WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 4, vol. 1!
The years-long wait is finally over and the first seven episodes of Stranger Things season 4 are now available to watch on Netflix. Season 4 has stepped up its game to reunite fans with their beloved characters and the horrifying and nightmare-inducing situations the Duffer Brothers put them in. With several new characters joining alongside long-standing favorites like Steve, Hopper, and Eleven, fans are judging the new faces alongside them.
With such a variety of characters, it is hard to keep up with the new ones but viewers have already declared some of the newcomers as fan favorites. While all the new characters have impacted the show in various ways, not all of them are that well-liked by viewers and some are already fittingly and intensely hated by fans.
Angela
Angela, the California mean girl and bully to Eleven, is easily the least liked character in season 4 and possibly the entire show. Angela picks on Jane Hopper in school and even goes as far as publicly humiliating and abusing El at a roller rink.
When Eleven finally had enough, she attacks Angela with a roller-skate leaving her bleeding on the floor. As most fans agree that the character had it coming (even if Eleven went way too far), there is no one who could be more detested than Miss Popularity at the gang's new school.
Jason
Grieving, angry, and scared, Jason is a force to be reckoned with. Despite being incredibly popular at school for being the captain of "shooting balls into laundry baskets," the resident jock and supposed friend of Lucas is not liked by fans.
Using slick words, Jason revs up the fear and anger of Hawkins' residents to help him avenge the deaths of his girlfriend and best friend by hunting assumed-murderer Eddie Munson. This has left Jason with less than 1% of voters liking the quintessential John Hughes jock of Hawkins High, according to a TV Line poll.
Henry Creel/Peter Ballard/001/Vecna
Vecna is an incredibly terrifying villain and the reveal of his true persona is shocking. His earlier alter egos as creepy-serial-killer-child Henry Creel and too-nice-to-be-true Peter Ballard (also known as the friendly orderly) are also not very likable though not on the level of his Vecna persona.
While murdering his family and sentencing his father to prison for the crimes pits Henry as a despicable character with sociopathic tendencies, his torture and murder of animals makes him irredeemable, on top of his killing of troubled teens. With a brilliant performance by Jamie Campbell Bower, the orderly always carried an aura of suspicion that made him untrustworthy and therefore unlikable.
Lt. Colonel Sullivan
Despite going after Eleven for crimes she did not even commit and torturing a man for her whereabouts, the mysterious militant Sullivan is seemingly not all bad. He is dedicated to the safety of his country and believes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
Understandably, Sullivan does not believe in the Upside-Down and the monsters lurking inside it. However, if he witnesses Eleven defeating Vecna then Sullivan has the potential to become an ally with military resources that can help defeat The Mind Flayer and put an end to the Upside-Down nightmare.
Yuri
Over-the-top acting and a couple of "screws loose" create mixed opinions about Murray and Joyce's eccentric pilot Yuri. Though initially recruited by Kamchatka guard Antonov, Yuri betrays everyone for financial gain.
He reveals Hopper's location, Antonov's disloyalty, and plans to hand over Joyce and Murray who are wanted by the KGB. With occasionally funny quips, Yuri is more of a drama queen than Eleven's classmates. Now that chance of material reward is out of reach, Yuri might prove to be a useful ally in volume 2.
Fred Benson
As Jonathan moved to California with his family, Nancy had to find a sleuthing replacement. A geek with a deep hatred for popular people and sports, Fred had no chance of becoming the next Jonathan.
Clearly an intelligent young man, Fred keeps his emotions bottled up inside. His dark past involving a car crash leads the Vecna to him and he becomes the creature's second victim. While no one deserves to die like that, his death was nowhere near as heartbreaking as Chrissy's.
Victor Creel
As one of Vecna's first victims, Victor Creel is a tortured man who deserves more. His time as a soldier in WWII led to the deaths of innocent Germans. Victor's son saw this in his past and used it to torment him before mercilessly killing his family.
Played by Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund puts on a heart-wrenching performance as a grieving widower and father. The character is pitied by fans who believe that if Victor Creel would return and learn that his son is alive but was behind the slaughter of his family, it would reduce the already fragile man to nothing.
Eleven's Siblings
Pushed to the back of her mind, Eleven's trauma erased the many siblings she grew up with - especially since some treated her poorly. Two, in particular, was a brutish character whose desire to do well and impress Papa led him to attack his much younger sister Eleven.
Despite their antagonistic traits, they did not deserve to be brutally murdered by an orderly revealed to be their oldest sibling. Fans hope that some of Eleven's siblings survived the heartbreaking ordeal and though most of Eleven's siblings get very little dialogue, their presence is unwavering.
Vicki
Though Robin's platonic relationship with Steve is goal-worthy, viewers have been hoping their favorite quirky and relatable character could find a girlfriend. Robin came out as a lesbian in 'The Bite' to the applause of viewers but is understandably scared to ask out a girl she likes for fear of becoming a town pariah.
With those fears becoming overwhelmed by more near-death experiences, Robin might just find the courage to ask out sweet and funny band member Vicki. While she doesn't appear much in vol.1, the Anne With An 'E' star's character is set to come back in vol.2 hopefully with much more screen time to flesh out her interesting character.
Chrissy Cunningham
A character who deserved more, Chrissy lasted all of an episode but her presence is still felt throughout the season. Her sweet encounter with Eddie proves she's not the mean popular girl people expect her to be and the abuse she receives from her mother is devastating.
Tortured and killed by Vecna, Chrissy is the innocent that proves no one in Hawkins is safe from the dangers lurking under them. While her murder was expected, the brutality of her death leaves fans and characters in shock.
Argyle
With bundles of main character energy, side character Argyle is the epitome of California surfer dudes. He is kind, compassionate, and hilarious. He drives his best friend's siblings anywhere without question - even if it means going cross-country to save Mike's super-powered girlfriend.
Argyle's sense of fashion oozes '80s beach vibes and his instant connection with Suzie's sister Eden is hilarious. With his incredible hair and a seemingly infinite supply of "Purple Palm Tree Delight." Argyle is the best friend that Jonathan deserves and is on his way to fan-favorite status.
Dmitri 'Enzo' Antonov
Though 'Enzo' began as an unscrupulous guard with a lust for monetary gain, Antonov becomes a true friend to Hopper in the Kamchatka prison. The depth of his character is revealed when he is eager to prove his worth to his son and get back home to him and his wife.
Often bringing moments of levity to some hard-to-watch scenes, this hilarious family man is one of the few allies Hop has in the prison and turns into a brother in arms as they fight against a Demogorgon. His role as translator and Russian guard could prove useful in finding out how Russia got themselves a creature of the Upside-Down.
Eddie Munson
Eddie Munson has quickly become one of the show's fan-favorite characters. The D&D-loving metalhead mines a deeper cave than his classmates believe. Relatable and beloved, Eddie has some of the best quotes in season 4 volume 1.
Seen as a freaky outcast and framed for several murders, Eddie actually has a heart of gold and a soft side that he shows to Chrissy and the Party. His passion for Dungeons & Dragons is unequivocal and while he has a tendency to run away from his problems, those problems are supernatural and cannot be faulted.