The Last of Us and MCU Are Connected in The Most Bizarre Way Possible
The two very different universes seem to share some curious parallels.
With the release of most of the episodes of HBO's highly anticipated The Last of Us series, which has been warmly received by audiences and critics alike, some of the most creative fans have come up with some rather quirky parallels between the series (as well as the original games) and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
So let's dive into the bizarre theories and connections fans have come up with.
First of all, the relationship between our main characters, Joel and Ellie, is somewhat similar to the one between Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, the protagonists of Marvel's TV series Hawkeye ( 2021), portrayed by Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfield, respectively.
See for yourself: one is a battle-hardened veteran who has been through hell and back, the other is a socially awkward teenager with an explosive nature who is far from all the typical "girly" things. As much of a stretch as it is, there is still the possibility that the creators of Hawkeye were partially inspired by Joel and Ellie's dynamic from the original video game.
The second case is a little more obvious.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been around for quite some time, fifteen years to be exact. So it comes as no surprise that a lot of MCU actors pop up here and there. For example, Ashley Johnson, who played Ellie in the original video game, its sequel, and will play Ellie's mother on the show, also appeared as Beth, a waitress in New York City, in The Avengers (2012).
Gabriel Luna, who plays Joel's brother Tommy in the HBO series, has been spotted as Robbie Reyes, the Ghost Rider, in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series. And Lamar Johnson, Henry from The Last of Us TV series, previously starred as a mutant named Match in 2019's X-Men: Dark Phoenix (which is technically part of the MCU after the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness).
So naturally, some weird theories about how The Last of Us could be one of the infinite Marvel universes fall on good soil.
The last one is most likely a simple Easter egg. In the game's sequel, one of the collectible trading cards is dedicated to a superhero Tesseracter, which could be a reference to Marvel's Tesseract, given the similar nature of their cosmic origin.
The Last of Us has been renewed for a second season in January 2023, with a release date yet to be announced