What is the infection in The Last of Us TV show? The Cordyceps fungus explained
Warning: spoilers for The Last of Us episode 1 ahead! Turn back now if you haven't seen the first episode and don't want spoilers!
The Last of Us introduces a terrifying infection, known as Cordyceps, which all but destroys human civilization as we know it. It's a bleak and horrifying scenario, with quarantine zones and armed guards set up in the aftermath – and a resistance movement known as the Fireflies springing up to fight back against FEDRA (Federal Disaster Response Agency).
But what exactly is Cordyceps, and how does it work? We've got everything you need to know about the creepy infection in the show right here, filling in some blanks with details from the games. We've also got information on the very real type of Cordyceps infection which infects ants and inspired the version seen in The Last of Us. So, for a deep dive into all things Cordyceps brain infection, look no further than the below.
What is the Cordyceps brain infection in The Last of Us?
The Last of Us episode 1 opens with a terrifying discussion between an epidemiologist and a TV show host. The infectious disease expert explains that humanity has faced many types of illnesses in the past, but always prevails – and the type of infection that really scares him is of the fungal variety. He explains how some fungi can essentially turn hosts into mindless zombies, and lists off a number of such fungi, including Cordyceps.
Luckily, though, fungi can't survive our internal body temperature, so it's not a realistic worry. Unless there was a reason to evolve to withstand higher temperatures, that is, like if the world was to get a bit hotter.
Flash forward to 2003, and slowly signs that something isn't quite right are introduced. Everything quickly turns to chaos and multiple infected people are seen violently chasing survivors down and attacking them. When another time skip takes us into 2023, we learn that Cordyceps has decimated civilization.
It's clear that Cordyceps is exactly what the epidemiologist from the opening feared: a parasitical fungal infection in the brain that turns humans into zombified hosts, whose only goal is to spread their infection to as many other people as they can. Joel's elderly neighbour is seen infecting the people she lives with, and, in one terrifying moment, we see tendrils of the fungus snaking from her mouth. In the game, the infected come to be called clickers, thanks to the disturbing sound they make.
Ultimately, the infection does completely kill the host, as seen when Joel and Tess come across a gruesome dead body in the premiere. The unfortunate victim is stuck to a wall thanks to an explosion of fungus that has completely taken over their body, so it's safe to assume this was a late stage infection.
Where did Cordyceps come from and how does it spread?
The origin of the show's Cordyceps pandemic hasn't been revealed just yet, but in the game, infected crops are to blame for the infection spreading to humans.
In the show, infected wounds seem to be the sole method of spreading the illness so far, but in the game, airborne spores are also a threat – though co-creator Craig Mazin has explained that this won't be the case in the series.
"The game had spores in the air and people had to wear gas masks, and we decided, early on, that we didn't wanna do that for the show," he told Collider. "Eventually, those conversations led us to these tendrils. And then, just thinking about how there's a passage that happens from one infected to another, and like fungus does, it could become a network that is interconnected. It became very scary to think that they're all working against us in this unified way, which was a concept that I really liked, that got developed in the show."
Signs that a person is infected include an involuntary twitching, and by 2023, a quick scan can indicate if someone has Cordyceps or not.
A fully infected person makes that haunting clicking sound, which in the game is actually echolocation as the fungus covers a person's face completely, blocking their sight. They're also very fast and agile, as seen when Joel is chased in the premiere.
Is Cordyceps real?
Yes, Cordyceps is very much a real fungus. Luckily, though, it doesn't turn anyone into a mindless zombie, instead preying on insects. There are also hundreds of species of Cordyceps, though The Last of Us's version is inspired by Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which, per expert David Hughes, who consulted on the first game, doesn't actually infect the brains of the ants it targets, rather the rest of the body (H/T Insider) – though this wasn't discovered until long after the game was released.
But, despite not damaging the brain, the fungus does manipulate its victim's behavior via the muscles. It forces the infected ant to go somewhere up high, bite down on a leaf, then hang suspended until death. After the ant has died, the fungus grows a long stalk from its body and releases infectious spores that float down below. O. unilateralis is capable of wiping out whole colonies of ants. The clip that led to the idea for the Cordyceps brain infection is from Planet Earth (H/T Mashable), and tracks one unfortunate ant through its infection.
Keep up to date on the show with our The Last of Us release schedule – and check out our roundup of all the exciting upcoming TV shows to fill out your watchlist.
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