Over the course of its run, "Stranger Things" has featured appearances by several actors who've since gone on to become much bigger names. Joseph Quinn, for example, stole the show in season 4 as Hellfire Club leader Eddie Munson before playing Johnny Storm in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps." Similarly, Rob Morgan debuted as dedicated Hawkins lawman Calvin Powell before going on to appear in acclaimed
films like "Mudbound," "Just Mercy," and "Smile." And should "Outer Banks" fans ever decide to revisit season 2, they might be surprised to see Madelyn Cline (who was only just terrorized by the latest hook-wielding fisherman killer in 2025's "I Know What You Did Last Summer") playing Tina, a student at Hawkins High School.
Admittedly, Cline's character doesn't leave much of a dent on "Stranger Things." Only appearing in two episodes of the show, Tina is but one of many Hawkins teens who've got their eye on the town's new bad boy, Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery), in season 2. More notably, the character hosts a Halloween party that ends up marking the beginning of the end for one of the series' power couples -- at least, ahead of their potential reconciliation in the final season.
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How Madelyn Cline's Tina Factored Into Stranger Things
While Cline may only make a small appearance on Netflix's flagship show, Tina's house party does inadvertently get the wheels turning on some of the bigger drama in "Stranger Things" season 2. As Cline's higher schooler busts a move channeling Madonna, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) -- who's still reeling from the season 1 death of her best friend Barbara aka Barb (Shannon Purser) -- uses the event as an excuse to cut loose ... and by that, we mean Nancy gets drunk and breaks up with Steve (Joe Keery). She and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) have since become an unstoppable duo in their own right, though season 4 hinted that Nancy and Steve may yet have a future together after all.
Given the mystery surrounding the fifth and final season of "Stranger Things," and with Tina having not shown up in Hawkins since season 2, it would be cool if the series' creatives found an excuse to bring Cline's character back, if only to show how she and the other young people around Nancy's age react to what's been going on in their hometown of late. Then again, with the villainous Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and his forces invading Hawkins in season 5, who knows if Tina is even still alive at this stage? We'll just have to wait until "Stranger Things" returns with new episodes to find out. Get a fresh batch of Eggo waffles ready.
"Stranger Things" season 5, part 1 premieres November 26, 2025, with part 2 dropping a month later on December 25 and the series final following suit on December 31.
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