Spores Return: The Last of Us Season 2 Brings Deadly Drama

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Fans of the video game “The Last of Us” anticipated seeing the Cordyceps fungus propagate through airborne spores when the first season of its TV series premiered, as this was how the virus typically spread in the original game world. However, the TV show introduced tendrils of Cordyceps into the franchise instead, a departure from the usual airborne particles that could be inhaled. This change left some viewers perplexed, as the new infected created a network of vine-like tendrils that enabled them to communicate and form something resembling a hive mind, rather than the traditional airborne infection method.

As a film enthusiast, I’m thrilled that the terrifying spread of the Cordyceps fungus in the world of “The Last of Us” is about to unfold on our TV screens in season two. Not only does it pass through bites and saliva, but now we’ll witness how its tendrils can transform a healthy human into an infected one. This new addition promises a chilling, deadly twist in the way the infection ensnares our beloved characters.

At SXSW, Neil Druckmann and Carl Mazin confirmed that “spores” will make a return in the TV series of ‘The Last of Us‘. Originally, spores were left out in the game to intensify the emotional impact of infection and to avoid requiring Pedro Pascal’s character Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie to wear gas masks frequently. While we appreciate Pedro Pascal in a mask, it was likely best for Joel not to be consistently masked up like The Mandalorian.

In the second season of The Last of Us, Druckmann hints at an increase in both the quantity and variety of infected, as well as a broadening of how this infection spreads. Essentially, we can expect that The Last of Us will now involve spores. Druckmann elaborates, “In the first season, we introduced a new element not seen in the game – these tendrils that spread, which was one form. And in the trailer for this season, there are scenes showing things floating in the air.” (The scene featuring spores can be found at 1:18 in the trailer for The Last of Us season two.)

Druckmann explained, “We decided to tackle this issue now mainly because it needed resolution, and as always, the story needed a dramatic impetus. There had to be a compelling reason for its introduction at this point in time, and indeed, there is.

We’re yet to get specifics, but the threat level and contagiousness will likely increase the tension for the upcoming season of “The Last of Us”. Moreover, the spores are going to be more disturbing than ever before, and we can’t wait to see how they make us cringe as we watch season two.

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2025-03-11 18:03