Anthony Robledo Pamela Avila The cast of Netflix's "Stranger Things" has gone a long way since they were 11. The sci-fi juggernaut that catapulted their lives to a whole new dimension since Season 1 premiered in 2016 is finally coming to an end. Ahead of the fifth and final season's release in three parts starting on Thanksgiving Day, let's take a trip to The Upside Down and revisit how the cast has grown up over the years, starting with this photo of the original cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Caleb McLaughlin, Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo taken on Aug. 31, 2016, in New York City. The Hawkins kiddos walked the red carpet for their first "Stranger Things" premiere a month prior on July 15, 2016. Michael Monday / USA TODAY Fast forward a decade later to Nov. 6, 2025, at the final red carpet premiere of "Stranger Things," as the cast prepares to say goodbye to the end of an area filled with Demogorgons, Mind Flayers, bicycle rides, Eggos, secret labs, first loves, heartbreaks and the biggest bad of them all: Vecna. From left: Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin, Millie Bobby Brown and Gaten Matarazzo attend Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 5 world premiere at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on Nov. 6, 2025, in Hollywood, California. Roger Kisby, Getty Images For Netflix Following the first batch of episodes, fans will have to wait until Christmas Day for "Volume 2" to binge three more episodes. Finally, it will all come to a bittersweet end on New Year's Eve with the series finale ( which will also be hitting theaters ). After the Season 5 premiere in Los Angeles, Jamie Campbell Bower, Caleb McLaughlin, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Finn Wolfhard attended a For Your Consideration event at Netflix's Tudum Theater on Nov. 8, 2025. Rodin Eckenroth, Getty Images Millie Bobby Brown was only 11(no pun intended) when she attended the Season 1 premiere of "Stranger Things" at Mack Sennett Studios on July 11, 2016, in Los Angeles. Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Now 21, Brown is all grown up in a Rodarte black gown at the final premiere. Kevin Winter, Getty Images On Nov. 13, 2025, Brown wore another elegant black gown at the UK screening of "Stranger Things 5" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London. Gareth Cattermole, Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Noah Schnapp was also 11 when "Stranger Things" first began. Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Schnapp, now 21, looked dapper at the final "Stranger Things" premiere. Charley Gallay, Getty Images For Netflix Schnapp and Brown, who have fostered a close friendship offscreen, share a laugh at the London premiere of "Season Things 5." Kate Green, Getty Images Gaten Matarazzo was almost 13 when "Stranger Things" premiered in 2016. Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Matarazzo, now 23, who plays the beloved Dustin Henderson onscreen, looked rocked a three-piece dark grey suit at the final "Stranger Things" premiere. Charley Gallay / Getty Images Matarazzo at the London screening of the final season. Kate Green, Getty Images Caleb McLaughlin was almost 14 when "Stranger Things" Season 1 premiered in the summer of 2016. Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images McLaughlin, now 24, attends the world premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 5 in Los Angeles. FREDERIC J. BROWN, AFP Via Getty Images McLaughlin wore custom Joshua Kane at the London premiere. Kate Green / Getty Images Finn Wolfhard was almost 12 when "Stranger Things" premiered in 2016. Bryan Bedder / Getty Images Wolfhard, now 22, spoke to USA TODAY at the "Stranger Things 5" red carpet about how it feels to say goodbye to the hit Netflix show and his costars. Jerod Harris / Getty Images "I feel like I haven't ever said goodbye totally," Wolfhard said. "It comes in waves, I feel like. But it's really nice to be able to be here with everyone and experience sort of the end, even though it doesn't really feel like the end, because we all still talk a lot." Gareth Cattermole, Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Natalia Dyer was 20 years old when she first appeared on Netflix's "Stranger Things" in 2016. Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Dyer, now ushering a new season as a soon-to-be 31-year-old, opted to wear a bold red dress for the final "Stranger Things" premiere as she did for the first. FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP Via Getty Images Dyer attends the "Stranger Things 5" screening in London on Nov. 13, 2025. Kate Green, Getty Images After a breakout Season 1 of "Stranger Things," the core cast was back at it on the red carpet circuit for Season 2. Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown attend the premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 2 at Regency Bruin Theatre on Oct. 26, 2017. Frazer Harrison, Getty Images Season 2 of the show saw new cast additions including Sadie Sink as May Mayfield and Dacre Montgomery as her brother, Billy Hargrove. "The Goonies" actor Sean Astin, "Beverly Hills Cop" actor Paul Reiser and "Teenland" actress Linnea Berthelsen also joined the cast. Frazer Harrison, Getty Images Sadie Sink, now 23, attends Netflix's "Stranger Things 2" premiere on Oct. 26, 2017, in Los Angeles. VALERIE MACON / AFP Via Getty Images Sink attends the world premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 5 in Los Angeles. Kevin Winter / Getty Images Sink attends a "Stranger Things" Season 5 screening in London. Kate Green, Getty Images Brown walked hand-in-hand with costar Sink on the black carpet at the Hollywood premiere of "Stranger Things" Season 5 on Nov. 6, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. Roger Kisby / Getty Images The two have been red carpet besties since the beginning. Frazer Harrison, Getty Images Joe Keery, now 33, has been part of the original "Stranger Things" cast since Season 1. Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Fast forward a decade later, Keery has also forayed into the music industry. Gareth Cattermole, Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Keery opts for an edgy, all-black look at the final premiere of "Stranger Things" in Los Angeles. Kevin Winter, Getty Images Charlie Heaton, the brooding Jonathan Byers on "Stranger Things," has also been on the show since the start. Here he is pictured at the 2017 BAFTA Tea Party at Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. Phillip Faraone / Getty Images Heaton, now 31, attends the world premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" final season. Kevin Winter / Getty Images Heaton, a UK native, attends the "Stranger Things" screening in London. Gareth Cattermole, Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Mother! Winona Ryder attends the Season 1 premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" at Mack Sennett Studios on July 11, 2016, in Los Angeles. Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Ryder attends the 2025 world premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" in Los Angeles. Kevin Winter / Getty Images Blast from the past! David Harbour at the premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" at Mack Sennett Studios on July 11, 2016. Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images David Harbour, now 50, attends the final premiere of "Stranger Things." He plays Jim Hopper. Kevin Winter / Getty Images Father-daughter duo from the start. Harbour and Brown attend the after party for the premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" in 2016. Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images The final "Stranger Things" premiere was nearly plagued with controversy after reports surfaced from the Daily Mail on Nov. 1 that Brown had allegedly filed a harassment and bullying claim against her onscreen dad before filming began. During the Nov. 7 premiere, however, the actors showed a united front, conveying nothing but admiration toward each other as phones and cameras measured their every move. Kevin Winter / Getty Images Priah Ferguson, who plays Lucas Sinclair's younger sister Erica Sinclair, also joined the cast of "Stranger Things" in Season 1. She has gradually become a fan favorite with her sassy attitude and quick wit toward her onscreen brother Caleb and the rest of the Hawkins gang. Here she is pictured at the Season 3 premiere of the show on June 28, 2019, in Santa Monica, California. Rachel Murray / Getty Images Priah Ferguson attends Netflix's "Stranger Things" red carpet premiere for Season 5. Charley Gallay / Getty Images Maya Hawke attends the New York screening of "Stranger Things" Season 3 at DGA Theater on Nov. 11, 2019, in New York City. Daniel Zuchnik / Getty Images Maya Hawke attends Netflix's "Stranger Things" Season 5 World Premiere at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on Nov. 6, 2025, in Hollywood, California. Charley Gallay / Getty Images For Netflix Say "Vecna"! "Stranger Things" cast Gaten Matarazzo, Natalia Dyer, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown (front right) attend the BUILD Series at AOL HQ on Aug. 31, 2016, in New York City. Michael Loccisano, Getty Images Strike a pose! The Core Four of Hawkins hit the 22nd annual Critics' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on Dec. 11, 2016, in Santa Monica, California. Christopher Polk Caleb McLaughlin, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp and Gaten Matarazzo at the 22nd annual Critics' Choice Awards. 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