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The Stranger Things gang welcomes a fresh face despite the Netflix spin-off's challenging timeline.

According to its synopsis, viewers are invited to return to Hawkins for Stranger Things: Tales From 85, a thrilling new animated series set during the winter of 1985. For those requiring a reminder, that positions it between Seasons 2 and 3 of the original show.

While snow covers the town, the terrors of the Upside Down are at last beginning to fade. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have returned to an ordinary life of D&D, snowball fights, and peaceful days.

Yet beneath the ice, something sinister has stirred. Could it originate from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere completely different? Our heroes must scramble to unravel this mystery and rescue Hawkins in this fresh story set within the Stranger Things universe, reports the Mirror.

Nevertheless, the heroes will also gain new companions to confront their enemies. The spin-off series unveils several brand new characters not previously encountered. This includes newcomer Nikki Baxter. But who is she? And how does she arrive in Hawkins? Here's everything you need to know.

Who is Nikki Baxter?

Nikki Baxter makes an almost immediate impact with her pink hair and distinctly 'super punk rock' aesthetic. She's a transfer student who has recently relocated to Hawkins. Having relocated numerous times throughout her life, Nikki has never truly formed lasting friendships and has grown used to relying on herself. Yet this hasn't dampened her confidence, and she swiftly leaves her mark on the group, with Will in particular empathising with Nikki and welcoming her into the fold.

Nikki has arrived in Hawkins as her mother has taken on the role of temporarily covering for science teacher Mr Clarke during his sabbatical. She is also there to be closer to her partner Daniel.

Both Amanda Baxter and Daniel are driven scientists in their own right, with Mrs Baxter having a notable history of conducting experiments on plant life.

Her daughter Nikki shares this same passion for experimentation, though her focus tends towards crafting inventions that could prove highly effective as weapons against otherworldly creatures.

The character is brought to life by actress Odessa A'zion, whom viewers may well recognise from several other projects. She recently appeared in the film Marty Supreme alongside Timothy Chalamet and features in the HBO series I Love LA.

She also portrayed Stephanie in the American version of the sitcom Ghosts. Her character was the teenager who largely resided in the attic and met her fate on prom night. A'zion has opened up about how she believes Nikki slots into the wider Hawkins gang, complementing each of their DandD-like roles perfectly. With Will as the cleric and Mike as the paladin, she describes Nikki as "the barbarian and the protector of the crew. They had everything, and she was the missing puzzle piece. You need a little muscle in that crew."

She further remarked: "As such, she wants to stick up for people who have trouble sticking up for themselves, and I think she's a badass for that."

Eric Robles, showrunner for the animated series, also shared his thoughts on the character: "Nikki is the audience's eyes. She comes into this world completely new. She's got her own issues that she's been dealing with, and it's these kids who step into her world in a sense.

"So when the chaos starts to unfold, she's got to figure things out with the kids because there's no way that she could just walk away [from what she's seen] and pretend like it never happened."

Stranger Things: Tales from 85 is streaming on Netflix.