The subject of countless television shows, films, and video games, the undead, or zombies as they are colloquially known, have consistently captured the attention of audiences for centuries. From Night of the Living Dead to Resident Evil, people cannot seem to get enough of apocalyptic content, perhaps because the genre tends to reflect the human condition through the exploration of the supernatural, horrific possibility of the undead. Each piece of media differs widely in its exploration of a zombie apocalypse, though they all have something in common – they all must somehow explain the origin of the apocalypse, if not constantly evade questions from audiences about the origin. The variability of explanatory paths begs the question: what is the best way to go about explaining the end of the world? 

The Last of Us

A wildly popular two-part video game subsequently adapted into an HBO series, The Last of Us takes a scientific approach to explaining the origin of the virus, or infection, as it is commonly called in the show and game. In both the 2013 video game and 2023 HBO adaptation, the culprit of the deadly infection that wiped away most of the planet is the fungus cordyceps. In the video game, players can find out through interactions with newspaper clippings and other characters that the cordyceps infection originated somewhere in South America, the product of diseased crops. 

In the show, conversely, viewers are presented with a scene that takes place in Jakarta, Indonesia, and suggests that a staple ingredient such as flour was contaminated with the fungus. The origin of the apocalypse, particularly as it is explained in the show, is especially unnerving because of the less supernatural approach to the explanation, employing a very real fungus that can lead to a phenomenon known as ‘zombie ants’ or other insects. However, there is still a fictional element to the pace at which the fungus overtook humanity. Cordyceps evolved to create these ‘zombie ants’ over millions of years, and currently show no signs of being able to raise humans from the dead, which would take another few million years if it were to become a fatal threat to humanity. Nonetheless, the origin of the infection in The Last of Us is certainly compelling, the hint of possibility in the concept adding even more tension into the already stress-inducing storyline. 

The Walking Dead

AMC’s television series The Walking Dead was adapted from comics of the same title. The original series did not delve into the origin of the Walkers, as zombies are referred to in the universe, and Robert Kirkman, the creator of the comics universe, specifically strays away from trying to explain the beginning of the end of the world. Besides providing the insight that the virus lays dormant in every living person, the origin of the apocalypse was not explored until the spin-off series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, premiered. 

In an end credit scene, The Walking Dead: World Beyond revealed that the virus, titled Wildfire Virus, began in a biomedical facility in France. The details of what the lab workers were trying to achieve are ambiguous, however, the Wildfire Virus escaped the lab somehow, and was discovered by the Center for Disease Control in 2010, which ties back into the main show’s storyline. In interviews, the show’s creator has clarified that the virus is airborne and therefore every person eventually becomes a carrier of the virus, which ‘activates’ when a person dies. If someone is bit, a secondary reaction occurs and death occurs within 48 hours. The Walking Dead has maintained a mysterious element to the virus’ origin, which could be part of the reason it has lasted so long, being the longest-running zombie franchise on television. 

Train to Busan 

Unlike the previous two examples, Train to Busan is a movie, which limits the time it potentially had to explain the origin of the apocalypse in its universe. The virus remains unnamed and largely unexplained throughout the K-drama, though it is suggested that a biotech company mistakenly contaminated the natural water. The opening scene of the film depicts a deer which gets up after being hit by a fast-moving truck, implying that animals were the first to be infected. Surrounding cities in South Korea quickly fell to the disease, and Busan is the last city remaining in the country where zombies have not caused destruction, hence why the main characters are on the train in that direction. In Train to Busan, it is suggested that the zombie virus only affected the Korean peninsula, which deviates from the popular trend of total world destruction that most zombie media follows. 

Dead Rising

Dead Rising is a series of zombie video games designed by Keiji Inafune. First appearing in 2006, the zombie virus in Dead Rising stems from genetically altered wasps, which were created in an attempt to reduce the cost of breeding cattle. The wasps eventually migrated from their hives and began to infect humans, the larvae of the species invading the host’s brain and transforming them into a zombie. This origin introduced a unique aspect to the game’s enemies– that of a Queen zombie. Individual zombies are stronger near the Queen and even more so at night. Additionally, once a larva matures into a Queen, it can migrate from the host and infect more people. Dead Rising takes a somewhat scientific approach, if less than The Last of Us, and its unique angle allows for game lore that increases the exciting nature of the gameplay, which is likely a key reason for the popularity of the game amongst players. 

The Best Approach?

These four popular zombie games, shows, and films provide valuable insight into the differing approaches creators can take to explain the origin of apocalyptic virus and diseases, though there are countless more paths to take in terms of an explanation. A more scientific explanation adds believability and can increase tension in a storyline, which can captivate audiences for films or series. Video games may opt for an explanation that adds to the gameplay, like in Dead Rising with the Queens stemming from the wasp-related origin of the virus. 

Perhaps the origin of the zombie apocalypse itself is not as important to consumers as what that origin can add into the storyline to make the show, game, or film more unique and attention grabbing. A well thought out origin can set up future intriguing storylines and simultaneously unnerve viewers with their potential likelihood of occurring. Afterall, zombie media can serve as a poignant exploration of humanity’s response to apocalyptic events, and a successful origin story can add an extra element to make a story unforgettable.