Do the Hive Minds in Stranger Things and Pluribus work the same way? Here's our take 

Hive minds have become pop culture’s favorite in 2025. It mainly appeals to the sense of losing oneself and being absorbed, but of course, not all hive minds are the same. Apple TV+’s Pluribus and Netflix’s Stranger Things both center on collective consciousness, but they play different games.

On the surface, the comparison feels obvious and easy too. Pluribus opens with an alien virus that fuses nearly all of humanity into one mind. Stranger Things, on the other hand, gives us the Mind Flayer. This psychic organism binds monsters, vines, and possessed humans into one will.

Yeah, they have the same trope but different vibes. Once we dig a little deeper, though, we'll see the difference is stark! So read on.

On Pluribus, the Hive Mind is a feature (at least as of now)

Here, the hive mind is disturbingly functional. Once humanity is “Joined,” very good things happen, for example, war evaporates, poverty disappears, and loneliness vanishes overnight! Billions of people give up their autonomy, and almost everyone seems better off for it, as odd as that sounds.

ALSO READ: Pluribus writer explains why this Albuquerque location from Better Call Saul was used to film Carol's dinner

Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn), one of the last true individuals, becomes our proxy. And we find ourselves rooting for her because we’re trained to value independence. Yet the show keeps undermining that by making Carol’s solitude look bleak compared to how calm the collective is.

This idea, as explored in Psychology Today, draws on the concept of probability matching. This strategy is where individuals don’t chase the “best” outcome, but spread themselves across possibilities to benefit the collective. Randy Gallistel’s T-maze experiment showed humans instinctively do this, even when it lowers their chances of personal success.

RELATED: Is this show scientifically correct?

Yes, it’s irrational for the individual, but rational for the group.

That’s the key to understanding this show: the hive mind isn’t inherently evil. It’s actually evolutionarily sensible, and we admit it works.

On Stranger Things, the Hive Mind is a weapon of negative control

Now let's come to Stranger Things. The Mind Flayer’s hive is not a surrender; it’s a conquest to add more and more consciousnesses.

The Mind Flayer links Demogorgons, vines, bats, and humans into a single psychic network. But unlike Pluribus, this collective has an obvious hierarchy. At the top is Vecna, who uses the hive mind as a surveillance system and a biological weapon. Pain to one is pain to all. We see that in Season 5, too.

Individuality is overridden here. Will Byers doesn’t choose to join, and Billy Hargrove doesn’t consent to becoming “Flayed.”

If Pluribus asks whether giving up the self might save the species, Stranger Things warns what happens when a hive mind is basically authoritarian.

So are they the same? No.

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Pluribus is on Apple TV+. Stranger Things is on Netflix.

NEXT UP: Pluribus star Rhea Seehorn reveals what Carol's rebellion against the Hive means | Stranger Things stars reveal their reactions when they first found out about Will's powers | The Duffer Brothers had this one thing in mind while designing the Demogorgon costume

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