When it premiered in 2023, HBO’s The Last of Us was hailed by many as the best video game adaptation ever. A huge part of that acclaim was attributed to how closely series’ creators Craig Mazin and Neill Druckmann (who co-created the game) stuck to the script when translating the 2013 title to television.

Spores play a major role in The Last of Us Part II, mainly for how Dina finds out Ellie is immune; in the show Ellie gets bitten defending Dina, while in the game Ellie's gas mask gets broken in the spore-filled subway tunnel.

While The Last of Us Season 2 is setting up an intriguing mystery, showrunners have confirmed it won’t all be explained until Season 3.