7 Best Supporting Characters in Stranger Things, Ranked

One of the most popular and best shows in recent years, Stranger Things has a lot going for it: suspense, ’80s nostalgia, monstrous creatures, an impactful story, an incredible soundtrack, but most importantly, its characters. And while the main cast gets most of the attention, the truth is that a huge part of the show’s charm comes from the supporting characters. As the protagonists chase the Upside Down, it’s the secondary figures who bring just the right mix of humor, tension, attitude, and even pure unpredictability. None of them are just there to fill space; more often than not, they’re the ones making certain moments and entire seasons truly memorable.

Sometimes you think the show is great just because of the core gang, or that the plan to take down Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) will work because you’ve got Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Will (Noah Schnapp). However, it’s the players who aren’t in the spotlight that make the whole experience genuinely engaging and effective. Here are the 7 best supporting characters in Stranger Things, ranked from worst to best.

7) Karen Wheeler

Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) had a stronger role in Season 3, but overall, she was never just the mother of the Wheeler family — she’s always been the anchor keeping Stranger Things grounded in the human side of Hawkins. In Volume 1 of the final season, she got a taste of the darker side of the show and even fought a Demogorgon, but even before that, she was consistently there to show that what happens to the kids affects an entire community. In multiple scenes, you feel the weight of having children who are getting into messes she doesn’t fully understand — and that adds real texture to the story.

In short, Karen has always been an underrated character. She’s crucial because she balances the show, preventing it from tipping too far into fantasy without connection to everyday life. Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Hopper (David Harbour) are the adults constantly involved in the main plot, but Karen represents the rest of Hawkins — the part of the town oblivious to the horrors unfolding. That perspective is key to maintaining a sense of scale and consequence. Protecting Holly (Nell Fisher) from the Upside Down’s chaos was just a bonus, showing that when pushed, she can be just as impactful as any main character. For all of this, she absolutely deserves a spot on the ranking.

6) Barbara “Barb” Holland

You know the icon of injustice? That’s Barbara Holland (Shannon Purser), better known as Barb. She was gone in Season 1, but people still talk about her as if she never really left. She was cautious, smart, and honestly more level-headed than a lot of people from the very start. Sure, she never came close to being a main character, but her death set the tone for an entire wave of episodes. And that’s proof that Stranger Things knows exactly how to use supporting characters strategically: Barb disappears early, but her absence drives the story from the beginning, and it’s because of her that the audience sees a braver side of Nancy (Natalia Dyer), pushing the girl to investigate the parallel dimension.

In Season 2, when Barb is officially considered missing, the show doesn’t just lean into the mystery; it shows how trauma spreads. Nancy takes action, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) gets involved, Steve (Joe Keery) follows, and suddenly the audience realizes Hawkins isn’t just a place for teenage fun — it’s a nightmare with real consequences. Basically, Barb may have been small on-screen, but she became huge in impact. So while she might seem like just another supporting character, she played a crucial role in getting the story where it needed to go. Sometimes, the best way to make a character memorable is to take them out of the story at exactly the right moment.

5) Dmitri “Enzo” Antonov

With a wide range of figures, Stranger Things also has those you think you’re going to hate, only to find yourself thinking differently as the episodes go on. Dmitri Antonov (Tom Wlaschiha), known as Enzo, was introduced in Season 4 as a pretty rough Russian guard, but he quickly became essential to the storyline. As part of the arc where Hopper is held, the two have great chemistry to watch, mixing humor and humanity into what could have been just a dull Russian bureaucracy and suffering. A lot of people found the Soviet prison sequence the slowest part of the season, but Enzo makes it far more engaging. He doesn’t just make Hopper’s rescue mission work — he makes it fun, because he has personality and isn’t just “the Russian helping the American hero.”

The idea in Stranger Things is to focus on Hopper and Joyce trying to escape the Soviet detention camp, but Enzo steals the spotlight and proves he’s more than just an ally: he improvises, makes fast, risky decisions, and adds tension to both the scenes and the overall arc. Thanks to him, Hopper doesn’t die. He’s an unexpectedly useful character who proves that even when a storyline seems boring, it can be surprising, relevant, and well-paced. He’s largely responsible for making an entire arc work better, and that’s a lot to pull off. He was only in one season, but he made such a difference that fans still remember him.

