The Last of Us Season 2 Introduces Infected

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What could be more chilling than a fungus attempting to transform every human into grotesque marionettes worldwide? The very same fungus with the ability to think. This is the horrifying new kind of monster presented in HBO’s The Last of Us during its season two debut. Ellie came across the first Stalkers, one of the deadliest types of infected in the The Last of Us series.

In the first episode of The Last of Us‘ second season, Ellie and Dina reluctantly ventured into an abandoned supermarket, but their journey swiftly took a turn for the worse. Instead of improving, it deteriorated drastically. When the upper floor of the building gave way under Ellie, her descent was sudden. Having dispatched clickers from above, Ellie believed she had found safety on the quiet shop floor. However, this seemingly harmless area proved to be one of the most dangerous places mankind had encountered since the world became overrun with monsters due to cordyceps. As Ellie explored during the premiere episode of The Last of Us season two, an infected creature stalked her undetected. In a later conversation, Ellie described this new type of intelligent creature, which we now call Stalkers, to the leaders of her commune:

During the start of The Last of Us season two, Ellie and Dina unwillingly explored an old supermarket. Their trip quickly turned sour, going from bad to worse. When the upper part of the building collapsed, Ellie plummeted downwards. After eliminating clickers on a higher level, Ellie thought the silent store was secure. In reality, it concealed one of humanity’s deadliest threats since cordyceps transformed the world into a landscape of monsters. As Ellie navigated through The Last of Us season two’s debut episode, an infected creature crept around and watched her unnoticed. Later, Ellie explained this intelligent species, later known as Stalkers, to the leaders of her commune.

Instead of implying it had mathematical capabilities, I want to clarify that it didn’t charge towards me. However, it displayed behavior similar to ours – hiding, strategizing, biding time, and enticing me closer. Essentially, it was stalking.

We, indeed, witnessed that event (definitely not Dina!), and here’s what transpired: An Infected creature, akin to a spider in stealth, lurked in the dark recesses. It had a knack for observing Ellie before striking, only to ambush her later. The Stalker too, concealed itself from her vision, baiting Ellie into venturing closer. It cleverly deceived Ellie by making her believe it was stationary when in fact, it had moved elsewhere. It wasn’t until that moment of deception did the creature launch a ferocious, merciless assault. Like clickers, its speed was remarkable. Ellie’s life might have been forfeit if not for Dina’s prompt intervention. Even with her arrival, the creature’s bite would have contaminated any other human, causing infection.

In HBO’s series, this is the first instance of a Stalker character appearing, but gamers have encountered them in both versions of “The Last of Us“. Similar to their on-screen counterpart, these creatures produce a disturbing croaking sound when they communicate. In “The Last of Us“, Stalkers have long spores protruding from their heads, which retain enough human facial features to serve as a chilling reminder of their past and the fate that awaits their victims. However, it appears there is one significant distinction between the Stalkers in the games and those on the show: In “The Last of Us” games, Stalkers signify Stage 2 of an infection and were created at a quicker pace.

In the world of “The Last of Us” series, a stalker character was introduced 25 years following the initial outbreak of the Cordyceps virus, which is five years after wrapping up season one. Despite the fact that these creatures had presumably evolved much earlier for the residents of Jackson, Wyoming, it seems that the fungus took an extended period to mutate into this shape compared to what was depicted in the video games. Throughout “The Last of Us—Part II”, Joel and Ellie came across these creatures over a number of years.

In HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us, the Stalkers’ late entry is well-timed. They were seldom seen in the original game and had a greater role in The Last of Us—Part II, though they remained scarce in the sequel. Their increased presence and the enhanced AI in the game made the Cordyceps infected, already formidable adversaries, even more chilling as Naughty Dog effectively showcased the horrifying potential of intelligent enemies capable of outsmarting humans.

In the debut episode of “The Last of Us“‘ second season, it was vividly demonstrated how terrifying Stalkers can be, particularly through Ellie’s harrowing experience in an abandoned supermarket. However, what truly underscores their introduction as horrifying isn’t just that incident, but the chilling reality that it wasn’t a solitary occurrence as Tommy fervently wishes.

Surely there are more stalkers out in the world of The Last of Us hiding….

Planning….

Waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

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2025-04-14 05:06