This Scrapped Voice Line In The Last Of Us Reveals One Key Detail

HBO's "The Last of Us" has kept fans on their toes, releasing information slowly as the early 2023 release date approached. Other sources, such as set leaks, have also given fans hints and potential ideas for the show, like the idea that the cordyceps virus came from Indonesia in HBO's rendition. Now, one fan has connected the dots between an unused voice line from "The Last of Us Part 1" and a recent announcement about the show. 

In an interview with Collider, co-President of Naughty Dog, Neil Druckmann, announced that spores wouldn't appear in the tv show. In the games, spores are the way that cordyceps infection spreads from person to person. However, Druckmann explained that the show's makers didn't want to create a "zombie show," so they used tendrils to spread the virus for something more realistic and terrifying – especially since viewers have had more experience with pandemics since the game was originally released in 2014.

The tendrils, as Druckmann touched on, are an interconnected avenue that goes from infected person to infected person. However, the tendrils were also seen in early concept art for the game (as shared by @NaughtyNDC), and one fan found a scrapped voice line that also references these terrifying appendages.

Twitter user @Ceraphyte shared a 10-second clip of unused lines from "The Last of Us Part 1" that actually talked about tendrils. In the clip, Ellie asks what tendrils are, and Tess explains that the fungus that grows in infected people creates tendrils. Tess also says that, if touched, they can break a person's bones.

Between the concept art and the scrapped voice lines, it's clear that game makers were debating the use of tendrils pretty far into development. Fans began to speculate that tendrils were in the game as design elements. Twitter user @Saibashinreiart shared two images that show long cords that look and seem similar to the concept art of tendrils. According to the concept art, tendrils took over the infected bodies, dragging the body to look for more people to infect. There were multiple images of what the tendrils did to bodies, which may represent different stages of the infection.

Fans don't seem too upset about the change, and some even called it "refreshing" and a good choice for the live-action show. There's a lot to know before HBO's "The Last of Us" releases, but these changes will make it even easier for everyone to watch and enjoy the show, regardless of prior knowledge.