With the end of Stranger Things now in sight, season five is shaking things up with a handful of significant cast additions — and one very interesting recast.
As the story barrels towards its final showdown between Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), the world of Hawkins is expanding one last time.
Netflix is rolling out the supersized final season in three volumes, with the first four episodes already here — and they waste no time introducing audiences to three major new players: Linda Hamilton, Jake Connelly and Alex Breaux, all of whom step into key roles as the stakes reach their highest point yet.
Meanwhile, one familiar character is returning with a new face. Holly Wheeler, the youngest sibling of Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer), has been recast for the final season, with British actress Nell Fisher now taking on the role.
From fresh arrivals to unexpected changes, here’s a breakdown of the new stars shaping the final chapter of Stranger Things.
Every New Cast Member That’s Joined ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5
Nell Fisher As Holly Wheeler
Holly Wheeler looks different in Stranger Things season five because the role has been recast. Twins Anniston and Tinsley Price, who played Holly since 2016, have stepped away, with 14-year-old British actress Nell Fisher taking over.
Now central to the story, Holly appears in episode one as Vecna’s first visible target, lured by a mysterious figure who claims to be protecting her from the monsters of Hawkins.
In a deliberate creative shift, the Duffer brothers aged up Holly Wheeler for the final season, necessitating a stronger on-screen presence to match the darker weight of her storyline. Now about seven years old within the show’s timeline, Holly begins to see disturbing visions and speak with an unseen figure, warnings her family tragically misread as fantasy.
Linda Hamilton As Dr. Kay
Linda Hamilton’s arrival in Stranger Things season five came at a turning point in her career. The actor revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that the offer to join the series arrived just “two weeks” after she had raised the idea of retiring.
“Not because there isn’t enough to do, but just I’m tired of being tough,” she explained. Her agent accepted the role immediately. “He didn’t even ask me,” she said.
Hamilton plays Dr. Kay, a new character introduced in the premiere, “Chapter One; The Crawl.” A government scientist hunting for Eleven, she is first seen dissecting a creature from the Upside Down.
While Dr. Kay initially reads as one of the season’s primary antagonists, Hamilton insists the character is more morally complex than she appears.
Ross Duffer told Tudum, “She can fight, she can use a gun, and she doesn’t hesitate to do so.” Hamilton adds that Dr. Kay believes science must come first, even if it costs lives.
Alex Breaux As Lt. Robert Akers
Every great villain needs an accomplice to enforce their will, and for Dr. Kay, that role belongs to Lieutenant Robert Akers. A hybrid of soldier and lab enforcer, Akers operates as her most loyal extension in the field. Calculated, obedient and unwavering in his pursuit of Eleven, he functions as the machinery behind Dr. Kay’s command.
Breaux, who plays Akers, may be new to the Netflix series, but he is no stranger to the Stranger Things universe. He previously appeared on Broadway as Dr. Brenner in Stranger Things: The First Shadow, giving him a rare dual history within the franchise.
In Vol. 1, Akers is taken hostage by Eleven and Hopper inside the Upside Down, where Eleven accesses his mind to uncover disturbing details about Dr. Kay’s operation.
Speaking to TV Insider, Breaux said working with Linda Hamilton was “amazing,” marvelling at the contrast between her screen presence and real-life warmth.
“She’s so hardcore on camera and tough as nails, and then offstage, she’s like the softest, gooiest person, and gives everyone the warmest hug,” he said.
“So it was fun to see her just flip the switch from sweetheart to bad bitch.”
Jake Connelly As Derek Turnbow
Derek enters Stranger Things as one of Holly Wheeler’s classmates and, initially, one of her tormentors. At school he singles her out, sharpening her sense of isolation with his cruelty.
But after Holly is taken into the Upside Down, the dynamic shifts. Will (Noah Schnapp), drawing on his link to the hive mind, senses another imminent danger and identifies Derek as Vecna’s next intended target, placing the troubled classmate under his protection.
Behind the scenes, the actor playing Derek could not be more different from his on-screen persona. Connolly joined the cast in July 2024 at just 13 years old, marking the moment with an excited Instagram post: “So excited and honoured to be in Hawkins and to join the awesome cast.”
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