Both Heartstopper and Stranger Things are Netflix properties, successful ones at that, and their stories tackle the challenges of self-discovery, friendship, and all the messy brokenness of love, relationships, and adolescence. Stranger Things might have foundations in science-fiction and Heartstopper is a coming-of-age drama, but when you compare the two, they aren’t so different — and neither are their characters.
For every Heartstopper character, there is a Stranger Things counterpart. By definition, a counterpart is “a person or thing that corresponds to or has the same function as another person or thing in a different place or situation.” Bearing that in mind, these comparisons are made purely based on a character’s personality and function within the wider narrative, not physical likeness (otherwise Nick and Eleven are a tad off the mark, aren’t they?).
Nick Nelson — Eleven/Jane Hopper
Starting off strong, we have Nick Nelson and Jane Hopper, known as Eleven. Under different circumstances, both Nick and Eleven are harboring a secret. For Eleven, she is hiding from Dr. Martin Brenner, her kidnapper, and the associates of Hawkins National Laboratory. That’s a more literal form of ‘hiding’ something than Nick, who discovers his bisexuality throughout the show’s initial eight episodes, and struggles to accept himself. Both Nick and Eleven are admired by those around them, and were raised by a single parent — Hopper in Jane’s case and Sarah in Nick’s.
Charlie Spring — Mike Wheeler
It might be a bit on the nose to compare Charlie and Mike, who are in love with Nick and Eleven, respectively, but they actually have far more in common than you might expect. Both Charlie and Mike value friendship over anything else, oftentimes acting as the glue that holds their friend groups together. From the beginning, Charlie and Mike are unapologetically themselves. They won’t let anyone tell them who they are or push them around, but they’re also infamously kind and compassionate. Although they doubt it at times, they both have leadership qualities that others respect and admire.
Tao Xu — Dustin Henderson
We move graciously forward to the class clowns, Tao and Dustin. Even in the toughest of times, you can guarantee that these pranksters will have a god-awful dad joke up their sleeve. And if they’re not cracking a joke, you can read them like a book — something’s wrong. Tao and Dustin use humor to mask their apprehension in dire situations, but they also express their vulnerability around those they trust. In Tao’s case, he opens up around Elle, and in Dustin’s, he’ll tell Suzie his problems if not his closest friends. Both of them are fiercely protective over their friends and work as the problem solvers of the group to diffuse arguments.
Elle Argent — Max Mayfield
Both Elle and Max had difficult starts to life. Elle is a trans girl who started her journey at Truham Grammar School for Boys, but transferred to Harvey Greene Grammar School for Girls following her transition and the bullying she suffered from her peers in year 11. In some ways, Max was also bullied growing up, but mostly by her older brother Billy. Ironically, when Mike, Dustin, Will, and Lucas first meet Max, they mistake her for a boy, feeding into the stereotype that girls can’t be good at video games. Although Elle is a trans girl and Max is a tomboy, they each face discrimination every day for living a life outside of the norm.
Isaac Henderson — Will Byers
Originally assumed to be gay by Heartstopper fans, Isaac was later confirmed to be on the aro-ace spectrum by Alice Oseman, author of the Heartstopper graphic novels and webtoons. Will Byers, on the other hand, was confirmed to be gay by the Duffer brothers. Both Isaac and Will are the outsiders of their friend group, always staying out of the drama and doing their own thing. In Isaac’s case, he’s a bookworm who loves to read a new book every week. As for Will, he’s a Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast who misses the good old days of Mike, Dustin, and Lucas joining him for a campaign. Both of these characters are stuck in their routines and are resistant to change.
Tara Jones — Lucas Sinclair
Aside from the main character, of course, Tara and Lucas are beloved side characters among their respective fanbases. Tara and Lucas are straight-laced, quiet, and observant. They seem to be the most well-adjusted and keep their friend group grounded in the most plausible and the pragmatic ways. Both sustain realistic approaches to unfathomable situations, such as how Tara handled her coming out to the school by kissing Darcy at an upperclassman’s birthday party or Lucas facing Jason in a head-on brawl to protect Max. As the series progresses, both Tara and Lucas grow more mature, but always retain their more playful side.
Darcy Olsson — Eddie Munson
If there’s one word to describe both Darcy and Eddie, it’s ‘radical.’ These weirdos aren’t afraid to be just that. Darcy is an out-and-proud lesbian who doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her and Eddie is considered a ‘freak’ by half of Hawkins, yet both of them remain authentically themselves. Darcy doesn’t back down when Tara struggles to come out, nor does she let her face the uncertainty alone. As for Eddie, he turns the town’s perception of him on its head when he sacrifices himself to allow the rest of the Hellfire Club to escape the Upside Down. They’re loud and proud for two different reasons; Darcy isn’t ashamed of being gay and Eddie isn’t ashamed to be a full-on nonconformist metalhead.
