Who's Back — and Who's Not — for 'Stranger Things' Season 5? Meet the Cast

Winona Ryder returns to Stranger Things Season 5 as Joyce Byers, which is confirmed by the series' trailer and teaser stills.

After playing police chief Jim Hopper in all four seasons, David Harbour suits up once more for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things.

"Hopper's been back from Russia, and for about a year, he's been training for these Upside Down crawls, basically prepping for a final battle with Vecna," he teased about his character. "He doesn't tell the people he loves exactly what he's planning, but he's gearing up for something big in this quarantine environment."

While Millie Bobby Brown previously said she was "definitely ready to wrap up," she once again plays Eleven and shows her unmatched psionic abilities.

"All she is thinking about is protecting her friends," she said of her character ahead of the Season 5 premiere. "Her friends are her chosen family, so she will do whatever it takes to protect them."

Noah Schnapp steps back into the role of Will Byers, who joins the rest of the gang in Hawkins for the final battle.

Sharing what fans could expect from his character, he told Us Weekly in a January 2023 interview, "There will definitely be another center point for Will in Season 5 and I think it's really exciting and I'm definitely so excited to see what they have in store. They won't tell me specifics, but they were like, 'You just wait. You will be very happy and excited. So sit tight.'"

Schnapp also shared in a separate interview, "We kind of hit the ground running right away this season, which is really exciting and not how we've started any other season. Everyone is all in one place and we all have the same objective."

For Finn Wolfhard, playing Mike Wheeler one last time in the fifth and final season is "bittersweet, bitter and then sweet."

However, he told Tudum his character "is back in leadership mode."

He continued, "And he's taken it more upon himself to help plan out these missions, and he and the whole gang are devoted to finding Vecna and ending this."

Gaten Matarazzo's Dustin Henderson joins the cast of Stranger Things Season 5 for the last time.

Following the tragic events of the Season 4 finale, Caleb McLaughlin is slated to return as Lucas Sinclair for the final installment.

Although Sadie Sink's character, Max Mayfield, fell into a coma in the fourth season, she shared she still has a battle ahead of her.

"Her final moments were her in a hospital bed. Eleven was searching for her in the void and couldn't find her, so Max is definitely not the way she once was," she said. "There's still a small glimmer of hope though and her friends are hanging on to that."

Production stills have also confirmed Sink's return in the final season.

Priah Ferguson is back as Erica Sinclair after the character joined the Hellfire Club in the previous season.

In addition to official behind-the-scenes photos, Joe Keery confirmed his character's comeback.

"Steve Harrington's relationship with Dustin is at the forefront in this last conflict — they team up and have some fun, messy action scenes together," he said, per Tudum. "But in true Stranger Things fashion, it's really about the group. This season more than any other is about everyone operating as a unit, and I really liked that."

Nancy Wheeler is also back for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things.

"We find Nancy, and really everyone, together in this situation of Hawkins [after the] gates opening," Natalia Dyer said of her character.

She teased fans, "They've all managed to somehow come through it and come up with some sort of plan. They're out there and they're going after Vecna. They're actively trying to find him."

Charlie Heaton makes another appearance as Jonathan Byers.

Maya Hawke is confirmed to be part of Stranger Things Season 5, reprising her role as Robin Buckley.

After joining the cast in the fourth season, Amybeth McNulty makes her return to the series as Vickie.

Brett Gelman is seen again in the production stills, confirming his return as former investigative journalist Murray Bauman.

Jamie Campbell Bower is ready to scare fans with his return as Vecna.

Cara Buono is set to return with the cast as Karen Wheeler in the final season.

In Stranger Things Season 5, Sherman Augustus slips back into the role of Lieutenant Colonel Sullivan.

While Stranger Things Season 5 still has a star-studded cast, Eduardo Franco is no longer part of the lineup.

After playing Argyle, he revealed he would not be returning for the final season as he "never got a phone call" about reprising the role.

Unfortunately, Joseph Quinn's Eddie Munson is not coming back to Hawkins.

According to co-creator Matt Duffer, the character "is fully under that ground" after he sacrificed himself in the Upside Down in Season 4.

"I love that Joe Quinn is toying with people!" he added. "But no, he's dead."