The Boys Season 5 Takes A Hilarious Shot At HBO's The Last Of Us

Contains spoilers for "The Boys" Season 5, Episode 4 — "King of Hell"

Prime Video's relentless superhero satire "The Boys" stunned critics with its fifth season, and Season 5 carries on a trend from years gone by — the show is always ready to skewer a new target. Whether it's having a laugh at the expense of superhero tropes or dunking on Donald Trump with a Homelander (Antony Starr) sneaker, "The Boys" tends to bring enough barbs to share with everyone. Even then, it's surprising to see the show set its sights on another platform's major genre show: HBO's "The Last of Us." 

When Frenchie (Tomer Capone) figures out that Fort Harmony is infested by a supe plant lifeform that works like a rage virus and turns people against each other, he's quick to deduce that the plant feeds on victims' bodies after they fall prey to its influence. Hughie (Jack Quaid) immediately figures out that this is basically the plot of "The Last of Us" and points this out. In response, Frenchie gives him a weird look and immediately dismisses the HBO show as nothing more than "The Walking Dead" with mushrooms.

It's a funny moment, but it's worth noting that while the latest episode of "The Boys" Season 5 hilariously snipes at "The Last of Us," it also openly drinks from the HBO show's well with its production design. As such, it's pretty plain to see that Frenchie's comment is the kind of playful jab one might take at a sibling or pal rather than a violent swing.

Frenchie might not be the world's biggest "The Last of Us" fan, but the people behind "The Boys" seem like they just might be. "King of Hell" features numerous nods to the visuals of the HBO show (and the video games that inspired it). You'll see all sorts of creepy roots, tendrils, and other ominous visions that summon memories of "The Last of Us" and its elaborate fungal designs. 

In fact, even the episode's connections to real-world parasitic behavior pay homage to "The Last of Us." Where the HBO show's zombie apocalypse is caused by a mutated version of the very-real cordyceps fungus, "The Boys" draws inspiration from Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can cause a weakening condition known as toxoplasmosis – of course, real toxoplasmosis doesn't make people fight each other to death.

If there were any questions about the episode's "The Last of Us" themes, the introduction of the V-One supe Quinn (Kris Hagen) as the source of the rage infection seals the deal. Quinn's immobile, wall-bound design heavily resembles the Infected whose growths have turned them into part of the environment in "The Last of Us," making the episode's inspiration quite clear.