The Last of Us Showrunners Reveal When Spores Will Come In The Series

WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for HBO’s The Last of Us, so read at your own risk!

There is no denying the fact that one of the most notable things The Last of Us is commended for is the huge possibility of the Cordyceps Outbreak. Given that the showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin did their research, this is what sets the series apart from other post-apocalyptic settings in media.

While the showrunners indeed executed game-accurate scenes in the series, Druckmann previously admitted they had to tweak a couple of things to fit the story, still. One is instead of Tess getting shot by the FEDRA catching up to her, she instead gets the “Kiss of Death” by a Clicker upon finding their exact location.

Another is the removal of spores. In the game, inhalation of spores would transmit the virus, therefore requiring any human being to use gas masks to prevent it from happening. In the series, spores have yet to be introduced. However, the showrunners explained where they plan to put the spores.

“Part of the issue [with the spores] is that you run into them quite a bit in the game,” Mazin explained to Entertainment Weekly, “Although not as much as people think, and if there were that many spores and they were airborne, that infection’s gonna go even faster. It’s hard to imagine how anyone escapes it, and people would probably be wearing masks all the time.”

In light of The Last of Us Episode 2 revealing more about how the Cordyceps Infection spreads, Mazin continued on to say, “I don’t necessarily think we’ve eliminated spores from the universe of our show. We just haven’t gotten there yet. It’s possible that they may come back. We may have a plan, is my point.”

Even Druckmann admitted that the spores “didn’t live up to how realistic [The Last of Us] has become.” While it is possible for the spores to show up in Season 1, The Last of Us Season 2 may have a higher chance in expanding the infection’s development in the series.

For now, The Last of Us Episodes 1 and 2 are available to stream on HBO Max. Meanwhile, you can expect The Last of Us Episode 3 this Sunday, January 29th.

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