We all know Stranger Things is a nostalgic homage to the pop culture of the 1980s. Set in a rural fictional town of Indiana, the fans witnessed Hawkins National Laboratory performing secret research on supernatural kids. While the show kept on attracting worldwide viewers, the creator revealed what inspired them to bring this amazing storyline. In many interviews, Duffer Brothers stated that they drew inspiration from 80s horror movies and many other elements to shape the characters. But can you imagine what might have influenced one of the major bonds in the series that fans adore the most?

Did you know that The Last of Us game shares striking similarities with this popular Netflix show?

How The Last of Us is related to Stranger Things? 

The Last of Us depicted a smuggler named Joel who was tormented by the loss of his daughter, Sarah. In this action-adventure game, he was tasked with smuggling a young girl named Ellie out of a quarantine zone. She was immune to Cordyceps infection, which affected the majority of the population. So a militia group named the Fireflies saw her as a key to creating a vaccine.

During this journey, these two became close, and this middle-aged man took care of her like her own daughter. Even he kept her hidden from the people who recruited him for the task of bringing Ellie across America. Likewise, we saw in Stranger Things how Jim Hopper isolated himself from society after the death of his daughter Sara.

But all this changed when he found Eleven in the woods and decided to save her from the government officials. Eventually, he grew emotionally attached to the telekinetic kid who was hunted by Papa. Not to mention, he even legally adopted her later, and that terrified child finally get home and surname.

Did the game actually inspire Duffer Brothers? 

Although we do not have any confirmation that this game poured some inspiration into the father-daughter bond or not, the creators did mention it sometime before. Speaking with IGN, Duffer Brothers stated The Last of Us had an influence on Stranger Things.

“The Last of Us. I love that game and the storytelling in that game and a lot of the imagery,” remarked Matt. Therefore, one can say that the relationship between Eleven and Hopper is sourced from Ellie and Joel.

Do you think these similarities between these characters have a connection? Drop your views in the comment box!