Something dark lurks in Stranger Things, and it is not just the Upside Down. Season 4 unleashed some of the most twisted, ruthless villains the show has ever seen! From mind-controlling monsters to humans turning out to be just as scary, the struggle between good and evil has never been so heated. Who was the most chilling? The cruelest? The type of character that made your skin crawl?  

Who takes the top spot? From vicious killers to puppet masters of the supernatural, some of these villains haunt Hawkins, while others haunt nightmares!

Billy Hargrove was never just the town bully, he was a ticking time bomb. With his violent temper and troubled past, he was already a menace in Season 2, but Season 3 took him to a whole new level. The Mind Flayer turned him into its deadliest weapon, using his rage to spread terror across Hawkins. Under his command, Billy created an army of infected hosts, leading to one of the series' most action-packed fights. But under the monster, there was still a piece of Billy left.

In a shocking twist, he broke free long enough to rescue Eleven, even sacrificing himself in the process. 

One 'Stranger Things' Moment Meant To Reveal Eleven’s Dark Side, but Fans Had a Totally Different Take

His brutal death left fans divided—was Billy a true villain in Season 4, or just a victim of forces beyond his control?

At first, Colonel Jack Sullivan seemed like he might be the hero Hawkins needed—tough, determined, and ready to take down the supernatural threat. But nope. Instead, he turned out to be a power-hungry, egotistical bully who only made things worse. Convinced that Eleven was the enemy, he led a ruthless manhunt, raided homes, tortured people for information, and never once questioned that he was possibly entirely in the wrong. 

Colonel Sullivan’s obsession with control, coupled with his lack of real strategy, made him a serious threat—but also a total failure as an agent!

The Russians brought the heat in Season 4, and not just with their Demogorgon pit fights. While past seasons had a campy take on Soviet villains, this time, they felt more ruthless. Cold, calculating, and downright sadistic, he treated his prisoners like disposable pawns in a twisted game of survival. 

Forcing them to battle a starving Demogorgon for entertainment? That is some next-level cruelty. 

Dr. Martin Brenner was not a snarling Demogorgon or a shadowy Vecna, but his brand of evil runs just as deep. He did not even need claws or telekinetic powers—his weapon was cold, calculated control. Season 4 brought him back, and while he claimed to help Eleven, it was clear he still saw her as an experiment, not a person. He believed he was the hero of his own story, justifying his horrific abuse in the name of science.

 Brenner was no mindless killer, but his manipulative grip on Eleven’s life was just as chilling. And his final moments? A desperate plea for validation, proving that even in death, he was the same selfish man who started it all!

Just when Hawkins thought things could not get worse, Vecna unleashed a horror straight from the Upside Down—demobats. These deadly, razor-toothed bats were not flying pests, they were remorseless predators, scouring and attacking the skies in packs. Unlike the Demogorgon or Mind Flayer, demobats did not need a master’s summons to destroy them, they acted like a hive, protecting Vecna at all costs. 

Their vicious attack on Steve Harrington was enough to give fans chills, but their most horrifying moment came when they swarmed Eddie Munson, making sure his heroic act became his final stand. These creatures changed the game, and with the Upside Down still lurking, they might not be done yet!

The Mind Flayer did not just attack Hawkins, it invaded minds, corrupted souls, and turned humans into its puppets. In Season 2, it possessed Will, using him as a mole to unleash chaos. But burning it out was not the final nail. By Season 3, it got bolder, controlling Billy and building a disgusting, flesh-made monster to take down Eleven. Next was the actual bombshell in Season 4 when the revelation that Vecna created it came to light, making the Mind Flayer his ultimate weapon. 

With its terrifying mind control, pure hatred for humanity, and role as Vecna’s personal wrecking ball, it easily lands near the top. No other villain manipulated, possessed, and wiped out as many people, making it the ultimate nightmare fuel of Stranger Things!

Hawkins has seen some terrifying creatures, but Season 4’s Vecna took evil to a whole new level. He did not just kill—he tortures, haunting his victims with their worst fears before snapping their bones in gruesome fashion. Jamie Campbell Bower’s chilling performance made Vecna the show’s most menacing villain yet. His strong connections with Eleven, Hawkins Lab, and the Mind Flayer expose him as the puppeteer all along. 

Fire could not finish him off, so that leaves him out there, waiting, lurking—just biding his time to unleash even more terror in the last season! Evil comes in all forms in Stranger Things whether it is supernatural monsters or humans with no conscience, these villains left a mark on Hawkins—and on fans! As the battle between good and evil rages on, one question remains: Have we seen the worst yet, or is something even more terrifying coming?

'Stranger Things' 5 Update: Eleven, Will and a Key Third Character to Take Centre Stage in the Final Chapter

Which villain do you think was the most twisted? Did we get the ranking right, or is there someone who should have taken the number one spot? Share your thoughts in the comments below!