Stranger Things: 5 Best & 5 Worst Characters

Hopper's journey from uninterested suburban police chief to a determined one-man army fighting against the system is one of the best character arcs in the first series. He begins by trying to downplay Will's disappearance but he cannot ignore his investigative instincts which eventually lead him down a dark and dangerous path.

Later we learn in flashbacks that he has a rather agonising past which allows him to completely empathise with Joyce's overwhelming need to find her son. It also makes us feel deep sympathy when we begin to understand that his daughter's death tore down his hopes and dreams and led him to the dreary suburban life we found him in. It also explains his lack of value in his own life, taking on the seemingly untouchable Department of Energy and eventually sending him fearlessly into the Upside Down with Joyce despite owing her and her boy nothing.

While he ends up being a rather tragic character, it is Hopper's heroism and intuition which are vital to the story, as while the kids managed to evade capture for most of the show they needed Hopper to finally take on Papa and bring Will home. A true hero.