This story contains spoilers for The Last of Us Episode 5, "Endure and Survive," now available to stream on HBO and HBO Max.
The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin explained how DC Comics' Watchmen inspired this scene in Episode 5 of the HBO series.
The fifth episode of The Last of Us, titled "Endure and Survive," adapts a storyline from the original 2013 video game, featuring Henry and Sam, played respectively by Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Woodward. In the episode, Sam and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) bond over a comic book titled Savage Starlight, which includes the catchphrase "endure and survive." In an interview with The Last of Us Podcast, co-creator Craig Mazin confirmed that the comic book was inspired by Watchmen.
"The whole idea for this comic book was very much inspired by Watchmen," Mazin said. "There's a comic book inside the story that reflects back on what's happening in the world. So we wanted to do something similar where there was, like, this sci-fi comic that speaks to the same themes of relationships and love, and all that. And I was like 'It should have a catchphrase that the main hero says.' And I'm like 'What could be kind of like a cheesy catchphrase? Okay, our game is about survival.' And then I just went on thesaurus.com, typed in 'survival' and 'endure' came up, and I'm like 'Endure and survive! There it is!' It's very meaningful but obviously has great thematic resonance."
Created by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins, Watchmen was a comic series published by DC Comics starting in 1986 before it was compiled as a single-volume edition in 1987. Watchmen takes place in a world wherein superheroes are a part of everyday life and the series acts as both a political satire and a political commentary. The graphic novel has been adapted into a 2009 movie of the same name directed by Zack Snyder, as well as an HBO mini-series in 2019.
The Last of Us Returns for Season 2
Season 1 of the HBO adaptation will consist of 10 episodes and adapts the storyline from the first game, based on a screenplay written by Mazin and Naughty Dog game developer and series co-creator Neil Druckmann. The Last of Us marked the network's second-largest premiere behind House of the Dragon, with Episode 1 surpassing 22 million domestic viewers. Not two episodes into the first season, the series received an early Season 2 renewal from HBO.
Released by Naughty Dog in 2013, The Last of Us video game follows a smuggler named Joel who is tasked with leading Ellie, a 14-year-old girl immune to the cordyceps virus that has ravaged humanity for nearly twenty years, across the post-apocalyptic United States. Seven years later, a sequel titled The Last of Us Part II was released in 2020. HBO has adapted the first game in the franchise.
The Last of Us stars Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller and Ramsey (Game of Thrones) as Ellie Williams. Season 1 of The Last of Us is currently airing on HBO, with new episodes every Sunday.
Source: The Last of Us Podcast