HBO Series “The Last of Us” Reveals Origin of Cordyceps Pandemic

The Emmy winning episode 3 of HBO’s The Last of Us, aptly named ‘The Last of Us Part III’ picks up where the popular video game left off and provides startling insight into what is believed to be the origin of the cordyceps pandemic.

In a conversation featuring the main characters Joel and Ellie, Joel answers Ellie’s question of ‘how was it all started?’ by explaining that the infection is believed to have mutated a food ingredient, like flour or sugar, contaminating it and making it spreadable to many. Joel further explains that the contaminated food arrived to stores Thursday evening and was sold and consumed that night or in the morning. Hours later, people who consumed the food began to exhibit symptoms and by Friday the infection had spread across the country.

While the series suggests the origin to be in Jakarta, Indonesia, the game locates the origin as South America where contaminated crops caused the infection. While the series creators including Neil Druckmann, the director of Naughty Dog, seem to agree with the changes, Bruce Straley, another notable creator of the game, has been omitted from the HBO credits.

The shocking reveal from the Last of Us episode sheds light on the origin of a pandemic in our own timeline, bringing an eerie reality check to many.