Hawkins National Laboratory

Evil Organization
Full Name	Hawkins National Laboratory
Alias	Hawkins Lab
Origin	Stranger Things
Foundation	Between 1945 and 1953
Headquarters	Hawkins National Labaratory
Commanders	Martin Brenner (until 1983) Sam Owens
Agents	Connie Frazier Ray Carroll Multiple staff and orderlies HNL Test Subjects (One, Two, Eight, Eleven and others)
Powers / Skills	Control over psychic children Governmental influence
Goals	Raise children as weapons
Crimes	Unethical experimentation Kidnapping Torture
Type of Villains	Conspiratorial Extremists

The Hawkins National Laboratory are the overarching antagonists of the Stranger Things franchise.

They are a secretive organization located in Hawkins, Indiana that was established after the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Led by Martin Brenner, they are a group who performed unethical experiments on pregnant women and raised their psychic children as weapons against the Soviet. They are responsible for the upbringing of both the main antagonist and a protagonist of the show, One and Eleven.

History

The controversial "MKUltra" research program, which involved tests on human volunteers, was established between the 1950s and the 1970s. These tests were assisted by Dr. Martin Brenner, a senior researcher for the US Department of Energy. Hawkins Lab's MKUltra testing started in 1953. The individual was put through extreme conditions by the researchers, such as the use of psychedelic substances, physical and emotional torture, sleep deprivation, and malnutrition, in order to develop mind-control techniques.

In 1959, Virginia Creel got in touch with Brenner because she thought her son Henry was to blame for a number of strange things that had been happening at her home. Victor, Henry's father, was assumed to be responsible for Virginia and Henry's sister Alice's deaths as well as the knocking out of Henry. Brenner realized, however, that Henry not only had a taste for murder but also displayed impressive psychokinetic talents after becoming involved in the scenario. Victor was informed that Henry passed away a week later from shock, although Brenner had actually staged his demise. After coming out of his coma, Henry discovered he had been taken to Hawkins Lab.

Brenner had the boy under observation and intensive scrutiny. Soteria, a tiny device that muzzled Henry's powers and monitored his every action, was placed into Henry's neck; in Henry's words, he had been made into a "prisoner." Brenner tattooed "001" on Henry's forearm as a reminder that he was the first test subject at Hawkins Lab. Henry eventually joined the group of orderlies who helped Brenner and looked after the lab. However, Brenner had a great deal of mistrust for Henry and periodically gave the other orderlies orders to torture him in an effort to subdue him. Brenner applied what he had discovered to his experiments in an effort to replicate Henry's abilities in different people. Volunteer test volunteers were placed in sensory deprivation tanks and administered experimental medications by Brenner.

Members

Scientists

• Dr. Martin Brenner † - head scientist and researcher, former Director of Operations
• Dr. Sam Owens - former Director of Operations
• Dr. Owens' Assistant - former assistant to the Director
• Shepard † - scientist
• Unnamed senior research scientist
• Unnamed scientist †
• Unnamed radar technician
• Unnamed technician †
• Edward J. Morris

Agents

• Connie Frazier † - agent
• Unnamed Lead Agent
• An agent posing as a repairman

Other

• Head of Security
• Ray Carroll (former orderly)
• M.P. Guards
• Technicians
• Unnamed test subject (did not have psychic abilities; played a role in one of Eleven's tests)