Stranger Things · Characters Ranked
Best Stranger Things Characters, Ranked by IQ Score
The Duffer Brothers' canonical Netflix 1980s-nostalgia genre exercise. The characters whose specific cognitive registers built the show, ranked.
Stranger Things scores 98/200 (Competent tier), and the show's character density (rather than its plot ambition) is what gives it its enduring cultural reach. The Duffer Brothers' commitment to letting each Hawkins-kid character operate with their own specific cognitive register (Mike's leader-architecture, Dustin's enthusiastic-intelligence, Lucas's tactical-thinking, Will's spiritual-vulnerability, Eleven's psychic-cognition) is canonical YA-ensemble work.
Characters: Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), the show's iconic psychic-protagonist. Hopper (David Harbour). Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder). Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), the bully-turned-canonical-bestie. Robin (Maya Hawke), Season 3 breakout. Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). The ensemble anchors what's widely cited as Netflix's most-canonical original drama.
1 titles · ranked by IQ Score
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Questions about this ranking
Who is the smartest Stranger Things character?
By cognitive register, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) anchors the show's psychic-protagonist material. But Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), the rare YA character whose specific enthusiastic-intelligence is rendered with genuine warmth, and Hopper (David Harbour) represent the show's most-emotionally-direct cognitive material.
Why is Stranger Things considered the canonical Netflix drama?
Stranger Things is Netflix's longest-running and most-culturally-significant original. While its IQ Score (98) reflects competent-genre work, the show's character density and 1980s-nostalgia register define what mainstream Netflix YA looks like. Season 5 (the final season) is expected late 2025.
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