There’s always a tendency in post-apocalyptic media — especially zombie apocalypse media — to show that the true villains aren’t the undead monsters coming to eat your brains. Rather, it’s the humans trying to get ahead and survive no matter the cost, even if other lives are at stake. But even in a crowded genre, The Last of Us reaches a new level of this “people are the real villains” trope, from the soldier who shoots Sarah to the raider who stabs Joel.
