Stranger Things Character Rankings for 2026

How We Ranked Them

Ranking Day 2026-08-08. This rankingStranger Things characterswith the cutoff stuck at 2025–2026 Final-season window: overall buzz draws on Nielsen / Variety / Netflix viewership; character standings compare the pre-final-season DraftKings list, the mid-final-season editors' top ten, and Ranker fan votes. Older retrospective takes are not used as the primary gauge.

2025–2026: How big the show got

The final season pushed Hawkins back to the top tier of streaming. Nielsen: U.S. streaming minutes watched in the first half of 2026 23.26 billion, ahead of *Bluey* and *The Pitt*. Per Variety, using the 35-day multiplatform metric for the 2025–26 TV season, the full series drew about 32.9 million viewers, still the No. 1 non-sports series. On Netflix’s side: Season 5’s premiere week pulled roughly 59.6 million views (a record tier for English-language series premiere weeks); the 91-day cumulative total came to about 133.8 million views, roughly fourth in English-language series history, slightly below Season 4’s 140.7 million.

Rotten Tomatoes Scores (Including Season 5)

Series average Tomatometer approx. 90%, with audience Popcornmeter approx. 82%Season 5 holds a review score of approximately 82%（as of November 2025）， which sits below the Certified Fresh highs of earlier seasons but still qualifies as Fresh.

Before the Final Season: DraftKings Top 10（November 2025）

The editorial staff’s ten-character ranking ahead of the final season puts Eleven at number one， with Steve and Hopper close behind. Eddie still makes the list based solely on Season 4； Vecna cracks the top ten as the villain pick.

Mid-Final Season: Editors' Top 10 (2025-12-30)

Another editors' list from mid-Season 5: Eleven, Hopper, Dustin, Steve, and Max take the top five; Will climbs to ninth thanks to his increased role in the final season. Compared with DraftKings: Eleven / Steve / Hopper / Max hold steady in the upper ranks, while Mike, Joyce, and Dustin shift in placement.

Fan Vote: Ranker

In the community voting list summary, Dustin Henderson leads with roughly 9026 votes 85% tops the approval ranking; the copy also names Hopper, Max, Steve, and Eleven as mainstays in the front row. The editorial list and fan vote don’t have to crown the same #1—when you build the template, you can split them into separate tiers.

How to read this

Start with the 2025–2026 season buzz, then cross-check the two character top-tens—one from before the final season, one from mid-finale—alongside the Ranker fan vote. The 81 entries in the template below form the character pool; just drag them in according to your own weighting of “contribution this season / overall series attachment.”