Stranger Things is gearing up for its ultimate showdown in the final season 5 that is on the verge of release, promising to bring a closure to a series that has spread over multiple seasons, dozens of episodes,
airtime, plot twists, characters and above all, almost 10 years!Set in the 1980s, Stranger Things follows the residents of a fictional small town named Hawkins in Indiana and how their lives get impacted when a young girl with psychokinetic abilities opens a gateway between Earth and a demonic alternate dimension known as the Upside Down with its portal being a nearby human experimentation facility.
ALSO READ: Stranger Things Season 5 Trailer: Finn, Millie, Noah, Caleb, Gaten Vow To End Vecna 'Once And For All' - WATCH
Real age of Stranger Things cast when show debuted
When the show debuted on Netflix in 2016, its core star cast was young, and looked different. Infact to say that the gang literally grew up on the sets of Stranger Things, from teenage to 20-somethings won't be wrong. Here's looking back at the age of its original cast when the show premiered, and what their age is, as of 2025.
Millie Bobby Brown - 12 (now 21)
Millie plays the main role of Eleven, a girl with telepathic and psychokinetic abilities who was initially a test subject of Dr. Brenner at Hawkins National Laboratory. She becomes the main fighter against Vecna.
Finn Wolfhard - 13 (now 22)
Finn plays Mike Wheeler, one of the main characters of the lead group, sometimes even acts as its leader. He is intelligent and committed to his friends, who later dates Eleven.
Noah Schnapp - 12 (now 21)
As Will Byers, he plays the younger brother of Jonathan Byers who gets captured by a monster from the Upside Down in the very first episode of season 1. He develops a connection to the alternate dimension and the Mind Flayer due to his capture.
Gaten Matarazzo - 14 (now 23)
The third boy of the gang, Dustin Henderson has a cleidocranial dysplasia. He later gets a girlfriend, Suzie who held him in Season 4 in the fight against Vecna.
Caleb McLaughlin - 15 (now 24)
Initially wary of Eleven, Lucas Sinclair later befriends her. He becomes Max's love interest and joins the Hawkins High basketball team.
Sadie Sink - 15 (now 23)
She joins the show in its season 2 as Max Mayfield, and becomes an integral part of the gang. In season 4, she becomes one of the teens who is targeted by Vecna, ultimately fighting him and ending up in a coma.
Winona Ryder - 45 (now 54)
As Joyce Byers, she plays the mother of Will and Jonathan, and is at the forefront of fight to save her son in the Upside Down, even picking up arms against demogorgons, demo-dogs and more.
David Harbour - 41 (now 50)
Jim Hopper is the chief of Hawkins Police Department. He adopts Eleven as his daughter after she flees the lab, and later helps in saving Will from Upside Down. He develops feelings for Joyce.
Joe Keery - 24 (now 33)
His Steve Harrington was supposed to die in season 2, but the character's popularity forced the makers to alter the storyline. A popular high school student, he initially dates Nancy, but later becomes the "babysitter" of the group, striking a close bond with Dustin.
Natalia Dyer - 21 (now 30)
She plays Nancy Wheeler, older sister of Mike. She's a disciplined student but gets on the other side while investigating the Hawkins Lab and the death of her friend Barbara. After breaking up with Steve, she dates Jonathan.
Charlie Heaton - 22 (now 31)
Jonathan Byers, the older brother of Will and son of Joyce Byers is a quiet and kind-hearted teenager. He's an outsider at school, who becomes Nancy's boyfriend.
Matthew Modine - 57 (now 66)
Martin Brenner aka Dr. Banner is the scientist in charge of Hawkins Laboratory and training Eleven. He is referred to as 'Papa' by Eleven, and later helps her gain her powers back and protects her from the government agents who plan to hunt her down.Created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1 will premiere on November 26.
/images/ppid_a911dc6a-image-176193157588416304.webp)
