Every ‘Stranger Things’ Villain, Ranked
Spoiler Alert: This list contains spoilers for ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5, Vol. 1.Stranger Things is already halfway through its fifth and final season, and while it will be sad to say goodbye to the beloved sci-fi series, it will be exciting (although no doubt emotionally devastating) to see how it ends. So far, Season 5 has seen Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) continue to wreak havoc on Hawkins, even as he didn’t actually appear in his villainous form until the final scene of Volume 1. Instead, Henry Creel visits the children of Hawkins as their “imaginary” friend, Mr. Whatsit, in order to take them into the world in his mind and use them to power the Upside Down.
7. Grigori
Played by Andrey Ivchenko
Stranger Things‘ infamous Russia subplot in Season 3 had a number of villains, the most notable of whom was Grigori (Andrey Ivchenko), a soldier who was acting on orders from the KGB. Grigori was a pretty one-note villain who posed a threat to Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Hopper (David Harbour) throughout Season 3, and who ultimately killed the beloved Alexei (Alec Utgoff) at the end of the season.
Aside from killing one of Stranger Things‘ best single-season characters, Grigori is really not all that memorable. He was not particularly scary compared to the show’s better villains, and he was acting to serve a larger group’s motivations, rather than his own. He felt more like a general character type than an actual character, so while it was great to see Hopper defeat him, there wasn’t ever much of a doubt that he would be able to successfully do so.
6. Billy Hargrove
Played by Dacre Montgomery
Even before he was possessed by the Mind Flayer, Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) was one of Stranger Things‘ most infuriating and cruel villains. He was first introduced as Max’s (Sadie Sink) cruel older stepbrother, and it turned out that there was really no depth to him. He was unkind, bigoted, and violent, and he terrorized Max and her friends simply because he was filled with hate, and he could scare them.
Billy is one of Stranger Things‘ worst villains, because while he was certainly scary, the fear that Billy inspired wasn’t in an interesting or compelling way. He was just a bully who always picked on those who were weaker than him, and worst of all, he got to die a hero’s death that he didn’t deserve at the end of Season 3. Billy may have been more developed than single-storyline villains like Grigori, but there really wasn’t much to him beyond what was on the surface.
5. Jason Carver
Played by Mason Dye
Jason Carver (Mason Dye) is one of Stranger Things‘ most detestable human villains, and he was so scary because of how well and realistically he was written. Confused and desperate for a simple answer after the sudden death of his girlfriend, Chrissy (Grace Van Dien), Jason sets out on a witch hunt against poor Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), and terrorizes Eddie’s friends and allies in the process. Jason was more concerned with his own anger and ego than with getting real answers, and he’s ultimately the reason why Vecna was able to put Max in a coma.
It would be nice to imagine that a terrifying supernatural villain would unite the people of Hawkins against a single enemy, but Stranger Things Season 4 showed why this wasn’t possible. Unable to accept the unlikely option, people like Jason blamed those who were different, and they wouldn’t rest until the outcasts had been undeservedly punished for what they hadn’t done. At least he got the horrifyingly unpleasant death he deserved, though.
4. The Demogorgon
Played by Mark Steger
After everything we’ve since learned about the Upside Down, the Demogorgon (Mark Steger) is hardly the scariest monster to come out of Stranger Things, but it is still one of the best. Stranger Things‘ first monster was terrifying enough to act as the main villain in the first season, and it was responsible for taking Will (Noah Schnapp) and killing Barb (Shannon Purser).
That first Demogorgon will always be the scariest of the bunch, but the others are hardly easy to defeat (that is, unless you have the ability to tap into Vecna’s hivemind). The design and look of the Demogorgons are especially frightening, and they will always be reminiscent of the terror of Season 1, when not much was yet known about the Upside Down. Ultimately, though, they are controlled by much scarier villains, making them much less impressive in the grand scheme of things.
3. Vecna / Henry Creel
Played by Jamie Campbell Bower
Ahead of the release of The First Shadow and the reveal that this play would tie into Stranger Things 5, Vecna would have easily claimed the top spot on this list. It was such a brilliant twist for Stranger Things to reveal four seasons in, that every previous monster’s attacks, Will’s appearance, and the massacre of Dr. Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) lab were all the fault of one person: Henry Creel / Experiment 001 / Vecna.
As The First Shadow revealed, though, Henry Creel is not an evil person. He was a normal kid who went out exploring in a cave one day and stumbled on an experiment of Dr. Brenner’s. This experiment transported Henry to the mysterious Dimension X, where he first crossed paths with the Mind Flayer. Henry spent a long time trying to fight off his powers and keep his mind his own, but ultimately, the Mind Flayer possessed him and turned him into the villain he is today. Henry Creel is certainly Stranger Things‘ most sympathetic and compelling villain, but he is hardly the best – those two spots go to the two horrifying beings responsible for making him who he is now.
2. Dr. Martin Brenner
Played by Matthew Modine
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Stranger Things‘ best human villain is an example of the most fascinating and horrifying type of science fiction tale: when humans’ hubris gets the best of them, and they take their scientific explorations way too far. Deeply curious about his father’s accidental trip to Dimension X during World War II, Brenner set out to recreate the experiment, not caring about the consequences. As a result, Henry’s life was ruined, and still, Brenner wouldn’t stop his experiments.
Brenner kidnapped Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), experimented on her and sixteen other kids in addition to Henry, and never even had to properly pay for what he did. Brenner’s death in Season 4 was ultimately underwhelming and better than he deserved, but to this day, he’s still one of the very best Stranger Things villains. He is not sympathetic at all, and he was motivated by a morbid curiosity and desire for greatness, not caring who he had to kill or hurt along the way.
1. The Mind Flayer
There is definitely more that is yet to be revealed in Volume 2 about the full extent of the Mind Flayer’s powers, reach, and origin. Still, though, even ahead of Volumes 2 and 3 of Season 5, it’s clear that the Mind Flayer is the show’s best villain. It is, after all, the thing that started it all, as revealed in The First Shadow. In the play, the Mind Flayer possessed Henry and made him into Vecna, and in Stranger Things Season 2 and 3, the monster also possessed Will and Billy.
Every other villain on this list is either dead or currently being controlled by the Mind Flayer, showing just how powerful of a villain this monster is. As it stands now, the Mind Flayer will be the one to defeat at the end of Stranger Things, and it will definitely not go down without a fight. The Mind Flayer is terrifying not just as a killer, but because it can possess people. Considering that Will just voluntarily channeled the hivemind, he’s in the most danger of being possessed by the Mind Flayer right now, and the idea of Will meeting Henry’s fate is one of the scariest things Stranger Things could do. Will has a stronger support system than Henry did, though, so he might just yet make it out of this alive and in control of his own mind.
