Matt Duffer In an apocalyptic situation, who better to have on your side than Sarah Connor? The hero of The Terminator movies is something of a dab hand at being the hope for humanity in a world-ending scenario. Except, maybe not in the case of Stranger Things. The fifth and final season of Netflix ’s retro sci-fi adventure series brings a major new cast addition in the form of Connor herself, Linda Hamilton – except, it sounds like she might be more hindrance than help to our heroes. Hamilton joins the cast of Stranger Things 5 as Dr. Kay – a government agent who’s hunting down Eleven. Governmental figures historically haven’t been on the side of good in the show, and Dr. Kay looks set to be another antagonistic force in the final run. “She’s hyper-intelligent and intimidating,” Matt Duffer tells Empire in our Stranger Things 5 issue . And despite her smarts, she’ll also be getting stuck in on the action too. “She’s a scientist but if she needs to, she can get into a fight and shoot a gun,” teases Matt. Eleven, watch your back! Hopefully she makes just as much impact as last season’s breakout. Stranger Things 4 saw the arrival of Joseph Quinn as instant fan-favourite Eddie Munson, a hair-metal-loving D&D fan who sadly perished fighting the forces of darkness. Despite rumours, he won’t be back. "I love that Joe Quinn is toying with people! But no, he's dead,” says Matt Duffer. “Joe is so busy anyway, that everyone should know he's not coming back. He's shot like five movies since! When the hell has he got time to come and shoot Stranger Things? No, sadly, RIP. He’s fully under that ground.” What a shame – it sounds like Eleven and friends will need all the allies they can get. Read Empire’s full Stranger Things 5 cover story – going to the Duffer brothers’ HQ to get the inside scoop on the final season, and speaking to Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Jamie Campbell Bower and more for a new oral history of the show – in the December 2025 issue, on sale Thursday 23 October. Pre-order a copy online here . Stranger Things 5 comes to Netflix from 27 November. Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website — read why you should trust us Source: https://www.empireonline.com/tv/news/stranger-things-linda-hamilton-antagonist-exclusive/