Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
The Last of Us season 2
Sci-Fi Shows The Last of Us season 3 release date speculation, cast, plot, and more news
The Last of Us
Horror Shows The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin says "of course" Catherine O'Hara would have returned in season 3
Ashley Johnson as Anna in The Last of Us
Horror Shows The Last of Us star shares her reaction to season 2 backlash: "Sometimes that passion feels great, and sometimes not"
Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us
Sci-Fi Shows The Last of Us season 3 finds it new Manny in Spider-Man: No Way Home star, and casts '90s icon as new Seraphite
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last of Us season 2
Horror Shows The Last of Us star Kaitlyn Dever says she starts prep for season 3 "in a couple of days"
Ed Warren banishing a demon in The Conjuring: Last Rites
Sci-Fi Shows The Last of Us season 3 adds Lanterns and The Conjuring stars to cast
Walton Goggins in Fallout season 2
Sci-Fi Shows Fallout showrunner is open to bringing back one of the RPG series' most nightmarish creations
Ron Perlman as a Supermutant in Fallout season 2
Sci-Fi Shows Despite briefly appearing in season 2, Fallout showrunner says Ron Perlman's Supermutant will figure into future seasons
Jack O'Connell and the Jimmies in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Horror Movies 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple director teases the sequel's most "horrifying" scene involving Jack O'Connell's villain
Close-up of mutant from Resident Evil Requiem
Survival Horror Games I'm convinced Resident Evil Requiem is bringing back the Licker zombie from scrapped Resident Evil 2 concept art
True Detective: Night Country
Horror Movies Resident Evil star says Zach Cregger's upcoming video game adaptation is a "comedic" and "crazy" origin story
Johnny Pemberton as Thaddeus in Fallout season 2
Sci-Fi Shows Fallout fans have a grim theory about Thaddeus' future, and he might be turning into one of the games' gnarliest enemies
Key art for Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy with Sophia standing in front of a labyrinth-style mural with a curved sword, with the GamesRadar+ Big in 2026 brand frame
Action Games Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy "changes almost everything" about the series – and its "more trained, more physical, more offensive" protagonist proves it
Ellie and Joel during The Last of Us
Survival Horror Games The Last of Us sparked "internal fight" at Naughty Dog, says veteran designer: "'It's not just another zombie game'"
Protagonist Jordan in a screenshot from the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
The Last of Us Neil Druckmann's teasing the return of a The Last of Us actor in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
  1. Entertainment
  2. TV
  3. Drama Shows
  4. The Last of Us TV show

The Last of Us season 2 showrunner talks new and even more terrifying types of infected with a big tease: "The Rat King is something that anybody who has played TLOU Part 2 is traumatized by"

News
By Lauren Milici published 27 March 2025

Exclusive: Craig Mazin teases new types of infected in The Last of Us season 2

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The Last of Us
(Image credit: HBO)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
0
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin says we can expect to see some of the more "traumatizing" types of infected in season 2.

"I think we can say that we are dedicated to the idea that just as humanity is progressing and [Jackson] is getting bigger and they're bringing people in the infected are also evolving," Mazin tells GamesRadar+. "So we're certainly going to see quite a few changes along the way to impress upon our characters. Oh, do you think you've figured it out, you think you're good at handling the infected? The Rat King is something that anybody who has played The Last of Us Part 2 is traumatized by for so many reasons, count myself among them."

Continues Mazin: "All I'll say is I don't understand how you could make a show called The Last of Us and not eventually get where it ought to go. When and how, we'll keep that a mystery."

You may like
  • The Last of Us season 2 The Last of Us season 3 release date speculation, cast, plot, and more news
  • The Last of Us The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin says "of course" Catherine O'Hara would have returned in season 3
  • Ashley Johnson as Anna in The Last of Us The Last of Us star shares her reaction to season 2 backlash: "Sometimes that passion feels great, and sometimes not"

In season 1 – spoiler alert from here on for both the first season and games – we didn't see too many different types of infected – but we did Joel get attacked by a Bloater in episode 5 after it crawls out from a pit of other infected. If you aren't familiar with the games, you might not know that there are several types of infected, including a Stalker, which hides and waits for the player, Shamblers, which ooze puss, and the aforementioned Rat King.

