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Since The Last of Us Season 2 premiered its first episode on April 13, the new phase of HBO's acclaimed adaptation has delivered intense revelations and new horrors. Based on the celebrated Naughty Dog video game by the same name, the series follows a world devastated by the Cordyceps fungus pandemic, where Joel and Ellie struggle to survive not only against the infected but also against remnants of humanity. Now, as the story adapts events of the second game, even darker figures emerge: the Seraphites.
The Last of Us Season 2 doesn't merely replicate the first season's formula. Instead, it dives even deeper into character psychology, the moral complexities of choices, and the authentic construction of a post-apocalyptic world. In this bleak landscape, the rise of factions like the Seraphites expands the threat spectrum beyond the infected, revealing that often, the real danger comes from those who believe that they are right. It’s a chilling reminder that sometimes, in the ruins of a broken world, being convinced one is righteous can be even deadlier than any infection.
Who are the Seraphites in The Last of Us Season 2?
Introduced in the third episode of Season 2, the Seraphites, also known as Scars, are a radical religious cult that emerged after society's collapse. They live in isolation in the forests around Seattle, marking their faces with distinctive scars and following the teachings of a prophetic leader who preached a return to a simple, natural life free from technology.
The portrayal of the Seraphites in the series, as described in the Time article, remains faithful to the game: a community that, although initially built on ideals of peace and harmony, descends into violent fanaticism. Their way of life is severe, their justice system merciless, and their worldview utterly binarized: if you're not with them, you're the enemy. The spiritual purity they seek ultimately becomes a destructive force, dragging everything and everyone who disagrees with their vision into the abyss of intolerance. Their chants, their silent communications, and the eerie solemnity with which they enact violence only deepen the unsettling feeling that perhaps, in their eyes, the world must be broken in order to be saved.
The reality portrayed: the birth of apocalyptic fanaticism
In The Last of Us Season 2, we see how, in the face of social collapse, new orders rise to fill the void left by the fall of former institutions. Factions like the Seraphites are not merely narrative devices, they reflect a recurring historical pattern. When social structures crumble, it is common for radical religious or philosophical movements to emerge, offering meaning and direction to a disoriented population.
Fanaticism is often a response to collective trauma. The need to find a scapegoat, to purify society, or to revert to an ideal past leads to the creation of sects like the Seraphites. In the Last of Us cosmology, where technology and science failed to prevent the apocalypse, complete rejection of these elements becomes the core of the Seraphites' dogma.
Instead of trying to recover what has been lost, the Seraphites rebuild society under the belief that the past is cursed and only penitence can bring redemption. Their rituals, chants, and even the way they fight reflect a community that has completely reshaped itself around survival through belief, a stark, haunting portrait of faith weaponized.
Historical references: the real inspirations behind the Seraphites
The rise of factions such as the Seraphites echoes a number of historical events:
1) Millenarian and sectarian movements post-catastrophe:
During the Black Death in Europe, the Flagellants roamed cities, self-punishing in public, believing human suffering would bring redemption. In China, the Taiping Rebellion (19th century) was led by a man who believed himself the younger brother of Jesus, promising to purify the world.
2) Isolationist and mystical communities:
The Anabaptists of Münster attempted to create a New Jerusalem after the medieval order fell, based on radical interpretations of Christian faith.
3) Modern apocalyptic sects:
Japan's Aum Shinrikyo in the 1990s believed in an imminent apocalypse and perpetrated terrorist attacks. In the U.S., the Waco Siege involved a Christian group convinced they were facing the end times.
These examples reveal that the Seraphites, though fictional, follow a deeply human response to crisis. The transformation of fear into radical belief and loss into fervent doctrine is the human's inherent way to deal with a world that seems to spiral out of control. It appears that history always finds a way to repeat itself when fear outweighs reason.
Representation across pop culture
The Last of Us Season 2 also fits into a long tradition of works that explore the rise of cults and fanaticism in apocalyptic settings:
1) The Road (2006):
The film portrays a devastated world where small human groups become brutal, some almost religious in their survival rituals.
2) Children of the Corn (1977, Stephen King):
Children create a deadly cult after killing all the adults in a small town.
3) The 100 (2014-2020):
A series where surviving groups develop deep tribal and spiritual beliefs to cope with the new world.
4)The Mist (2007):
Collective fear gives rise to a religious faction inside a secluded supermarket.
5) The Leftovers (2014-2017):
This show features the Guilty Remnant, a group that embraces nihilism after the "Sudden Departure."
6) The Handmaid's Tale (1985, Margaret Atwood):
a theocratic dystopia born after a fertility crisis.
7) Midsommar (2019):
A secluded Swedish community practices pagan rituals and sacrifices to ensure natural harmony.
Each of these stories reminds us that faith, when afflicted with despair, can become its own form of apocalypse. All these narratives have one common thread connecting them: the human spirit clings to belief, sometimes beautifully, sometimes monstrously, when the world collapses.
The future of the Seraphites in Seattle
Within the narrative of The Last of Us Season 2, the Seraphites are not just a passing obstacle. They are a major force, shaping the landscape and future of Seattle itself. If the series follows the game's storyline, they will play a crucial role in the unfolding conflicts.
Their clashes with the Wolves (Washington Liberation Front), a militarized and equally brutal group, turn the city into a relentless battleground, with streets becoming soaked with blood and belief systems collapsing. And caught between these raging tides, Ellie would be forced to navigate not only physical danger but the crumbling moral compass of the world around her.
The coming battles between the Seraphites and the Wolves will be about more than territory or survival. It will be a clash of ideals, of fractured identities, of that desperate, aching human need to belong to something larger than ourselves, even when it costs everything. In the scorched streets of Seattle, it won't just be bodies that fall. Ideals will shatter. Innocence will be buried. And somewhere in the middle of it all, Ellie will be forced to confront how much violence a soul can endure, or inflict, before forgetting who they were fighting to protect in the first place.
The Seraphites' tragic pursuit of purity, as horrifying as it becomes, echoes a truth that’s hard to ignore: after the world falls apart, it’s not just survival that people crave. It is meaning and belief. And sometimes, in the ruins of hope, that search for purpose can be as dangerous, as contagious, as any infection lurking in the dark.
Conclusion
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With the introduction of the Seraphites, The Last of Us Season 2 deepens its exploration of post-apocalyptic humanity in chilling and compelling ways. More than mere antagonists, they embody the eternal human desire to restore order amid chaos, and how that pursuit, once fueled by fear and rigid belief, can so easily spiral into horror.
In a landscape ravaged by time, violence, and loss, the Seraphites stand as a brutal reminder: sometimes, rebuilding is not about creating something better. Sometimes, it’s about surviving your own reflection because the most dangerous monsters are often the ones who believe they are saving the world.
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