The Vecna, revealed to be not only Henry Creel, but the fabled Number One in Dr. Brenner’s experiments, is the latest in a long line of Stranger Things monsters that have been defined by the world of Dungeons & Dragons. The kids of the beloved Netflix series are absolutely obsessed with the fantasy role-playing game, and once their lives became completely absorbed by the supernatural events going on in Hawkins, they began defining literally everything in Dungeons & Dragons terms. However, one thing that they never seem to address within the series is the concept of the D&D character alignments.
These character alignments can be any combination of these concepts: lawful, neutral, and chaotic, combined with evil, neutral, or good. And the characters in Stranger Things really run across the entire spectrum, from chaotic evil all the way to lawful good and everywhere in between. In a world where life or death choices have become a regular occurrence, morality can be seen as somewhat relative, within the context of the Dungeons & Dragons war of good versus evil, this is where all of the major players land.
Henry Creel – Chaotic Evil
Henry Creel is an exceptionally terrifying Stranger Things antagonist because unlike many of the monsters, his humanity is front and center from the start of his character arc.
Although Number One’s obsession with making the world into exactly what he thinks it should be could push him onto the more Lawful end of the character alignment spectrum, the utter mayhem that he has consistently caused at every opportunity is undeniably chaotic. And his utter revulsion towards all things human is about as evil as it comes.
Martin Brenner – Lawful Evil
Season 4 of Stranger Things has undeniably revealed a new facet to Dr. Martin Brenner, and he might not be the ultimate evil that he appeared to be in season 1. But, he’s still a doctor with a god complex who thinks he has the right to imprison and torture children, so there’s no denying that he’s a permanent baddie.
Brenner undoubtedly justifies everything he’s ever done to himself, and he might sincerely believe that he’s acting in the greater good, but it’s incredibly arrogant for him to believe that he alone is capable or entitled to make the calls that he makes. He does a lot of terrible things within his own set of rules and regulations, making him distinctly Lawful Evil.
Jonathan Byers – True Neutral
Jonathan is one of the most interesting and realistic characters in Stranger Things in the sense that he’s a little all over the place. He has done bad things and good, and he’s followed the rules sometimes and broken them in others. Therefore, he’s ultimately a True Neutral character.
Jonathan is exceptionally brave and extremely loving towards the people in his life. But was it not for Will’s disappearance, it seems unlikely that he’d dive into the supernatural goings-on in Hawkins, let alone risk his life to take on the bizarre creatures of the Upside Down. But when he’s called upon to do what’s right, he’ll do it.
Nancy Wheeler – Neutral Good
When Nancy Wheeler lost her best friend Barb, she didn’t hesitate to go after her, even when it was dangerous and terrifying. Nancy had her moments of weakness to be sure, but she was ultimately willing to do what it took to do the right thing, and she has become one of the boldest and most ferocious characters in the Stranger Things world.
Nancy always at least attempts to operate within the rules and boundaries that are set out for her, but she also doesn’t hesitate to break the rules if she thinks it’s necessary for the benefit of everyone. She definitely falls into the category of a neutral good character.
Steve Harrington – Lawful Good
In one of the best character arcs in the entire series, Steve Harrington has become one of the most sincerely good and decent people in all of Stranger Things. He was a legitimate jerk when he was first introduced into the story, but he proved himself to be very capable of serious self-reflection, and he decided on his own to become a better person.
But while Steve is undeniably a pretty good guy, he is also the type to do whatever someone tells him to do, even in an emergency situation. His decision to follow the rules even when he potentially shouldn’t is peak Lawful Good behavior.
Robin Buckley – True Neutral
Robin is definitely a good person in terms of general morality, but given that she hasn’t really played a significant part in the big supernatural battles of Hawkins, her current character alignment seems best suited for the True Neutral category.
Robin’s relationship with Steve has obviously pulled her into the bizarre world of the Upside Down, but it doesn’t seem likely that she’d be involved with these shenanigans were it not for him. She’s neither hero nor villain and represents genuine neutrality in Stranger Things.
Billy Hargrove – Chaotic Neutral
Billy’s behavior for the vast majority of his presence on the series was undoubtedly cruel, but clearly, his ultimate decision to sacrifice his own life to save El showed that there was a lot of hidden depth within him.