The Rat King is one of the bosses in TLOU Part 2, the game, and I definitely don't recommend playing through that part at night. It's Abby who fights the Rat King in the game, and it'll be exciting to see if and when Kaitlyn Dever comes face-to-face with it at some point this season.

The Last of Us Season 2 hits HBO and Max on April 13. For more, check out our list of the best Max shows and the best Max movies to watch right now.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
HBO Streaming Services
Lauren Milici
Lauren Milici
Social Links Navigation
Senior Entertainment Writer

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
The Last of Us season 2
Sci-Fi Shows The Last of Us season 3 release date speculation, cast, plot, and more news
 
 
The Last of Us
Horror Shows The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin says "of course" Catherine O'Hara would have returned in season 3
 
 
Ashley Johnson as Anna in The Last of Us
Horror Shows The Last of Us star shares her reaction to season 2 backlash: "Sometimes that passion feels great, and sometimes not"
 
 
Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us
Sci-Fi Shows The Last of Us season 3 finds it new Manny in Spider-Man: No Way Home star, and casts '90s icon as new Seraphite
 
 
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last of Us season 2
Horror Shows The Last of Us star Kaitlyn Dever says she starts prep for season 3 "in a couple of days"
 
 
Ed Warren banishing a demon in The Conjuring: Last Rites
Sci-Fi Shows The Last of Us season 3 adds Lanterns and The Conjuring stars to cast
 
 
Latest in Drama Shows
Jamie Bell as Niall and Richard Gadd as Ruben in Half Man
Drama Shows Baby Reindeer creator's upcoming show gets new look featuring his drastic physical change
 
 
Rachel Weisz as M. in erotic thriller Vladimir
Drama Shows Rachel Weisz's new Netflix thriller is one of the streamer's biggest flops of the year so far
 
 
Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby riding a horse in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
Crime Shows Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man director explains how the Netflix movie differs from the show
 
 
Peaky Blinders – one of the best Netflix shows
Drama Shows The Peaky Blinders spin-off show has started filming, with leaked set pictures ushering the franchise into a new era
 
 
Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan in Beef season 2
Drama Shows Season 2 of hit Netflix show with 98% Rotten Tomatoes score unveils its White Lotus-esque first trailer
 
 
Jamie Lee Curtis in The Bear
Drama Shows Jamie Lee Curtis says The Bear is ending with season 5 but admits she may have "completely blown" the announcement
 
 
Latest in News
Palworld
Survival Games "We have no desire to be a media empire," says Palworld publishing head but Pocketpair would be stupid to let it die out
 
 
Protagonist Jordan in a screenshot from the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
The Last of Us Neil Druckmann's teasing the return of a The Last of Us actor in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
 
 
A screenshot of the Adoring Fan seen in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered.
The Elder Scrolls Todd Howard says Oblivion leaks didn't help Bethesda or players: "Everyone is gonna have a different version"
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 devs respond to the flurry of negative Steam reviews: "No change is necessarily permanent"
 
 
Crimson Desert
Open World Games "My dream game": After 7 hours, Palworld publishing lead delivers his Crimson Desert verdict: "This game is made for me"
 
 
Zoomed-in, cropped box art for Pokemon FireRed shows Charizard roaring.
Pokemon "The biggest time save in nearly a decade of Pokemon speedrunning" has been discovered in FireRed
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
    1
    Project Hail Mary has convinced me to start getting excited for Star Wars: Starfighter
  2. 2
    "We have no desire to be a media empire," says Palworld publishing head, but Pocketpair would be stupid to let the survival game die out
  3. 3
    Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet's been away from the spotlight, but Neil Druckmann's teasing the return of a The Last of Us actor in the sci-fi game
  4. 4
    Todd Howard says "leaks don't help" Bethesda or players, especially when it comes to Oblivion: "Everyone is gonna have a different version"
  5. 5
    Slay the Spire 2 devs respond to a flurry of bad Steam reviews aimed at its first balance patch: "This progress will not be linear, and no change is necessarily permanent"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...