Potential Spoilers Ahead for Seasons 2 and 3 of HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’One of the biggest reasons for the massive success of The Last of Us, in both the video games and the HBO series, is its unique presentation of the zombie apocalypse genre. The infection in the game is based on a real-life type of fungi known as Cordyceps. Only, the game presents a fictional strain that can inhabit the brains of humans, turning them into mindless drones as they would insects. The Last of Us has introduced all sorts of Cordyceps-infected humans, from clickers to bloaters and the newly revealed stalkers. Now, according to showrunner Craig Mazin, the worst is yet to come.
In the official Last of Us HBO podcast, in which Troy Baker is joined by creatives from the show to discuss the newest episodes after they air, Craig Mazin had plenty to say about the introduction of spores. As Mazin talks about the hospital setting in which the Cordyceps spores are introduced, he also teases that more horrors await in the depths of the building. While viewers were only introduced to a part of the basement, Mazin would say that there might be something lurking:
“There’s also an introduction here of a concept. And the concept is that there is depth under this building. We understand that there are horrors in B2, even if we have not seen them yet. We understand that they’re there. But note, nobody knows what’s on B3—just leaving that out there. I think some people who played the game might know.”
‘The Last of Us’ Still Has Plenty of Unknown Horrors to Explore
As Craig Mazin would say in the quote, those who have played The Last of Us Part II would know that the unknown quantity in the third basement level of the hospital is The Rat King. The monstrosity is one of the most terrifying elements of the second video game, as it is said to be the result of the very first infected at the start of the outbreak being left to grow and merge with each other over 20 years. Rat King boasts a horrific design as a giant, bloated blob of several individuals forcefully melded together by Cordyceps.
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Mazin has teased the inclusion of the monstrosity in the past when talking about the process of adapting a video game and including the more iconic aspects of the titles, so it’s no surprise that he’d hint towards it yet again. However, given that the story is still left to tell before the series lines up with the Rat King’s appearance, it would be safe to assume that the creature won’t appear until Season 3. Until then, viewers will have to make do with the infected that have already been introduced.
HBO has spared no expense in its production of The Last of Us, constructing massive and impressive sets and impressive visual effects to portray the hordes of infected. Should the Rat King appear in Season 3, fans of the game can rest easy knowing that the creature will more than likely be brought to life accurately.
Sources: The Last of Us Podcast, GamesRadar+
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
