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‘Stranger Things’: See How the Stars Have Transformed from Season 1 to Season 3

By Brett White @brettwhite

Published June 24, 2019, 10:30 a.m. ET

cast of stranger things then and now — Here is the *Stranger Things* cast in Season 1 and Season 3.photos: Netflix; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

Stranger Things Then and Now Millie Bobby Brown — **Millie Bobby Brown then and now!**
Eleven has come into her own as a teenage fashion plate, probably due to her jaunt to Chicago (see, the episode wasn't worthless!). She's gone from wearing hand-me-downs to rocking her own mall-ready looks. Photos: Netflix

Stranger Things Then and Now Finn Wolfhard — **Finn Wolfhard then and now!**
Mike Wheeler has gone through a lot since he first snuck Eleven into his basement. For one thing, this high schooler is now going steady with Eleven. Photos: Netflix

Stranger Things Then and Now Gaten Matarazzo — **Gaten Matarazzo then and now!**
Dustin Henderson is obviously still a fan of baseball hats. Our baby-faced hero is definitely growing up; the stress of keeping a Demogorgon as a pet will definitely age you. Photos: Netflix

Stranger Things Then and Now Caleb McLaughlin — **Caleb McLaughlin then and now!**
Lucas Sinclair isn't a background character anymore. Looking at him in Season 3, he's easily the most stylish of all his D&D buds. Honestly, Lucas could be on a show set in 2019, he's that forward-thinking! Photos: Netflix

Stranger Things Then and Now Noah Schnapp — **Noah Schnapp then and now!**
Will Byers still has the same haircut that he did before he was dragged into the Upside Down years ago, and he's definitely aging out of it. The growth spurts are real in Season 3!Photos: Netflix

Stranger Things Then and Now Natalia Dyer — **Natalia Dyer then and now!**
Nancy Wheeler's come into her own on the show, going from dating the cool boy in school to blowing the cover on a massive government conspiracy. To reflect that growth, Nancy's sporting a shorter, more mature hairstyle in Season 3. Photos: Netflix

Stranger Things Then and Now Charlie Heaton — **Charlie Heaton then and now!**
Jonathan Byers has grown from a loner into a protective figure, forging unexpected friendships and relationships along the way. He's a young adult now, and he looks it. Photos: Netflix

Stranger Things Then and Now Joe Keery — **Joe Keery then and now!**
Steve Harrington has undergone the biggest change of any character since Season 1. Initially a bratty bully, Steve embraced his maternal instincts (who knew?!) and became the fiercest protector and best babysitter the junior squad ever had. Now Steve's taken the next step in growing up: dude's got a job. Photos: Netflix

Stranger Things Then and Now Winona Ryder — **Winona Ryder then and now!**
Joyce Byers maybe looks younger now than she did in Season 1-which makes sense seeing as how she was stressed AF back then, what with her missing kid and all. Also Joyce's hair is on point, but would we expect anything else from Winona Ryder? Photos: Netflix

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Stranger Things

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Thought your growing pains were tough? Be glad you didn’t grow up in Hawkins, Indiana! Growing pains in that town are killer–sometimes literally. That’s definitely the case for the tweens and teens in the cast of Stranger Things, Netflix’s instantly iconic sci-fi show about a group of misfit kids banding together to stop an invasion of extra-dimensional monsters. The show introduced us to a new generation of teen stars when it debuted in 2016, and we’ve spent the last few seasons watching them grow up.

Season 3 of the hit show takes place in the summer of 1985, meaning Mike’s D&D group has aged a few years since they first met the super-powered Eleven. Not only are Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will full-on teenagers, the older kids–Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve–are young adults now. Time flies when you’re running from Demogorgons and flipping government vans through the air.

Ahead of Stranger Things‘ long-awaited return on July 4, we’ve put together a side-by-side slideshow of the cast showing just how much they’ve grown from Season 1 to Season 3. Who’s grown the most and whose youth is eternal? Scroll through above and find out.

Stranger Things 3 hits Netflix on Thursday, July 4.

Stream Stranger Things on Netflix