Martin Brenner

Died: Season 4Actor: Matthew ModineOther than Vecna, Dr. Brenner is the number one iconic villain. With his sullen, dignified cruelty towards Eleven, he definitely gave us the spooks. His villainous potential was never fully exploited until Chapter 4, with his reason for torturing Eleven finally revealed beyond the whole “I’m a bad guy doing bad stuff” malarkey.The mad scientist who experi... read more

Dr. Martin Brenner, portrayed by Matthew Modine, was a main character in Stranger Things, appearing in the first and fourth seasons. Brenner also made a cameo appearance in the show's second season, and was the main antagonist of the novel Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds and the comic Stranger Things: SIX.

Brenner, who allegedly worked for the US Department of Energy, was a government figure steeped in mystery and controversy. He was a senior research scientist and director of Hawkins National Laboratory. He had a major role in various controversial experiments, including Project MKUltra. Following MKUltra, Brenner raised a number of test subjects at Hawkins Lab, including Eleven, who possessed psychokinetic abilities.