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Following the immense success of The Last of Us and a few events that have occurred in the past couple of years, audiences are curious if a situation like the one depicted in the HBO series can happen in reality. For those who may not remember, the world faced a deadly COVID-19 outbreak in December 2019.
When The Last of Us premiered in 2023, many viewers compared its fictional Cordyceps outbreak to the real-life COVID-19 pandemic. While the two are very different, people were curious to know if a fungus outbreak like the one in the show could actually happen.
On March 25, 2025, Dr. Ann Mayo, Biology Lecturer at Longwood University, featured in a YouTube video where she debunked these theories. During the video, she discussed certain types of fungi that can take over an organism's body and make it behave in unusual ways. However, she emphasized that these fungi do not affect the human body.
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Biologist says a Cordyceps-level fungi outbreak depicted in The Last of Us is not possible
In the video mentioned previously, biologist Dr. Ann Mayo talks about certain types of Cordyceps fungi that can come close to causing a The Last of Us-level outbreak. However, these fungi are unlikely to affect human beings. This is because they are not developed enough to grow in the conditions offered by the human body.
Instead, Cordyceps fungi will likely grow as parasites inside certain organisms, specifically Arthropods. Taking the example of an ant, an arthropod, the Cordyceps fungus will affect the organism when it finds a hospitable environment in its body, especially its exoskeleton.
In the early stages of its development, the fungi will remain almost undetected by the ant. However, as it gradually develops, it will start controlling the actions of the ant and make it act in illogical ways.
Therefore, the organism under the control of the fungus may completely lose its cognitive abilities and motor skills. With the fungus in power, it can direct the ant to relocate to a place that would be ideal for it to grow properly. Once that is settled, the fungus will form spores and then release them to trigger the process of reproduction.
The fungus will then completely take over the ant's body and form a structure that extends beyond its body and lives off its host. At this point, nothing remains of the ant's body besides its exoskeleton.
About The Last of Us on HBO
The plot of the post-apocalyptic drama television series, The Last of Us, follows a Cordyceps fungal outbreak, which has forced several US states into a state of pandemic. The parasitic fungus tends to affect human beings and make them behave like zombies.
The official synopsis for the show's first season, as highlighted by HBO, reads:
"In 2003, a parasitic fungal infection ravaged the planet, turning humans into violent creatures known as the Infected. Twenty years later, hardened survivor Joel (Pedro Pascal) is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to the rebel Fireflies."
The synopsis also loosely mentions the plot of the show's ongoing season and highlights:
"Season 2 of The Last of Us picks up five years after the events of Season 1. Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind."
The next episode of The Last of Us season 2 releases on HBO and Max on May 11, 2025.
