What Does FEDRA Stand For In The Last Of Us?

Many fans of the HBO Max series "The Last of Us" have undoubtedly heard of FEDRA: the governing military force regulating what's left of civilization, and a ruthless group that strikes fear into those that cross their path. Viewers who might not be familiar with the source material may be wondering what it actually stands for.

It's no secret that many video game adaptations fail to gain traction with fans. But "The Last of Us" has seemed to defy expectations and put out a hit with both fans and critics garnering stellar scores on Rotten Tomatoes.  The show kicked things off with a remarkable viewership number, and critics highly praised the program, noting "'The Last of Us' is binge-worthy TV that ranks among the all-time greatest video game adaptations." Since then, home audiences have watched Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) survive an onslaught of terrors. While they've gone up against several challenges, the many types of infected and real-life cordyceps aren't the only threats the pair needs to worry about. The array of human threats is surprisingly alarming on its own, but out of all of the groups that fall under the category, FEDRA has proven to be one of the worst on more than one occasion. Viewers have seen firsthand what the individuals under FEDRA are capable of, and many may be curious to learn what words make up the chilling acronym.

When the outbreak began in 2003 in "The Last of Us," it spread incredibly fast, things got really bad rather quickly, and FEDRA — which stands for Federal Disaster Response Agency — replaced the United States Government and took over as the governing body of the country, declaring martial law with the assistance of the military. They herded survivors into quarantine zones in major cities like Boston and Kansas City, killing those infected or those they just did not have room for, because dead individuals can't become Clickers. They've also shown a distinct lack of compassion for human life, killing anyone they deem a threat.

In the Boston quarantine zone, viewers witnessed the ruling body hang criminals in front of the rest of the town, and that their work can sometimes be so devastating that members of their military force require drugs to cope with their everyday duties. In Kansas City, things got so bad that an uprising occurred, and that didn't go well for any FEDRA personnel stationed at that post. Despite the menacing efforts from the infected, Fireflies, and other adversaries that FEDRA faces daily, the group continues to have a threatening presence throughout the series, even though they're not featured as the show's biggest villain.

While "The Last of Us" series has made an assortment of changes that differ from the video game, many fans can agree that FEDRA is an organization nobody from the game or show should ever underestimate.