‘Stranger Things 5’: Meet the new cast and find out who survives the final battle

The highly anticipated fifth and final installment of the Netflix hit Stranger Things has begun, with Volume 1 premiering on November 27, 2025. As the final battle for Hawkins unfolds — with the remaining episodes releasing on December 26 and December 31, 2025 — the season introduces several new characters who join the original cast and face the escalating dangers of the Upside Down.

Veteran actress Linda Hamilton joins the final season as Dr. Kay, a military scientist leading the government’s investigation into the Upside Down. Her character fills the narrative void left by the death of Dr. Martin Brenner, Eleven’s father figure from Season 4, according to creators Matt and Ross Duffer. Hamilton’s debut in Chapter One: The Crawl is striking — she dissects an Upside Down creature and calmly observes that it “does strangle.” The Duffer brothers shared that her casting was inspired by her iconic presence in the Terminator films.

Actress Nell Fisher steps into the role of Holly Wheeler, the younger sister of Mike and Nancy. Fisher already has an impressive filmography, having appeared in Evil Dead Rise (2023) and the 2024 comedy Bookworm, where she starred alongside Elijah Wood. In Season 5, Holly becomes the first visible target of Vecna this season. Though she is abducted, the character survives — at least for now.

Newcomer Jake Connelly was cast as Derek Turnbow in July 2024, portraying Holly Wheeler’s classmate. The 13-year-old expressed his excitement on Instagram, writing that he was “so excited and honoured to be in Hawkins and to join the awesome cast.” Speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, Connelly described Derek as “a bit spoiled and kind of a bully,” but added, “deep down, I think he is really a good person.”

Alex Breaux joins as Lt. Akers, described as a “henchman” of Dr. Kay. Breaux is no stranger to the Stranger Things universe: he previously portrayed a young Martin Brenner in the Tony Award–winning Broadway production Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Creator Ross Duffer hinted that the full military deployment in Hawkins is a major storyline: “We have a full military presence in Hawkins, and it’s under quarantine. I will say, of course, the military is doing stuff in the Upside Down, but it really is a mystery to our characters and the audience at the beginning of the show.”