“An Obsession With Violent Media” – ‘The Last of Us’ Showrunners Share How Mortal Kombat II Made Its Way in the Episode ‘Left Behind’

HBO Max’s The Last of Us television series is a bold statement on human survival and adaptability. In a world full of terrifying foes, both alive and dead, the remaining ‘survivors’ have no other way but to toughen up and live a harsh life granted to them by this harsh world. No matter the age, if you can’t adapt, you can’t survive. 

In a grim world, where hope is bleaker than survival, there is no place for amenities such as video games. Nevertheless, the latest episode of TLoU showed the main characters having a hearty time with the game Mortal Kombat 2. What is the significance of the game’s placement in the show? Was it only an Easter egg? Showrunners, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann answer these queries. 

Why was Mortal Kombat in the Last of Us? 

The Last of Us show follows the dual protagonist, Ellie, and Joel. Joel is a middle-aged rugged man who is a professional smuggler. On the other hand, Ellie is a young girl who has an enormous responsibility to the world, as her blood is humanity’s only hope in synthesizing a cure for the Cordyceps fungus. 

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Joel is tasked with the burden of bringing Ellie to one of the FireFly facilities, where scientists will extract her blood and save humanity. In their journey together, both characters show their vulnerabilities and genuine emotions. As the story moves forward, the audience will get to know that Joel is not as cold-hearted as he looks, nor is Ellie as fragile as everyone thinks. 

Society had already exposed Ellie to violence due to the circumstances of the hellish world she was born into. Therefore, she is much tougher and numb to gore than an average teenager. That is why Ellie not only can digest violence but has even cornered it. As a result, the writers implemented the gory, ultra-violent fighting game series, Mortal Kombat, as Ellie’s ‘favorite’ game.

“These girls would have an obsession with this particular thing (Mortal Kombat) because Ellie has this, not dissimilar to me(Neil Druckmann) an obsession with violent media, which like you know. I grew up like that at that age, like a little bit older and I saw Pulp Fiction and I read sin city, and was very much drawn to that kind of experience at that age.” Said Neil Druckmann, one of the original creators of The Last of Us franchise. 

What do you make of the creative choice taken by the creators to use Mortal Kombat in their show? Let us know in the comments below.

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