This season brings new secrets about Vecna and the Upside Down, along with new faces who shape the end of the Hawkins story. Season 5A introduces a small but important group of characters. Their arrival connects to the danger Vecna is building and gives fans more clues about what the finale may bring. These characters appear across the four new episodes and leave a strong mark on the season.
Cast Details for Stranger Things 5
Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow
Derek Turnbow is a local Hawkins teen known for acting tough and bullying anyone he can. The town even calls him “Dipst Derek.” At first, he feels like simple trouble, but his role grows as the story unfolds. Derek ends up mixed in with the main group as Vecna’s new plan starts spreading through Hawkins.
Connelly is a newcomer. Stranger Things 5 marks his biggest role yet, and the season gives him a fun mix of humor and surprise moments.
Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay
Linda Hamilton joins the show as Dr. Kay, a strict military scientist working inside a secret base set in the Upside Down. She oversees dangerous creatures and is determined to take control of Eleven. Her scenes are limited, but every appearance carries major weight.
She is best known for playing Sarah Connor in the Terminator films. Hamilton has also starred in Beauty and the Beast, Dante’s Peak, and Dark Fate.
Alex Breaux as Lt. Robert Akers
Lt. Robert Akers starts off as a rough and dismissive soldier. But as the episodes go on, he becomes one of the people helping uncover the secrets inside the military’s Upside Down facility. His role links the base to the dangers rising in Hawkins.
Breaux has appeared in When They See Us, Bushwick, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He is known for playing intense, grounded characters.
Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler (Older Version)
Linda Hamilton takes on the role of Dr. Kay, a strict military scientist working inside a secret base connected to the Upside Down. She adds a sharp military edge to the season and hints at deeper government secrets that the show has never explored before. Every scene with her raises the tension.
Hamilton is best known for playing Sarah Connor in the Terminator films. She has also starred in Beauty and the Beast, Dark Fate, and Dante’s Peak.
Together, they help guide fans deeper into the story as the series moves toward Christmas episodes and the final showdown coming on New Year’s Eve.
Stay tuned for more updates.