Summary
- The Last of Us Season 2 introduces new characters like Abby, Dina, Jesse, Mel & Owen, Manny, Nora, Gail, and Isaac Dixon.
- Dina is Ellie’s love interest adding humor and compassion to the dark storyline, providing a contrast to Ellie and Abby’s quest for redemption.
- While the show remains faithful to the game, there are changes in character relationships and timelines to deepen the emotional stakes.
The highly anticipated Season 2 of the HBO series The Last of Us is just around the corner, and the global phenomenon is set to dive deeper into its post-apocalyptic world and high-stakes survival. Based on the game series of the same name, The Last of Us Season 2 is set to cover Part II of the game franchise, which takes place four years after the events of the first game, and introduces Abby Anderson as one of the main antagonists. However, the HBO series will introduce a major change in the timeline of its events, and follows Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) five years after the events that took place during the show’s first season.
Fans will get a chance to see a new set of characters making their way into the world of The Last of Us. Some of them might be known, while some have been created by the showrunners to create an immersive experience. While Joel and Ellie will continue to be the main characters this season as well, these new characters will make the narrative richer and bring their unique backstories into the fray. Their presence will not only add fresh dynamics to Joel and Ellie’s journey but also deepen the emotional stakes of the story. With new alliances, unexpected conflicts, and personal struggles, these characters will shape the season in unpredictable and compelling ways. So, let’s take a look at the new characters who will be playing pivotal roles in The Last of Us Season 2.
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Abby Anderson (played by Kaitlyn Dever)
Abby Anderson is undoubtedly one of the most important characters in the Last of Us universe and certainly, the most polarizing one. Introduced in The Last of Us Part II, Abby is the daughter of Jerry Anderson, who was given the task of producing a cure for the Cordyceps infection. In the game, the father-daughter duo were a part of the Fireflies and lived in Salt Lake City, where Jerry started working on finding a cure. However, everything comes crashing down when Joel kills Jerry for trying to perform a non-survivable surgery on Ellie to create a vaccine. The news of her father’s death makes Abby spiral into a whirlwind of grief and rage, fueling her relentless quest for vengeance. After the death of her father, she became a member of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and continued searching for Joel.
In the game, Abby has a muscular physique and can take down any person. But it seems the aforementioned aspect of Abby’s personality won’t be seen in the second edition of The Last of Us series because Dever wasn’t asked to bulk up for the role.
Dina (played by Isabela Merced)
Those who have played The Last of Us games know how dark it is. There are not many moments where players get a chance to be happy and smile a bit. However, there’s one character that offers humor amid the game’s darker themes, and the name of that character is Dina, who will be played by Isabel Merced. Dina is one of the most fascinating characters in the game series developed by Naughty Dog and is Ellie’s love interest. In the game, Dina is introduced as Ellie’s close friend, but their friendship soon blossoms into a romance. Dina and Ellie have opposite personalities. Dina is much more mature than Ellie and doesn’t make decisions in haste. Even though she follows Ellie on her journey for revenge, she never loses her soft side and always reminds her partner of the significance of love and humanity.
Although Dina serves as a secondary character in the Last of Us universe, her character is probably one of the few driven by love and compassion rather than vengeance. Her characteristics provide a contrast to Ellie and Abby’s relentless pursuit of redemption. Her inclusion in the series will be interesting and will give viewers a chance to understand that sometimes it is okay to let things go, even if the situation demands something else.
Jesse (played by Young Mazino)
Jesse and Manny are pretty similar characters. Just like Manny follows Abby in her quest for revenge, Jesse follows Ellie in her pursuit of redemption. However, his relationship with Ellie is much more complicated because he is the ex-boyfriend of Dina. As per the game, Jesse and Dina were in an on-and-off relationship before they decided to break up permanently. However, they remained good friends. His friendship with Ellie began when Joel and Ellie traveled to Jackson and began a new life there. Jesse was also a member of Jackson’s border patrol and seemed to have killed several runners and clickers while keeping everyone safe from the infected. When it comes to personality, Jesse is different from Ellie and is more pragmatic in his approach, and does everything to protect his loved ones, making him one of the most dependable figures in the narrative.
