. 11, 2016, in Santa Monica, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Caleb McLaughlin, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp and Gaten Matarazzo at the 22nd annual Critics' Choice Awards. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 'Stranger Things' cast then and now: See Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp grow up in photos
Fast forward a decade later to Nov. 6, 2025, at the final red carpet premiere of "Stranger Things," as the cast prepares to say goodbye to the end of an area filled with Demogorgons, Mind Flayers, bicycle rides, Eggos, secret labs, first loves, heartbreaks and the biggest bad of them all: Vecna.From left: Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin, Millie Bobby Brown and Gaten Matarazzo attend Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 5 world premiere at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on Nov. 6, 2025, in Hollywood, California.
Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin)
Character's age: 16
Actor's age: 24
Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo)
Character's age: 23
Actor's age: 26
Will Byers (Noah Schnapp)
Character's age: 16
Actor's age: 21
Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink)
Character's age: 16
Actor's age: 23
Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer)
Character's age: 20
Actor's age: 30
Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton)
Character's age: 20
Actor's age: 21
Steve Harrington (Joe Keery)
Character's age: 21
Actor's age: 33
Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke)
Character's age: 19
Actor's age: 27
Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson)
Character's age: 13
Actor's age: 19
Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher)
Character's age: 7
Actor's age: 14
Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder)
Character's age: 45 or 46
Actor's age: 54
James 'Jim' Hopper (David Harbour)
Character's age: About 44 to 48
Actor's age: 50
Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman)
Character's age: Unclear
Actor's age: 49
Vecna / Henry / One (Jamie Campbell Bower)
Character's age: About 35 to 41
Actor's age: 37
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:How old is Holly Wheeler in 'Stranger Things' Season 5: See ages
