Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Season 2 Cast, Voice Actors, Characters and Release Date

The Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Season 2 cast brings back Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Luca Diaz as Mike, Benjamin Plessala as Will, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Elisha "EJ" Williams as Lucas, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max and Odessa A’zion as Nikki Baxter. Netflix has also confirmed the return of Brett Gipson, Janeane Garofalo, Jeremy Jordan, Alessandra Antonelli, Valeria Rodriguez and Jack Griffo.

Season 2 premieres on Netflix on September 17, 2026. The new episodes begin immediately after the Season 1 finale and follow the Hawkins Investigators Club as strange flowers, ghostly apparitions and a swarm of dangerous "hate sprites" threaten to open another gate to the Upside Down.

This guide separates the voice performers from the live-action Stranger Things actors, explains who each returning character is and collects the confirmed story and release information in one place. If you want a refresher on the original series, start with our Stranger Things cast and series guide.

Cast and character guide

Who voices Eleven, Mike and the Hawkins Investigators Club?

Brooklyn Davey Norstedt voices Eleven, the telekinetic heart of the group. Netflix’s character guide describes this version of Eleven as someone who is finally adjusting to life with Hopper, ordinary friendships and the possibility of being a regular kid. Her powers still make her the crew’s strongest defense when the supernatural reaches Hawkins. Norstedt previously appeared as Amber in WeCrashed.

Luca Diaz voices Mike Wheeler. Mike remains smart, stubborn and protective of Eleven, and his instinct is often to keep the danger inside the friend group before adults can separate them. Diaz’s previous voice credits include Migration and Transformers: EarthSpark, which makes him one of the young cast members with established animation experience.

Braxton Quinney voices Dustin Henderson, the group’s most enthusiastic believer in paranormal explanations. Dustin helped turn the friends into the Hawkins Investigators Club, or HIC, and his curiosity is likely to make him central to the new mystery. Quinney’s screen credits include Bigger and You Can’t Take My Daughter.

Elisha "EJ" Williams voices Lucas Sinclair. Lucas wants the normal parts of 1985, including school, games and his relationship with Max, but he is also quick to challenge a threat directly. Williams is best known for playing Dean Williams in The Wonder Years and has voice experience from Firebuds and The Loud House.

Benjamin Plessala as Will and Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max

Benjamin Plessala voices Will Byers. Will entered the animated story hoping for a clean slate after the Upside Down’s earlier hold on him. His friendship with Nikki gives him someone who understands what it feels like to be outside the group, while Season 2 again places him close to activity that other people may not immediately understand. Plessala has appeared in Big Little Lies, American Auto and Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Jolie Hoang-Rappaport voices Max Mayfield. Max is tough, direct and loyal, and the new Season 2 photos and plot description place her alongside Nikki when the strange flowers begin spreading through Hawkins. Their attempt to sell the flowers appears to turn a local curiosity into a town-wide problem. Hoang-Rappaport’s credits include Head of the Class, Watchmen and My Adventures with Superman.

Odessa A’zion as Nikki Baxter

Odessa A’zion voices Nikki Baxter, the animated spin-off’s major original character. Nikki is a transfer student who initially keeps people at a distance, but she becomes a loyal member of the crew and forms a particularly close friendship with Will. Her confidence, practical skills and refusal to tolerate bullies give the established Stranger Things group a different energy.

Season 2 keeps Nikki in the core ensemble. Netflix says she and Max begin selling the mysterious flowers that appear around Hawkins, unaware that the beautiful petals conceal something supernatural. A’zion has appeared in Marty Supreme, I Love LA, Ghosts and Nashville. Her character does not replace a live-action series regular; Nikki was created for Tales From ’85.

The returning adult and teen voice cast

Brett Gipson returns as Jim Hopper, Hawkins’ police chief and Eleven’s protective father figure. Janeane Garofalo returns as Anna Baxter, Nikki’s mother and the biology teacher who took over Mr. Clarke’s classroom during Season 1. Anna’s scientific curiosity can be useful in a story built around unnatural flowers, although Netflix has not revealed the extent of her Season 2 involvement.

Jeremy Jordan returns as Steve Harrington. This is the animated version of the bat-wielding older teen played by Joe Keery in the live-action series. Alessandra Antonelli voices Nancy Wheeler, while Valeria Rodriguez returns as Rosario and Jack Griffo returns as Jeff. Netflix has confirmed all six performers for Season 2 but has not published detailed episode-by-episode roles.

The Season 2 announcement does not list every Season 1 supporting performer. That means viewers should not assume Lou Diamond Phillips, Robert Englund, Alysia Reiner or Griffin Burns will appear until Netflix adds them to the confirmed Season 2 lineup or the episode credits are released.

Are the original Stranger Things actors in the animated cast?

The principal animated characters are voiced by a different cast. Brooklyn Davey Norstedt voices Eleven rather than Millie Bobby Brown, Luca Diaz voices Mike rather than Finn Wolfhard, and Benjamin Plessala voices Will rather than Noah Schnapp. The same applies to Dustin, Lucas, Max, Hopper, Steve and Nancy.

That distinction matters for cast searches because the animated series uses familiar character designs without using the live-action performances. Readers following the original actors can visit our profile on Noah Schnapp and our guide to Maya Hawke’s career. For the main show’s final chapter, we also have a separate look at Stranger Things Season 5 theories.

What is Tales From ’85 Season 2 about?

Season 2 picks up right after the Hawkins Investigators Club defeats the Horde Queen and prevents a new gate from opening in the Season 1 finale. The kids return to arcade games, HIC missions and plans for Valentine’s Day, but normal life does not last. Iridescent flowers begin appearing across Hawkins, ghostlike apparitions are reported and creatures described as hate sprites start causing trouble.

The group must identify the source of the activity before another gate to the Upside Down is torn open. Familiar locations include Hawkins Middle School and the Palace Arcade. Showrunner Eric Robles has also teased a mine that the franchise has not explored before, giving the new season a fresh location beneath the town.

Netflix has not released a full episode guide or individual titles as of August 20, 2026. The official description is enough to show that the flowers are not a side detail. They connect the immediate aftermath of Season 1 to the next threat and create a reason for the phenomenon to spread across the community.

Where does the animated series fit in the Stranger Things timeline?

Tales From ’85 is set in the winter of 1985, between Seasons 2 and 3 of the live-action Stranger Things. The gate has been closed, Eleven is living with Hopper and the core friends are trying to return to ordinary life. The spin-off uses that quieter space in the timeline to tell new Hawkins mysteries without moving beyond the ending of the original show.

Season 2 continues the animated storyline rather than jumping to a different year. Viewers should watch Tales From ’85 Season 1 first because the new season begins after its finale and carries forward Nikki, Anna and the HIC. Anyone looking for more genre options can also browse our list of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix.

Tales From ’85 Season 2 release date and how to watch

Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Season 2 premieres September 17, 2026, on Netflix. Netflix has not announced a theatrical preview for Season 2 or confirmed whether every episode will arrive at once. Netflix describes the date as the arrival of new episodes, but the exact release format remains unconfirmed.

Season 1 is already streaming on Netflix and should be watched before the new episodes. It establishes the animated voice cast, introduces Nikki and Anna Baxter, forms the Hawkins Investigators Club and ends with the threat that Season 2 immediately continues.