Popverse's top stories of the day

• DC's Absolute Batman to get even bigger as some surprise "fan-favorite characters" will debut soon that will "feature hugely" in series, according to Scott Snyder
• MEMBERS ONLY: Popverse Jump: Ignore the marketing, Lazarus is not Cowboy Bebop 2.0 - and I'm thankful for that
• WATCH NOW: Watch as Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 stars Roger Clark (Arthur Morgan) & Rob Weithoff (John Marston) saddle up one more time for a reunion from Chicago's C2E2 2025

Spoilers for The Last of Us season 2.

Greetings Popversians, and welcome to Lore Corner! Each week, video producer Ashley V. Robinson and staff writer Grant DeArmitt are going to take you deep into the pre-existing lore behind some of pop culture's most exciting adaptations, such as the gut-wrenching post-apocalyptic thriller The Last of Us. Enjoy! 

The Last of Us is a show about keeping us on a moral tightrope. In episode 4 of season 2, we followed a host of seemingly peaceful pilgrims wondering in the woods around Seattle, only to see them slaughtered by the Washington Liberation Front. In the latest episode, however, we saw that this same self-mutilated community is capable of its own horrors. So just who is this spiritual group, and what do they mean for the rest of The Lats of Us season 2?

We're here to answer exactly that, as Lore Corner explains the Seraphites. 

Who are the Seraphites in The Last of Us?

Just like the WLF (see our explainer on them here for more), the Seraphites are a group of people from the Pacific Northwest who felt oppressed by the reign of FEDRA. But while the WLF responded to oppression with a military revolt and eventual martial law, the Seraphites turned their rebellion into a holy war. Now, the cult and the WLF engage in violent grabs for power in and around the Seattle area, with contested territories of the city itself acting as the scene for bloody exchanges (remember that unlucky WLF soldier who doesn't have guts any more? That's what we mean).

Why do Seraphites have scars on their faces?

The Seraphites follow the religious teachings of a woman known as The Prophet. Their spiritual fanaticism adds an extra layer of violence on top of the already savage situation that people find themselves in a post-cordyceps world, and that manifests as a facial self-mutilation the cultists undergo to mark themselves as part of their order. In the Last of Us Part II game, the scars given to initiates of the cult's military wing, but it appears that, in the show, even children in the community scar themselves as a symbol of loyalty.

Indeed, loyalty to the Prophet and the cult community is a trademark of the Seraphites, whom the WLF dub "scars" derogatorily. We see that in the example of the Seraphite that Jeffrey Wright's Isaac Dixon tortures in the beginning of the episode, who proves that even the worst pain will not shake his faith. However, as with any religious institution, there's a dark side to that faith - that is, that anyone born different than their creed deems normal will be persecuted.

Why do the Seraphites hate Lev?

OK, now we're getting into some serious spoiler territory, so keep that in mind as you choose whether or not to keep reading here. In the Last of US game universe, the most important Seraphite we meet is one that actually leaves the cult behind. That would be Lev, whose self-identification as male doesn't fit with the Seraphites' worldview. The trans child is first tortured and then hunted by the cultists, but does find salvation in the form of Abby Anderson.

Yes, Joel's killer.

As we expect to see happen in the HBO show, the game follows Abby's story as she betrays the WLF and eventually finds herself on the run in the Seattle area, where she encounters Lev. Feeling for the young man, Abby dedicates herself to his protection, ironically and even tragically forming a bond very much like Joel and Ellie's in the first game/season 1.

Of course, their pairing means that the characters are on the run from both the Seraphites and the WLF, and a big part of the second game, and we assume The Last of Us season3, is them overcoming that danger. So while you think you may have seen just how brutal the Seraphites can be toward someone they consider an outcast from their order, just wait until you see what they can do to one of their own unfaithful.

The Last of Us season 2 finale airs May 25 on HBO and Max.

You don't need to beat the game to prepare for the next one—here are all the major new and upcoming games coming our way.