The Tethered are an antagonistic race of doppelgängers in Jordan Peele's 2019 horror film ‘Us’.
The Tethered were made by humans and were originally meant to control their surface-counterparts. However it failed and the Tethered were abandoned. For generations, the Tethered copied their surface-counterparts; whatever they did, they did as well, except in more horrific and strange ways.
One day, a girl named Adelaide Thomas wondered off into a place called the “Hall of Mirrors”, as well as her tethered, which seemed to be one of the tunnels that led to the underground. They both met at the moment, and the tethered had strangled Adelaide, knocking her out. The tethered had now dragged her and handcuffed her to one of the beds, took the original “Thriller” T-shirt, and went to the surface, having a comfortable and stable life, leaving the original Adelaide in the Tethered society, having a horrid and tragic life. Many years past after this.
After the two girl’s ballet dances, for the real Adelaide, the Tethered found she was different from them and wanted her help to be free, to which she did. After years of training, they left the underground and went to murder their original counterparts and once they’re done, they hold hands for the “Hands Across America” event.
Due to copying their surface-counterparts, they have the same skills as they do; Gabe knowing how to drive the boat, Becca and Lindsey being flexible, and Zora running track. From this, their Tethered’s Abraham, Io and Nix, and Umbrae share the same skills as them. Despite copying them, the Tethered are somewhat stronger and faster than their original counterparts, as well as being much more durable to damage, though they can be overpowered.