TV

The New Characters of ‘Stranger Things 2’: Is There A Barb Among Them?

Who among the Stranger Things 2 cast will become the next internet sensation?
By  · Published on October 23rd, 2017

Who among the Stranger Things 2 cast will become the next internet sensation?

The biggest question that lingered on the internet far after Stranger Things ended was will Barb be back for season 2. That was more popular than what happened to Eleven, the relationship drama between Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan, or the after-effects of the Upside Down on Will Byers. We know for certain, that Barb will not be returning in season 2. So the question becomes who will be the new Barb?

There are quite a few characters joining the cast of Stranger Things this time around. All the characters in the series can easily be separated into groups: the children (Mike, Duncan, Lucas, Will, Eleven), the teenagers (Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan), and the adults (Joyce Byers and Jim Hooper).  In all instances, these groups are about to be shaken up with new characters and dynamics running through them. There will be familiar faces in the actor’s cast, as well as, fresh finds that might catch on in the same way that Barb connected with audiences around the globe. In all honesty, there can only be one Barb. She will hold a special place for all of us because as Vulture‘s Brian Moylan said: “We are all Barb.” So the question becomes not who will be the next Barb, but rather who has the chances of capturing that same kind of connection with the audience.

Dacre Montgomery

Known for: Power Rangers (2017), Better Watch Out 

Character: Billy

Barb?: No

From the looks of it, Montgomery is going to be joining the love triangle of Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan. Either that or as EW has reported he will be a new human antagonist to add some drama to the human side of the things. Billy is the older brother of another new character, Max, and they both seem to have some kind of weird history going on. Whether Billy has a change of heart like Steve did in Season One remains to be seen, but for now, expect Montgomery to play the new bully in town.

Sean Astin

Known for: Lord of the Rings, The Goonies 

Character: Bob Newby

Barb?: Maybe

Sean Astin joins the cast of Stranger Things as another actor that was made famous by the 80’s. He apparently is going to be a new love interest for Winona Ryder’s character Joyce. This makes for another interesting love triangle as Joyce and Jim Hopper definitely have some kind of connection that still exists after they were in a relationship a long time ago. Apparently, Sean Astin’s character Bob Newby also attended the same high school as Joyce and Jim thus creating an even more intriguing link between the characters. Of course, there are similarities between The Goonies and Stranger Things as well, so it seems kind of ironic that Sean Astin joined the cast. Hopefully, it is in a performance we’ve never seen from him before.

Sadie Sink

Known for: The Glass Castle 

Character: Max

Barb?: No

Sadie Sink will be joining the cast of Stranger Things 2 as Max. According to EW, Max’s behavior and interests make her more comfortable with the boys than girls her own age. She has a difficult history and has a hard time trusting those around her. So Max is basically the Beverly Marsh of Stranger Things now. If the similarities between Stephen King’s IT and Stranger Things weren’t apparent before they are now. With the addition of Max they are mixing up the dynamic between the four boys and Eleven. Nerdist did some digging on their own and found that Max will be a big part of the premiere currently entitled ‘Mad Max’ and that she first came on the boy’s radar with a high score in the arcade classic Dig Dug.

Linnea Berthelsen

Known for: Web TV-Series The Desert

Character: Roman

Barb?: Maybe

Extremely little is known about the character Linnea Berthelsen will be playing. She is credited as playing Roman a young woman who suffered a great loss as a child. Even though she won’t be with the characters in Hawkins, she has a connection with the events that took place in the lab. Combing through the final trailer that Netflix released for Stranger Things 2, she isn’t visible throughout. Perhaps she is another test subject similar to Eleven and she’ll lead to some bigger answers about what exactly is going on. Regardless, there is no question that Roman is the most mysterious of the new characters and the one we know the least about.

Paul Reiser

Known for: Aliens, Mad About You (TV)

Character: Dr. Owens

Barb?: No

Paul Reiser is positioned to become the new face of the enemy. According to THR, he is supposedly a high ranking member in the “Department of Energy” who is sent to Hawkins to oversee the clean up of the strange events that occurred during season 1. We see that in the trailer he is the one to examine what ails Will after the events of season 1 and there should be little hesitation into exactly what his intent might be. Apparently, The Duffer Brothers always had Paul Riser in their mind for the character of Dr. Owens because he was named Paul Riser in the script. They just figured that they should ask him and he said he wanted to do it.

Related Topics: ,

News Writer/Columnist for Film School Rejects. It’s the Pictures Co-host. Bylines Playboy, ZAM, Paste Magazine and more.