4) Murray Bauman

Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman) is basically a masterclass in how to write a supporting character who drives the story forward. He enters Stranger Things as an eccentric, sarcastic journalist, and at first, he seems like just comic relief, but he becomes crucial to understanding what’s happening in Hawkins. He connects the dots, translates documents, and keeps the group on track during missions that could easily go sideways. The undeniable truth is that without him, Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce and Hopper would have been lost long before uncovering the mysteries of the Upside Down. Looking back, you realize just how much he does to support the story and push it into new directions.

From investigating Barb’s disappearance to kickstarting Hopper’s rescue in Russia, and eventually serving as the gang’s “courier” in Season 5, Murray is used brilliantly: he’s not just funny — he solves real, necessary problems that keep the show moving and prevent any narrative stagnation. At first, he was easy to underestimate, but today he’s completely essential to the story (and still leaves plenty of room for some of the show’s most sarcastic and iconic lines).

3) Billy Hargrove

Max’s (Sadie Sink) older brother, Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery), is the kind of character you love to hate — but end up respecting. Among the many supporting characters, he’s one of the few who were truly necessary to Stranger Things in a big way. At first, he’s the typical abusive bad boy, picking on his sister and other teens, but over time, the show goes beyond the stereotype and reveals his vulnerable side: family trauma, insecurities, and ultimately, an unexpected redemption arc. Who would’ve thought that in Season 3, Billy would sacrifice himself to protect the entire gang from the Mind Flayer? And that death isn’t just tragic, because it carries an overwhelming emotional weight that resonates through the season and into Season 4, setting up Vecna’s invasion of Max’s mind.

Through family conflicts, personal struggles, and his internal battles, Billy demonstrates that not every villain is purely evil. Stranger Things shows that he’s a product of his environment and circumstances, yet capable of heroic choices. He’s a force that shifts the dynamics of almost the entire main cast; he brings constant tension, but also elevates crucial moments in the narrative. So, overall, Billy stands out because he proves that nothing is black and white, while simultaneously deepening other characters’ arcs and setting them up for future growth.

2) Eddie Munson

The Duffer Brothers had no idea Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) was going to blow up as he did, and the irony is that he’s a supporting character who practically became the star of Season 4. As the leader of the Hellfire Club, he’s charismatic, funny, and a total outsider — exactly the kind of character Stranger Things does better than anyone else: someone who could easily be forgotten but has something that makes him unforgettable. It’s also worth highlighting his relationship with Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), which was one of the biggest wins (not to mention the iconic Upside Down guitar scene). And sure, Quinn’s performance matters, but Eddie works because instead of confirming the prejudices he faces in Hawkins, he subverts them.

This is a character who is incredibly loyal and capable of great acts, showing enormous vulnerability — and above all, courage — when everyone expects the opposite. His death remains one of the most shocking moments fans still talk about (no wonder many hope he could somehow return in the final season). Ultimately, Eddie is important because the audience connects with him on a human level. In this case, it’s not about being essential to the plot, but about creating an emotional bridge with the viewers — and that’s just as important.

1) Erica Sinclair

The number one spot on this list has to go to Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson), no question, because she’s just brilliant. Lucas’s (Caleb McLaughlin) younger sister started off as another comic relief character, but she became indispensable — and not just for the plot, but for the audience experience. She has perfect timing, delivers lines at just the right moment, and can be strategic in the most dangerous situations. Erica isn’t just funny: she actively contributes to the success of missions against the Upside Down, and every single scene she’s in has a real impact on the story. Why? Because, despite being so young, her intelligence makes a huge difference in the gang’s plans.

Erica challenges decisions, points out mistakes without hesitation, and when no one else can, she comes up with creative solutions that save everyone’s skin. She doesn’t even need to try; there’s a natural confidence that makes everyone else stop and listen. Being the sidekick or comic relief is just a side effect, because in reality, she’s a key piece that makes everything work. Every move she makes has clear consequences, and the audience can see that while Dustin might be great at keeping plans coherent, without Erica, the gang would be far, far more lost. In short: she doesn’t just steal the scene — she monopolizes it, and it’s hard not to love her.

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