Meet The New ‘Stranger Things’ Season 3 Cast, Characters

This 4th of July, Netflix is giving people one more major thing to celebrate: the return of “Stranger Things”!

It’s been almost two years since new episodes of the ’80s-set, fantasy-horror series were released, but that’s all about to change because Season 3 of the show comes out on Thursday.

Of the new season, the synopsis shares, “It’s 1985 in Hawkins, Indiana, and summer's heating up. School’s out, there’s a brand new mall in town, and the Hawkins crew are on the cusp of adulthood. Romance blossoms and complicates the group’s dynamic, and they’ll have to figure out how to grow up without growing apart.

“Meanwhile, danger looms. When the town’s threatened by enemies old and new, Eleven [Millie Bobby Brown] and her friends are reminded that evil never ends; it evolves. Now they’ll have to band together to survive, and remember that friendship is always stronger than fear.”

Before eight all-new episodes release on Netflix on Thursday, and fans get to see the return of all their favorite characters, it’s time to get to know the new cast members and characters joining Netflix’s “Stranger Things” for Season 3:

Maya Hawke (Robin)

After going back in time to portray Jo March in the 2017 “Little Women” mini-series, the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman is transporting back in time once again, this time for Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”

“Robin is an alternative girl who is equal parts sharp and playful,” according to Deadline. “Bored with her mundane day job, she just wants a little excitement in her life… and gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a dark secret in Hawkins.”

Cary Elwes (Mayor Larry Kline)

While he’s worked on some TV shows like “Life in Pieces,” “The Art of More” and “Psych,” most viewers will likely recognize Elwes from his film roles. To name a few, he played Westley in “The Princess Bride,” Major Cabot Forbes in “Glory,” Boone in “The Jungle Book,” Jerry in “Liar Liar,” Dr. Lawrence Gordon in “Saw,” Edgar in “Ella Enchanted” and more.

His Netflix character is “handsome, slick and sleazy… your classic 80s politician — more concerned with his own image than with the people of the small town he governs,” Deadline reported.

Jake Busey (Bruce)

The actor’s been doing quite a bit of television lately. Prior to “Stranger Things,” Busey worked on “L.A.’s Finest” as Bishop Duvall, as Tony Caine on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” as Earl on Hulu’s “Freakish” and as Aiden Tanner on “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series.” In the world of movies, the son of Garey Busey was recently in “The Predator” and “A Boy Called Sailboat.”

As for his role on the Netflix series, Bruce is a Hawkins Post journalist with “questionable morals and a sick sense of humor,” the outlet shared of the character.

Caroline Arapoglou (Winnie)

Earlier this year, Arapoglou guest-starred on an episode of “The Walking Dead,” and she also co-starred in a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, “Love Takes Flight,” with Nikki Deloach and Jeff Hephner. She also recurred as Noni Turner on the Fox medical series “The Resident.”

Winnie will apparently have her sights set on Billy (Dacre Montgomery) in Season 3, according to Digital Spy.

Francesca Reale (Heather)

Most recently, she was in the movie “Yes, God, Yes,” which also featured fellow “Stranger Things” cast member Natalia Dyer. The film was shown at this year’s South by Southwest festival. Previously, Reale played Emily on Colleen Ballinger’s Netflix series, “Haters Back Off!”

Per Variety, Heather is “a popular lifeguard at the Hawkins Community Pool who becomes the centerpiece of a dark mystery.”

All eight episodes of “Stranger Things” Season 3 will be released on Netflix on Thursday (July 4) at the time of 3:01 a.m. EDT.