Dustin Henderson

Overview... student at Hawkins Middle School in Indiana who’s caught up in unraveling a mystery after one of his best friends disappears. Dustin played Dungeon & Dragons one night with his buddies Mike, Lucas, and Will, just like they did many nights. But on this particular evening, Will never made it home. Then when the boys go looking for Will, they find a very strange girl named (they think) Eleven. Things only get odder, and more dangerous, from there.

Personality... smart, goofy, and confident. Dustin gets picked on because he has cleidocranial dysplasia, which causes him to lisp because his teeth and jaw are oddly shaped. But he doesn't let the bullies get to him. He’s secure in who he is and that his friends have his back, and that’s what matters. In fact, his only seeming insecurity is that while his other friends have lived in Hawkins their whole lives, he “only” moved to town in fourth grade and is thus the relative latecomer to their group. But his devotion and resourcefulness quickly won him a spot in the group.