Pluribus Episode 6 cast and characters: Here’s who brought ‘HDP’ to life

Pluribus Episode 6 is titled HDP. It was released on December 5, 2025, on Apple TV+.

This episode marks the mid-season entry of Season 1, which has nine episodes total. It resolves the scary cliffhanger from Episode 5. It also raises the story’s moral and life-or-death stakes.

In the world of Pluribus, an alien virus has changed almost all people. They become the “Others,” who share one mind. They are always calm and happy. Only a few people are immune. One of them is Carol Sturka, played by Rhea Seehorn. She refuses to join the hive mind.

Pluribus Episode 6 reveals a disturbing secret. It shows what the Others have really been feeding on. Carol is forced to face a terrible truth. That truth may change everything.

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Who brought Pluribus Episode 6 to life: Key cast and characters

In Pluribus Episode 6, several actors play major roles. Some are regular cast members. One is a big surprise cameo. Together, they bring one of the darkest moments in the show to life.

Main and recurring cast

Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka: Carol is the main character of the show. She drives the story forward. In Pluribus Episode 6, she returns to the warehouse she found earlier. Inside, she finds wrapped human bodies in storage. This confirms the horrible truth. The “milk” the Others drink comes from dead human bodies. Carol records proof on video. She then drives to Las Vegas. She goes to confront Koumba with the evidence.

Samba Schutte as Koumba Diabaté: Carol meets Koumba in Las Vegas. He admits that he already knew the truth. He shows her an official video made by the hive. The video features John Cena. It explains what HDP means. HDP means Human Derived Protein. The Others will not kill any form of life. They will not even kill plants. So they consume protein made from humans who died by accident or natural causes. Koumba also reveals another secret. The hive can convert immune people. This only happens with consent, as they use stem cells to do it.

Carlos-Manuel Vesga as Manousos Oviedo: By the end of Pluribus Episode 6, Manousos receives Carol’s message. He had been living alone before this. After learning the truth, he decides to leave his home. He may now act on the information. This hints at a future alliance with Carol. It also brings a small hope for resistance.

Other guest roles: Other guest actors appear in the episode. Most play background roles. Some appear as Others or small side characters. None of them has a major impact on the main story in this episode.

Surprise cameo

John Cena as himself (hive-ified, on video): This is the biggest surprise of the episode. He appears in a video shown to Carol by Diabaté. He explains what HDP means. It stands for Human-Derived Protein. He reveals that the Others are eating food made from human remains.

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What happens in Pluribus Episode 6?

Pluribus Episode 6 is called HDP. It immediately explains the dark clues from Episode 5. In the last episode, Carol found something hidden under a tarp in a cold warehouse. In Episode 6, she goes back to learn the truth.

Inside the warehouse, Carol finds rows of shrink-wrapped human body parts. This confirms the terrible secret. The “milk” the Others drink comes from dead human bodies. Carol is shocked and angry. She takes video proof of what she finds. Then she drives to Las Vegas to confront Diabaté. She hopes he might help her.

When Carol meets Diabaté, she learns he already knows the truth. He plays a video for her. The video features John Cena as a messenger for the Others. In the video, the Others explain their rule. They cannot kill any living thing. They cannot harm people, animals, or even plants. They also cannot grow or harvest crops.

Because of this, the Others face starvation. So they choose a dark solution. They collect people who died naturally or in accidents. They freeze the bodies. They grind them into protein-rich milk. This “milk” is called HDP. HDP means Human Derived Protein. Cena calmly explains this truth in the video in Pluribus Episode 6.

Diabaté says this is not done out of cruelty. The Others believe it is a necessary act. They claim it honors the dead instead of wasting them.

Pluribus Episode 6 reveals another shocking truth. The Others can convert immune humans like Carol. They use stem cells to do it. But they need the person’s consent. Hence, Carol makes sure to let them know that she refuses to permit the same.

Carol also learns of another betrayal. Many immune people still talk through secret video calls. Carol has been voted out of those calls. The group chose to exclude her because they thought she might disrupt them.

By the end of Pluribus Episode 6, Carol makes a firm choice. She will fight back. She will fight for the dead who were used as HDP. She will fight for humanity. The scale of what the Others have done is worldwide. The danger is now greater than ever.