HBO’s The Last Of Us has fans who haven’t played the game wondering what the Clicker variant of the infected is. Throughout the video game storyline, an evolved strain of the Cordyceps fungus is revealed to be the cause of the chaos. In reality, Cordyceps is real and has the ability to take over the brains of insects in order to survive and reproduce.
In the game and the HBO series, the fungi have evolved to the point where they can take over the minds of humans. In the TV adaptation of the hit game as well as in the game itself, there are different stages of the infection, per We Got This Covered.
What Are Clickers?
Although there are multiple stages to the virus, the third stage is one of the most terrifying. The stage produces the clickers. The creatures appear fairly early in the game as you explore an abandoned skyscraper in downtown Boston. Clickers can be recognized by the clicking sound they use as a form of echolocation.
The beasts are completely blind due to the Cordyceps fungus growing out of the infected individual’s head. The Cordyceps also take over the entire outer part of the head, acting almost as armor.
While Clickers are truly scary, they’re not the worst of the lot. Stage four of the virus produces what is called the Bloater. Bloaters are individuals that have been infected for years and the Cordyceps have taken over their entire body. They are difficult to kill and are incredibly strong. Bloaters are rare in the game as you only fight about three the whole time. However, the show may use the spooky zombie-like beings differntly.
It’s likely that the Clickers will be heavily featured in The Last Of Us show. In the game, the story is filled with the blind infected. While Clickers are one of the most dangerous infected in the game they are also pretty easily avoided. Making it easy for survives to steer clear of the clicking terrors.
Image Credits: YouTube.com/HBOMax.
Emma Taylor 
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