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'A nightmare situation': Internet shocked as 'The Last of Us' creator says the 'zombie fungus' is real

'The Last of Us' showrunner Craig Mazin said, 'It’s real. There are some remarkable documentaries that you can watch that are quite terrifying'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: HBO's highly anticipated series ‘The Last of Us’ was finally released for streaming. After the release of the series, many started to wonder if the parasitic fungus that was shown in the series, which infects humans and turns them into mutant zombie-like monsters has any basis in reality. To find out the answer, however, the internet did not have to wait long, as the series' showrunner revealed that it was indeed "real." 

Craig Mazin told The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s real. There are some remarkable documentaries that you can watch that are quite terrifying.” He was, meanwhile, referring to the Cordyceps fungus that infects ants. The fungus “infects a foraging ant through spores that attach and penetrate the exoskeleton and slowly take over its behavior,” according to The National Geographic.

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“As the infection advances, the enthralled ant is compelled to leave its nest for a more humid microclimate that’s favorable to the fungus’s growth. The ant is compelled to descend to a vantage point about 10 inches off the ground, sink its jaws into a leaf vein on the north side of a plant, and wait for death,” the report added. 

After learning this, shocked netizens started "panicking." One person wrote, “Considering I hate mushrooms and all forms of fungus. The last of us is a nightmare situation for me lol.” “Ah yes, the fungus that is the basis for the Infected zombies of The Last Of Us! I know it so well because I did a cosplay of it! The stuff is really truly freaky in real life, thank goodness it only messes with bugs,” another added. 

Another chimed in, “Of course reading up about the fungus from Last Of Us last night would cause me to have nightmares.” “A true biographical fact about me, I am terrified of fungus ever since I found out they could take over living animals. The infected in The Last of Us is my exact childhood nightmares,” another added.

However, in the same interview, Mazin also reassured viewers that the fungus would not have the same effect just like ants. “From a purely scientific point of view, would they do exactly to us what they do to ants? I don’t think so. I doubt it,” he reportedly remarked. 

On January 15, HBO debuted the live-action adaption of the popular video game series 'The Last of Us', which stars 'Mandalorian' star Pedro Pascal and 'Worst Witch' heroine Bella Ramsey.