Tori Spring — Erica Sinclair
Besides the fact that Tori and Erica are the token sisters of the show, they’re also the comedic relief in most situations. Needless to say, they care deeply for their siblings, even if they might come across sarcastic at times. Tori, in one instances, calls her fellow students “soulless, conformist idiots,” and Erica has uttered several like-minded remarks about the older crowd before, especially as they chase after the prospect of a romantic relationship, which doesn’t interest either Tori or Erica. Tori was also confirmed to be aro-ace by Oseman. Although Erica’s sexuality is unknown, we can assume she’s both too young and too disinterested to find love. Both Tori and Erica never really know where they fit in, but they find solace in Charlie and Lucas’ friends.
Harry Greene — Billy Hargrove
This should be an obvious one. Harry relentlessly bullies Charlie throughout Heartstopper and Billy bullies practically everyone that isn’t Mrs. Wheeler. Henry and Billy both play into the classic ‘bad boy’ stereotype with a devil-may-care attitude. Just as Billy is misogynistic, Henry is homophobic. For every bad thing that Billy has to say about women, Henry has a bad word for the LGBTQ+ community. Despite being popular in school, neither Henry nor Billy are shown to have a meaningful connection with another person. Henry and Billy are the secondary antagonists of their respective shows, working under the influence of the real villains.
Mr. Ajayi — Mr. Clarke
Another free stamp on the bingo card. An eye for an eye, a teacher for a teacher. But there’s much more to it than that. Mr. Ajayi is continuously supportive of Charlie’s journey and his crush on Nick, which he frequently encourages. In Charlie’s hour of need, when he’s isolated from his friends and struggling emotionally, Mr. Ajayi is there for him, offering him a classroom to eat lunch in, a shoulder to cry on, and some solid life advice. Mr. Clarke has a similar function for the Hellfire Club, encouraging their scientific creativity and helping them discover that the mysterious magnetic force around Hawkins was linked to the Upside Down.
Imogen Heaney — Robin Buckley
Right off the bat, Imogen and Robin are like two peas in a pod. I’m convinced that they’d get along like a house on fire if they ever met. Both of them talk far too much and far too quickly. Robin’s symptoms have even been diagnosed as ADHD by a licensed therapist, so we’d suspect Imogen falls under the same category, without making any assumptions. Both Imogen and Robin struggled with an overwhelming crush on someone seemingly unattainable, the only difference is that it works out for Robin and not for Imogen. But she’s fine with it, as long as Nick and Charlie are happy. Instead, she supports Nick, her friend, with his relationship. Likewise, Robin tries to find a girl for Steve, her best friend.
Ben Hope — Vecna/Henry Creel/001
We all knew this one was coming. Sebastian Croft (the actor who plays Ben) even confirmed himself that Ben would be Vecna. They’re both snarky, cunning, manipulative, and violent. And their reasoning behind such traits aren’t far removed; Ben’s malevolence stems from being a closeted bisexual, whereas Vecna feels abandoned and exploited by Dr. Martin Brenner and therefore despises humanity as a whole. When either Ben or Vecna don’t get what they want, their attitudes turn aggressive, as shown with Ben bullying and harassing Charlie and Vecna murdering several Hawkins High students. Granted, their misdeeds are on two completely different levels, but their core values are the same.
Sarah Nelson — Joyce Byers
Was there ever any doubt? Of course Olivia Colman’s character is Winona Ryder’s character — come on! Aside from being dedicated mothers, Sarah and Joyce are both warm and understanding, always offering their help to those in need. They’re also fiercely protective over their children, whilst also adopting Charlie (in Sarah’s case) and Eleven (in Joyce’s case) into their family without hesitation. Sarah and Joyce are highly generous, benevolent, and would do anything to keep their sons out of harm’s way. We don’t see Sarah for long enough to properly compare her to Joyce, but even a small amount of screen time confirms our suspicions that these two are not only alike, but would probably be best friends.
Nellie Nelson — Chester Byers
Alright, this one is a half-joke. But let’s end on a high note, shall we? There’s the most obvious reasons for why Chester and Nellie are alike, but it’s also worth noting that they’re the pets of both of our main characters, Nick and Eleven (as Eleven technically becomes a member of the Byers family). Would you look at that for consistency? Although Chester doesn’t have such a happy ending as Nellie, it was still worth including these adorable pups on the list even if to give Chester the love and recognition he deserves. We could have likened Nellie to Dart, but where’s the fun in that? There’s a literal dog right there!