Fans are speculating that the season 1 finale of the new Disney+ show The Mandalorian contained an obvious reference to one of the most iconic monsters in Dungeons & Dragons history. That means The Mandalorian is one of a couple of recent franchises that have taken a leaf from the D&D books to explore the concept of a Mind Flayer.
Mandalorian fans who also watched the latest season of Stranger Things recalled the show's big bad also being dubbed a "Mind Flayer," although that reference to D&D was even more overt. Mike and his friends, being avid players, gave the big bad its name after directly comparing it to Dungeons & Dragons' famous monster.
In Dungeons & Dragons, Mind Flayers (or Ilithid, as they can also be called) are a fearsome race of intelligent creatures with spindly bodies, a face full of tentacles, and strong psychic powers; not only do entire colonies of them remain connected through a hive mind run by the Elder Brain, but they're also known for devouring the brains of people they encounter. Unsurprisingly, the advanced psychic powers and ability to control large numbers of people by removing their brains and leaving them husks has lead D&D's Mind Flayers to develop ambitions of world domination--something that the kids of Stranger Things remembered when naming their own psychic monster. Therefore, when former Rebel trooper Cara Dune (Gina Carano) began talking about the Mind Flayers that the Empire uses during interrogation, fans immediately made the connection.
Of course, in Star Wars and The Mandalorian's lore, Mind Flayers aren't an exact replica of the D&D beast. Dune's reference was seemingly referring to a mechanical device or perhaps a robot of some kind, though as the name "Mind Flayer" would suggest, it still has the ability to get inside the heads of the Empire's captives--whether that ability is purely psychic or also a physical invasion remains to be seen. Rogue One has already introduced viewers to Bor Gullet, a member of the Marian race; like Ilithid, Marians have purple skin, tentacles, and the ability to forcibly extract information from people, so Dune could also have been referring to Marians under the Empire's command when she talked about Mind Flayers.
Interestingly, the upcoming D&D-based game Baldur's Gate 3 also appears to be using Mind Flayers as its primary monster, so 2020 could be quite the lucrative year for this monster. And fans of any of these franchises will have to wait since it'll be later in 2020 before either The Mandalorian, Stranger Things or Baldur's Gate 3 returns. After Cara Dune's reference, however, there's a good chance that The Mandalorian will eventually give a face to whatever its version of the Mind Flayer really is.
The Mandalorian is available to stream now on Disney+.