WhileThe Last of Usgears up for the release of season 2, its creator and co-showrunner have revealed exciting new details about the show’s infected, who are humans that succumbed to Cordyceps, a viral fungus. Season 1 of the video game adaptation primarily featured Clickers, a blind variant of the infected that communicate through clicks and croaks.The Last of Usprotagonists Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) have encountered infected, but acriticism ofThe Last of Usseason 1was that they were not seen enough.
In an interview withEmpire, showrunner Craig Mazin and creator Neil Druckmann speak about the future of the horrifying zombie-esque creatures. The pairtease that viewers are in for a never-before-seen version of the infectedinThe Last of Usseason 2. This new variant is referred to as Stalkers, and aremore intelligent than the previously established Clickers.
Mazin: All I’ll say is that for the people who want to see more of the infected… Buckle up!
Druckmann: You get to see a different evolution of this infection.
It’s kept certain parts of their brain alive, so they are smarter. They coordinate and hide and do things that we’ve never seen any other infected do on this show.
What This Means For The Last Of Season 2
The Infected Will Be More Dangerous
The Last of Usseason 2 will feature the infected in a different part of their life cycle. Whereas Clickers are in a late stage of succumbing to the Cordycepsfungus, the incoming infected are still young enough to retain some of their brain power. As Druckmann explained, these Stalkers are smarter and stealthier than clickers,making them a more powerful threat to the survivors inThe Last of Us.By including a more intelligent force to go up against humanity,The Last of Usfeaturing new enemies will help set the show apart from other zombie-style series.
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Ellie and Joel are in for an intense fight against the new infected. While the Stalkers do not have the super strength of a clicker, their intelligence will make them a serious threat in season 2. PerThe Last of Usvideo game, Stalkers carefully hunt their prey, but still have the speed of Runners, which are in the first stage of infection. As Druckmann said,the Stalkers will be unlike any infected that the audiences have seen thus far in the show.
Our Take On The New Infected
The Last Of Us Season 2 Will Have Higher Stakes
The introduction of the stalkers will undoubtedly raise the stakes ofThe Last of Usseason 2. Facing a more intelligent enemy will push the show’s survivors to new limits, requiring them to take new approaches to subduing and killing the infected. Following the criticism that season 1 did not feature enough infected enemies, season 2 is poised to tackle that issue head-on. Possessing speed, smarts, and stealth ensures that the stalkers will be a harrowing threat to the remaining humans ofThe Last of Us.
The Last Of Us
Cast
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.