Mel & Owen (played by Ariela Barer and Spencer Lord)
Mel and Owen were both a part of the Fireflies before they disbanded and went on to join Abby in the Washington Liberal Front (WLF). Mel is a trained medic and garnered her training from Abby’s father, Dr. Jerry Anderson. However, things changed when Dr. Anderson died, and she was forced to join Abby and other members of the group to search for a new home. On the other hand, Owen was also a part of the same group and was dating Abby. However, they soon broke up. Although there’s no clear answer as to why they broke up, it is implied that they broke up because of Abby’s growing obsession with revenge. While searching for a new home, the group reached Seattle, where they became members of WLF. For her experience in the medical field, she was made a medic, while Owen became a soldier. After breaking up with Abby, Owen started a relationship with Mel.
Both these characters are pretty similar to each other. Both didn’t like violence, but resorted to it whenever there was a need for it. Mel would only kill in self-defense, while Owen wanted to live a peaceful life. Both characters emphasize themes of love, regret, and the cost of violence, and are pretty important in Abby’s storyline.
Manny Alvarez (played by Danny Ramirez)
Described as one of WLF’s best soldiers, Manny is one of Abby’s closest friends and follows her to Jackson to take revenge on Joel. A lot of people believe that Manny’s hatred towards Joel began when he found out that finding a cure for the Cordyceps infection is now impossible because Joel killed Abby’s father, who was working on finding a vaccine. In The Last of Us Part II, Manny followed Abby and helped her track Joel. Moreover, he is one of the rare characters who is strong in combat and is also a master thinker. That’s the reason he is regarded as an extraordinary soldier, and members of the WLF listen to him keenly. His character adds depth to Abby’s storyline, showing a different side of the WLF beyond just their militaristic nature.
Nora (played by Tati Gabrielle)
Nora is a vital character in Abby’s narrative and is one of her friends. In the game, Nora was trained by Abby’s father and assisted him in finding a cure for the deadly infection. After his death, Nora became very close to Abby and a part of her revenge quest. However, it is important to note that there were several instances where Nora tried to stop Abby from finding Joel, but Abby never listened to her. She is an important character and features in one of the most intense scenes of the game series.
Gail (played by Catherine O’Hara)
TV adaptations of games or novels always tend to introduce new characters to bring more depth to the storyline. In The Last of Us Season 2, the makers have introduced Gail as one of the characters who doesn’t belong in this world and will be an original character. It is believed that Gail would play a sort of “resident therapist” for the community living in Jackson and might help people navigate through their traumas. As per O’Hara, she appears in three episodes of Season 2 and might be in the episodes where she encounters Joel and Ellie.
Isaac Dixon (played by Jeffrey Wright)
Isaac Dixon is another important character in The Last of Us Part II and is one of the founding members of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF). He has been anti-FEDRA from the beginning. However, things intensified when certain important members of the WLF were killed by FEDRA. After that moment, he became the leader of the WLF and was ruthless in his approach. Isaac became so brutal that he took control of Seattle from FEDRA and continued to be hard-hearted. Wright is one of the very few voice actors who played a role in the game and is now playing the same character in the TV series as well.The Last of Us Season 2 will premiere exclusively on HBO and Max on April 13.
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With The Last of Us season 2 approaching, Bella Ramsey has shared her thoughts on the pressure of continuing the highly anticipated series. During a press conference, Ramsey admitted, “It’s a little bit scary. When Season 1 came out, obviously it was this huge thing. I think I’m just so aware of Season 2 coming out and … everybody looking at it, and looking at me, and it’s quite scary, but it’s exciting.” Since its announcement in 2023, fans have debated whether season 2 can live up to the original. The showrunners have confirmed that the new season will begin five years after the season 1 finale. While some questioned if a new actress should play Ellie, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin clarified that Ramsey would stay in the role, with Mazin noting, “It won’t be exactly like the game.”