Who Is the Rat King in The Last of Us & Will He Appear in the Series, Explained
More types of infected are appearing in the show, and fans can't help but remember the most terrifying boss from The Last of Us Part II – the Rat King. Here's what Craig Mazin has to say about his appearance.
The main idea of The Last of Us Part II is the confrontation of people with different beliefs. However, this does not mean that Naughty Dog only paid attention to them.
Detailed images of Clickers and other types of monsters became a confirmation of the high level of skill of the developers – and most of the zombies and other deadly phenomena such as spores have already been shown in The Last of Us series.
In this context, it is impossible not to remember the Rat King – the most memorable and horrifying boss in The Last of Us Part II. Let's find out who he is and if he will appear in the series.
The Rat King Is the Main Boss in The Last of Us Part II
The Rat King could have appeared in the first The Last of Us game – but he was saved for the sequel. The first mention of the Rat King dates back to the 16th century, when servants in a house found several rats tied together by their tails.
_37476.webp)
The Rat King became part of urban folklore, and the developers at Naughty Dog wanted to include a monster inspired by the legend in their game. But for a long time, they could not find an appropriate place for it.
A few years later, while developing the second game, the writers remembered the Rat King. They needed something for Abby to encounter on her difficult path to redemption.
Craig Mazin Teased The Rat King Appearance, But We Probably Won't See Him in Season 2
So will the Rat King make an appearance in The Last of Us? After the first season aired, showrunner Craig Mazin teased in an interview with Deadline that the bar would be raised in terms of the infected:
“We're certainly also going to push the technology that we use forward. We learned so much, particularly in regard to the infected and how to better deliver scenes with them. So, we're just going to keep moving the bar up and up and up.”
In the recent interview with GamesRadar+ Mazin confirmed that the Rat King will indeed appear on the show, without specifying which season:
“So we're certainly going to see quite a few changes along the way to impress upon our characters. [...] 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.”
It looks like we shouldn't expect The Rat King until Season 3. It is Abby who meets the most terrifying boss, and the show is currently focused on Ellie – the remaining two episodes are clearly not enough to wrap up Ellie's storyline and move on to Abby.
