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Was the cure in The Last of Us possible? Here’s what its creator has answered, ending fans’ doubt for years

What would you do?

Update: May 22nd, 2025 21:42 CEST

The world of The Last of Us has been fascinating. It is one of the best stories ever written for a video game, and it has become a benchmark for a generation of PlayStation fans. The work created by Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann has grown into an interesting universe, which has also had fans debating, with an ever-important question: Could Ellie’s immunity create a cure for the cordyceps fungus? After several years of doubt, Druckmann has finally provided an answer.

Did Joel’s decision doom the world? Druckmann has the answer

The ending of The Last of Us Part 1 left us shocked. Joel Miller’s decision to save Ellie in the face of losing (again) a (putative) daughter is something that not only doomed humanity, but himself. Over the years since its 2013 release, there has been speculation whether a cure could be created. At the time, YouTube channel GameTheory revisited the details behind how the Fireflies sought to find a cure, and it would appear that many details were misplaced, as it was not a virus requiring a vaccine, but a fungus, having to find another way to deal with the Corcydeps.

However, Druckmann, as one of the minds behind the creation of this world, has revealed in a talk with the Sacred Symbols podcast that there was an intent that the Fireflies could find a cure. “Could the Fireflies make a cure? Our intent was yes they could,” Druckman commented. “Now, is our science a little shaky that now people are now questioning it? Sure. Our science is a little shaky and people are now questioning it. I can’t say anything. I can say our intent was that they would have made a cure. That makes the most interesting philosophical question for what Joel does.”

In light of this, the community’s comments have been mixed, with some users on Resetera mentioning that they are not bothered by this revelation, while others have shared that it is not necessary for one of the creators to come in and add details to something that is already established. “Heh, I liked the ambiguity of not knowing if there was a 100% success guarantee out of sacrificing Ellie,” wrote one user. Other offered a more accurate commentary such as ”Neil knowing the answer isn’t the same as Joel knowing the answer - the only guarantee was that Ellie was going to die.”

Either way, Joel’s actions in the first game left enough of a mark that years later we had a very bittersweet sequel in The Last of Us Part 2.

Was the cure in The Last of Us possible? Here’s what its creator has answered, ending fans’ doubt for years

Did Joel’s decision doom the world? Druckmann has the answer

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