Stranger Things: 10 Best Supporting Characters

7. Dr Martin Brenner

Stranger Things Joyce Bob Newby
Netflix

The town of Hawkins has seen a lot of horrifying creatures in its time. However, there’s something eviller than a Demigorgon and a Mind Flayer that’s reared its head in the small town, and that creature is none other than Dr Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine).

After a long and shady career that saw him become involved with the notorious MKUltra programme, Brenner became the lead researcher at Hawkins Laboratory where he continued his experimentations. It was during this time he abducted a baby girl (Eleven) from one of his test subjects before proceeding to traumatise the mother into a catatonic state.

If all that doesn’t sound evil enough, it was Brenner’s experiments that released Demigorgon upon Hawkins in the first place. Every horrifying encounter and heart-breaking loss that’s occurred since can therefore all be attributed to Brenner’s nefarious actions.

Although the monstrous doctor appeared to meet his end at the finale of the first season, it was later confirmed that he was still alive somewhere. With no official appearance in the third season, though, it’s likely we’ll meet him again soon - especially since he's featured in a new teaser trailer.

Some have even theorised Brenner is the captured American referenced in season three.

Contributor
Contributor

Glasgow-based cinephile who earned a Masters degree in film studies to spend their time writing about cinema, video games, and horror.