Calvin Powell is a police officer in the Hawkins Police Department. Working alongside Chief Hopper and Officer Callahan, he aided in the investigation of the disappearance of Will Byers.
History
1983
On the morning of November 7, Powell and Callahan were playing cards when Police Chief Jim Hopper arrived late for work. Powell greeted him, and before continuing to his office, Hopper rearranged one of Powell's cards.
Powell, Callahan, and Hopper first began searching for the missing Will Byers on Mirkwood. During their search, Hopper came across Will's bike. Hopper thought this was odd, saying he would've walked his bike home instead of leaving it there. The three officers brought the bike back to the Byers' and searched the house for any signs that Will had managed to get home the night he disappeared. After investigating the shed, Hopper decided they needed to organize a search party.
While attending the search party, Hopper briefly met with Callahan and Powell to discuss if they had found anything. After Hopper had walked ahead, Callahan inquired if Hopper had once had a sexual relationship with Joyce, but Powell ignored him.
The officers continued their search at the quarry. As Hopper warned Callahan to back away from the cliff's edge, he received a call from Flo telling them to head over to Benny's. After arriving at the diner, the officers found Benny's corpse, arranged to look like a suicide.
That night, as Powell, Callahan, and Hopper took part in the search party, Callahan wondered the validity of Earl's statement. Hopper responded that they would get answers once they found him, but Powell didn't think that would be possible as he believed Will was dead. Their attention was suddenly drawn to Scott Clarke, who had found a piece of ripped cloth at the edge of the drain pipe. The pipe led to Hawkins National Laboratory, making the officers suspicious of the lab.
The next day, the three officers decided to visit the lab, but were initially denied entry by the security guard. However, Hopper convinced him to let them enter the premises. They were then escorted by the Hawkins head of security, who dismissed their claims. He insisted that they would've known if a kid had managed to sneak into the lab due to the cameras and tight security. Hopper then requested to see the security camera footage from the night of the 6th and 7th. Fulfilling his request, the head of security led the officers into the lab allowing them to view the footage, but there was no sign of Will. As the officers were leaving, Hopper realized there was no rain present in the footage, making him even more suspicious of the lab.
Powell accompanied Hopper to the public library where they reviewed old newspaper articles regarding the lab. When Hopper discovered that Dr. Martin Brenner had been involved in MKUltra, he proposed that the lab may have played a part in Will's disappearance. Powell didn't think much of it, stating it was too big of a reach. They were then notified by Callahan to head to the quarry. When they arrived, they witnessed the assumed body of Will Byers being retrieved from the water. After going to the Byers' house, Powell accompanied Hopper in looking for a creature that Joyce claimed she witnessed tear through her wall. However, there was no sign of the creature, or the tear it had created.
At the high school, Powell and Callahan questioned Nancy about the night Barbara Holland disappeared. Nancy believed that a strange creature she saw may have taken Barb, urging the officers to go and investigate Steve's house. Callahan informed her that they had already searched the residence and found nothing--not even Barb's car. The officers believed that Barb had possibly ran away due to jealousy, but Nancy insisted Barb would never do that.
Being unable to contact him, both Powell and Callahan visited Hopper at his trailer. While there, they informed him that Bev Mooney was worried about Dale and Henry, who had gone hunting the day before and had not returned. They also told him that state police had found Barbara Holland's car parked at a bus station, making them believe that she had ran away.
Following a theft at Bradley's Big Buy, Powell and Callahan were called to the store by the manager. While there, they took statements from the manager, as well as a clerk, who described the shoplifter's appearance to the officers.
As Jonathan and Steve fought in an alleyway, Powell and Callahan arrived on the scene. While trying to restrain them, Callahan was unintentionally hit in the face by Jonathan. As Powell arrested Jonathan, Callahan pursued Steve and his friends but was unable to apprehend them.
When Hopper and Joyce arrived at the police station, they urged Powell and Callahan to remove Jonathan's handcuffs. Callahan refused, stating the reason he was wearing them was because he had assaulted a police officer. Both he and Powell then revealed the stash of āmonster huntingā supplies in the trunk of Jonathan's car. Hopper demanded to know why he had such items, but Jonathan said he wouldn't believe him.
As Hopper spoke with Jonathan and Nancy in his office, a woman came to the station in order to report that her son's arm had been broken by a āpsychotic child.ā As Powell and Callahan questioned her, they got into an argument, with her believing that they were humiliating her son. She demanded an apology and to speak with the chief. Callahan argued to Hopper that he was just trying to state facts, but Hopper told the officers to take a statement. When Troy described the girl's appearance, Hopper took interest and asked for more information. He then explained the girl's telekinetic abilities, and that she was with Mike, Lucas, and Dustin.
On Christmas Eve, Powell attended the Christmas party held at the police station.
1984
After a hue and cry arose by many locals regarding the sudden rotting of the pumpkins, Powell and Callahan assisted Jim Hopper to investigate the pumpkin fields early on in the season's story arc.
1985
Appearances
| Season One appearances | |||
| The Vanishing of Will Byers | The Weirdo on Maple Street | Holly, Jolly | The Body |
| The Flea and the Acrobat | The Monster | The Bathtub | The Upside Down |
| Season Two appearances | |||
| MADMAX | Trick or Treat, Freak | The Pollywog | |
| Season Three appearances | |||
| The Mall Rats | |||
Memorable Quotes
- "Can't ask a corpse a question."
- "The librarian?"
Behind the Scenes
Name
The character is credited as "Officer Powell" and his first name is only stated once in the show, when Hopper refers to him as "Cal" in Chapter One. Powell's full first name is Calvin, as revealed on Instagram by Rob Morgan, the actor who portrays him. The name was chosen by Morgan himself, who, when given the chance, always names his characters Calvin in honor of his grandfather Calvin Augustus Simmons.[1]
Trivia
- Officer Powell's name is a possible reference to the similarly named Officer Al Powell in the 1988 action movie classic Die Hard.
- Powell's badge number is 420.