Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 1 and the game The Last of Us Part II.

Ellie's immunity may be the solution to the ongoing pandemic, the advantages of her immunity are countered by the danger it puts her in and the moral questions it raises.

The Last of Us's cast is led by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, and they are ed by a great ing cast. While their stories are the primary ones carried over from the games, the detailed adaptation also includes important storylines about how the world came to be in its current post-apocalyptic state and what FEDRA had to do with that. There are several important groups within The Last of Us, but FEDRA is a common enemy whose actions help set the series' plot in motion and give characters someone to fight against.

FEDRA Is The Federal Disaster Response Agency In The Last Of Us

The Tyrannical Agency Serves As The Last Vestiges Of Government Leadership

FEDRA is the government's emergency response agency in The Last of Us. Season 1 of HBO's The Last of Us introduces the Cordyceps pandemic through Joel's perception of the first night of the infection when his daughter is shot and killed by a soldier. The series then jumps 20 years forward to Joel now living in a quarantine zone in Boston which is run by the mysterious FEDRA. While it left somewhat unclear whether it was a FEDRA agent who shot his daughter, given the implication, the series immediately sets the agency up as the villain.

FEDRA has superseded all other forms of government and formed military compounds that the inhabitants are prohibited from leaving.

FEDRA is like a fictional, evil version of FEMA that seeks to take over the country. While their purpose was presumably to manage the initial outbreak of the fungal infection, The Last of Us shows a much more sinister outcome. In the present timeline of the series, FEDRA has superseded all other forms of government and formed military compounds that the inhabitants are prohibited from leaving. The dystopian cities are heavily guarded and residents live very difficult lives with few prospects.

The agency's villain status and the large amounts of power that its agents wield are the result of FEDRA simply having taken the power by force. When the regular systems of government quickly failed following the initial outbreak, FEDRA used brutal techniques, including killing innocent uninfected people, to make sure that they ruled the country. In part, this was conducted under the guise of FEDRA attempting to stop the spread of the infection, but at a certain point, power rather than safety became their main goal.

Who Oversees FEDRA & Where They Are Located

The Militaristic Group Has Control Over Cities Across The Country

As Joel and Ellie continue to make their way West, FEDRA continues to be one of their biggest concerns when they venture through various towns under military control. Though FEDRA was once one agency under a larger government, the outbreak of the Cordyceps pandemic meant that they could claim control. Thus, FEDRA can be considered militaristic control by the government, but it is also very different from a well-functioning government that would have checks on its power. As the characters of The Last of Us come to understand, it is also very divided.

The government's control in The Last of Us is very militaristic, but it certainly does not reach everywhere. Rather than having one central location that they rule from, FEDRA is localized into quarantine zones (QZs) around the country. The series begins with Joel and Ellie leaving the Boston QZ and traveling West. During their journey, they encounter people from other QZs and locations where FEDRA has been overtaken by resistance groups. While there were initially multiple QZs across the country, the number has decreased over time.

FEDRA's Enemies Explained

The Fireflies Work To Overthrow The Government's Control

Given FEDRA's inhumane tactics of maintaining control, it is unsurprising that some of the biggest plot points in The Last of Us center around the groups that are trying to take the agency down. The primary resistance group in season 1 is the Fireflies, who get Joel to bring Ellie across the country with him as he was already planning to leave the Boston QZ. The group is primarily focused on removing FEDRA from power and installing its own more equal methods of government. While the group is initially framed as an important ally, The Last of Us's season 1 ending proves that their methods are not always good either.

Like the Fireflies, the WLF goes to extremes to wrest power away from their opponents, which also includes the Seraphites.

Following the deaths in season 1's ending, the Fireflies are attempting to regroup in The Last of Us Part II. Although the Fireflies still play an important role in the series, FEDRA has another big enemy in season 2. During The Last of Us season 2, the Fireflies are overshadowed by the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), a group that is attempting to maintain control of Seattle, Washington. Like the Fireflies, the WLF goes to extremes to wrest power away from their opponents, which also includes the Seraphites.

Beyond the Fireflies and the WLF, The Last of Us does present several other groups who are certainly against FEDRA as well as individuals who simply live beyond their QZs. One of the clearest examples in season 1 is that of the rebels who have taken control of Kansas City. This is even more explicit in the game as the group is referred to as Hunters, who forcibly took the city (originally Pittsburgh) from FEDRA.

What Happens To FEDRA In The Last Of Us

The Second Game Shifts Focus Away From FEDRA

While FEDRA is a major catalyst for Joel and Ellie needing to leave Boston in The Last of Us Part I, much of the focus has shifted away from them in the second game. The Last of Us season 2 will have much more focus on Ellie's quest for revenge and the antagonistic dynamic between her and Abby.

Since it has already been implied that many of the QZs had fallen and Boston was one of the last true FEDRA strongholds, the second season's new locations mean it will focus more on the clashes between other groups. It seems possible that now-distant locations like Boston could still be under FEDRA control, but The Last of Us season 2's Seattle location means that the main characters are largely interacting with the WLF and their enemy, the Seraphites, instead.