What Is The WLF In ‘The Last Of Us’? The Wolves And The Seraphites, Explained

A quick guide to some details from the 2020 video game and its military force.

Spoilers ahead for “The Last of Us” Part II (the video game), and likely for “The Last of Us” Season 2 (the show) as well.

“The Last of Us” may take place in a post-apocalyptic reality where the U.S. government has fallen and fungus-infested zombies roam the country, but its version of America is still a heavily militarized one.

In Season 1, we were introduced to the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA), a fictional FEMA-esque branch of the U.S. Army that turns brutally authoritarian in the face of societal collapse, along with an armed resistance movement called the Fireflies. Now, in “The Last of Us” Season 2, our protagonist Ellie (Bella Ramsey) comes face to face with a new military force: the Washington Liberation Front (W.L.F.), or, as their enemies call them, the Wolves.

So what’s the deal with the Washington Liberation Front? To answer that question, we’ll have to dive into some details from the HBO show’s source material — the 2020 video game “The Last of Us Part II” — so if you prefer to experience “The Last of Us” Season 2 as it was intended, consider yourself warned.

But if you’re down for some light spoilers (or just haven’t played the game for a while and want a refresher), read on for our breakdown of the history of the W.L.F. and the conflict that defines much of the story that lies ahead.