Billy Hargrove seemed like an impulsive and emotionally volatile individual who barely seemed to think before reacting very intensely, and everything that he did caused shockwaves to everyone around him. In that sense, he seems like the picture-perfect representation of a Chaotic Neutral character alignment.
Max Mayfield – True Neutral
Max Mayfield has definitely started to come into her own as a character and as a part of the party, but often times she feels more like a passenger on the weird trip that the characters are on instead of someone who is actively participating and making choices that influence the course of events.
After Billy’s tragic death and the obvious trauma that Max experienced as a result of it, she became a target of Vecna and has finally taken center stage in the main plot of season 4. However, Max still feels like she’s somewhat outside of the party and she doesn’t seem to involve herself in these battles against evil unless she’s dragged into them by outside forces, making her a fairly Neutral character.
Joyce Byers – Neutral Good
Joyce Byers may be tiny, but boy is she tough. She is a genuinely kind and loving woman, and even though she is typically a very sweet and subdued individual, she becomes a fierce fighter when someone’s safety is threatened.
She is willing to do what is necessary for the greater good, even if it’s painful for her, but she also prioritizes the health and happiness of the people she loves over her own personal safety. Joyce will operate within the rules and regulations of the world if she can, but she also pays no mind to going outside the boundaries of appropriate behavior if she deems it necessary to.
Jim Hopper – Chaotic Good
It’s actually ironic that Jim is the chief of police in Hawkins because he is one of the first people to break the rules or even break the law if it’s for the benefit of himself, his loved ones, or the world. Jim understandably values human lives over almost everything, but he also trusts his own judiciousness over whatever the world tells him is right or wrong.
He doesn’t mind hurting someone who would hurt someone else, and he knows that sometimes someone might need to suffer or even die if it’s in service of the greater good. Even though he represents the law, he trusts his own decision-making over the law.
Lucas Sinclair – Lawful Neutral
Lucas Sinclair’s biggest defining characteristic is most definitely that if he cares for someone then he is legitimately ride-or-die for them, whether they’re right or wrong. Lucas himself is undoubtedly a decent person, but he doesn’t think twice about doing something that is morally wrong if it’s for the benefit of someone that matters to him.
And while he’s not someone who strictly abides by the rules of society, he values the rules set forth by his friends more than anything. He’s never one to betray anyone’s trust, and if it’s a choice between protecting someone with lies or endangering them with the truth, he’ll choose the latter.
Will Byers (When Possessed) – Chaotic Evil
While the real version is a caring and sensitive boy, Will Byers possessed by the mind flayer is Chaotic Evil. Will Byers himself is an absolute sweetheart, but there is no denying that his possession puts everyone around him in danger, and the love and trust that everyone he knows has for him gives him the opening to introduce serious and deadly mayhem into the world around him.
It’s quite a tragic irony because at his truest self Will is probably the most benevolent out of all of his friends, but because he has been the vessel of an evil entity he has been able to do more destruction than nearly anyone else.
Dustin Henderson – Chaotic Neutral
Dustin is undoubtedly one of the most charming and endearing characters on Stranger Things, but having a winning personality doesn’t mean that he always does the right thing. In fact he often times does the wrong thing. But it’s not because of any particular ethos, it’s because he tends to focus on what he wants or what his friends want and thinks about very little beyond that.
And after keeping a demodog as a pet without sharing that potentially deadly information with anyone else, it’s pretty impossible to deny that Dustin leans towards the Chaotic side of the character alignment scale.
Mike Wheeler – True Neutral
If there is one thing that can obviously be said about the party, it’s that they stick together through thick and thin. They don’t always get along, but when it comes down to it they will always have each other’s backs, for better or for worse. Mike is another character who doesn’t seem to care about breaking the rules, but he’ll still follow them if he’s able to.
And he is also a generally good person who will do the right thing if he feels like he can, but he also won’t hesitate to do something that is objectively morally wrong if it’s in service of someone he cares about.
Eleven – Chaotic Neutral
El’s very existence flies in the face of everything that most people believe and understand about the world, so she is very inherently and fundamentally chaotic.
And yet again, like most of her friends, she is the type of person who does strive to do the right thing if she can, but she has no qualms about doing something that is absolutely horrendous if it’s in service of what she needs or what the people she loves need. Eleven is a person who lives in a state of constant extremes, so she’s pretty much the textbook definition of a Chaotic Neutral character.
