With Stranger Things day having come and gone, fans received a lot of news, expected and unexpected. Netflix gave a virtual tour of retail stores based on the series, dropped the final trailer of season four, and shared the map of Hawkins, among other things. But what stood out to fans is the transformation of the Stranger Things cast in season 4.

Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair

The sweet-natured boy who was hesitant to trust Eleven we met in season one of Stranger Things has changed quite a lot in the past three seasons. Through the course of the series, we watched Lucas change his personality entirely and accept the abnormal. His relationship with Max Mayfield is a turning point in the character’s growth as we watched him open up not only to his romantic partner but to his friends as well.

Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson

The official Conflict Resolver of the Stranger Things friend group, Dustin is probably the most level-headed individual of the series. The boy had a very neutral approach towards Eleven and her powers and has maintained the same sensible approach to everything around him and his friends. Although he had a brief but quite intense crush on Max Mayfield, Dustin began dating Suzie and has been in a great space ever since. With the Byers getting in a car and leaving Hawkins in the finale of the third season, Dustin and Will parted ways but fans are expecting them to be back together for the fourth season.

Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield

The skateboarding tomboy Max Mayfield is a newcomer to the Netflix Original and the series. But, she settled in quite quickly and has been a fan-favorite character ever since. If there is one quite staggering transformation from season one to four in Stranger Things, it is Max. The girl was initially anti-social and skeptical but quickly became loyal to the friend group. She went from doubting Eleven’s powers and all things supernatural to giving the latter relationship advice when she was struggling with Mike! Quite the evolution.

Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler

Popular opinion: The signature character of Stranger Things, especially in its initial seasons, was Eleven. It was Finn Wolfhard as the dowdy Mike Wheeler with his bowl-cut.

The character is a combination of everything nice as Mike is optimistic, compassionate, and extremely loyal to his friends. And this is something that remains constant throughout the series. Despite his maturity, Mike as a character grows indefinitely in the series. After Eleven vanished in the fight with the Demogorgon, Mike tried contacting her for 353 consecutive days. The young boy went from being overprotective of her to apologizing for it and reconciling with her.

Noah Schnapp as Will Byers

The series begins with Will Byers being kidnapped and taken into the Upside Down. The petite boy has undergone quite a transformation from season to four of Stranger Things. Will stays soft-spoken, honest, and cordial throughout the series. The boy lost a huge chunk of his childhood due to all the shenanigans involving the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer. As a result, he grew up not quite as fast as his peers as he was trying hard to hold on to the time he missed out on. The end of the third season is a turning point as Will gives up his childhood interests like D&D to his little sister and leaves Hawkins.

Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair

The unofficial seventh member of the Party, Erica Sinclair is Lucas’s younger sister. Erica, particularly in terms of her relationship with her brother, changes a lot through the three seasons of Stranger Things. She goes from constantly irritating him about all of his actions to receiving all the D&D sets of the Party. The ending of Stranger Things season three hinted at a better relationship between Lucas and Erica as they both grow up and go through some major changes in the Netflix series.

Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven

And finally, there’s the protagonist of the Netflix Original– Jane “Eleven” Hooper. Eleven has gone through the most drastic transformation from season 1 to season 4 of the Stranger Things cast.

Stranger Things as a whole focused primarily on the humanization of Eleven, a nameless girl only known by a number. Raised in the Hawkin National Laboratory, Eleven was completely deprived of socialization. Her timid and socially withdrawn nature changes when befriends the Party. She eventually falls in love with Mike and ends up sacrificing herself to destroy the monster and save her friends. Even after being separated for a year, Eleven immediately comes to the rescue of her friends. Over time, she learns to control her powers and emotions. During the third season, Eleven lost Hopper, the only parental figure she had in life and has to undergo major changes.

With Stranger Things season 4, fans can expect a lot of changes in the cast and characters of the series.