Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann’s wildly popular film adaptation of Naughty Dog Studio’s iconic video game series, HBO Original The Last of Us, is finally back for its second season.
The first season garnered critical acclaim and introduced us to numerous characters that Joel and Ellie meet, ally or clash with on their journey, and the second season will have even more characters to explore.
Looking for a refresher on all of The Last of Us characters from Season 1, or want to know more about the new additions as you get ready to dive into Season 2? Here’s our complete guide to all of the characters in both seasons of The Last of Us.
Don’t forget: You can catch up on The Last of Us Season 1 before the big Season 2 premiere on April 13 right on DIRECTV!
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‘The Last of Us’ Characters
Here are all of the characters from The Last of Us, in order of appearance, including who plays them. Most are from the original game but a few have been created just for the TV show.
Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal, Season 1 & 2)
A grizzled survivor haunted by his past, Joel is tasked with transporting Ellie, a teenage girl with unique immunity to cordyceps infection, across a post-apocalyptic United States. Throughout the series, Joel’s personality evolves from detached and self-interested guardian to a deeply paternal figure, culminating in a life-altering decision at the conclusion of the first season that entirely reshapes the pair’s dynamic.
At the end of Season 1, Joel and Ellie have moved into a fortress compound in Jackson, Wyoming with a community including Joel’s brother Tommy and other survivors.
Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey, Season 1 & 2)
A witty, resilient and rebellious teenager immune to the cordyceps infection that has ravaged the world, Ellie becomes a central component of humanity’s best hope for survival.
Initially cold towards Joel, their bond eventually grows into a surrogate father-daughter relationship and sets the emotional tone for the series.
Sarah Miller (Nico Parker, Season 1)
Sarah was Joel’s daughter, whose tragic death in the very first episode during the cordyceps outbreak’s earliest days serves as a pivotal emotional moment. Losing Sarah is the catalyst for Joel’s transformation into the hardened smuggler and survivalist he has become by the beginning of the series.
Marlene (Merle Dandridge, Season 1)
Marlene is the leader of the Fireflies, a resistance group dedicated to both opposing the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA)’s iron-fist rule in the quarantine zones and seeking a cure for the cordyceps outbreak. She orchestrates Ellie’s journey and ultimately becomes a key figure in the moral dilemma at the story’s climax.
Tess Servopoulos (Anna Torv, Season 1)
Tess is Joel’s smuggling partner and close companion. Tess is tough, resourceful and deeply loyal. In one of the most jarring scenes of the series, she sacrifices herself early in the journey to ensure Joel and Ellie are able to escape an onslaught by the infected to continue west.
Tommy Miller (Gabriel Luna, Season 1 & 2)
Tommy is Joel’s younger brother and a military veteran. He is a former member of the Fireflies and now a settler in the Jackson compound. Tommy’s idealism, optimism and kind nature contrasts with Joel’s cynical, jaded worldview.
Dr. Ratna Pertiwi (Christine Hakim, Season 1)
Ratna is an Indonesian mycologist who appears in a flashback that unveils the origins of the cordyceps outbreak. Ratna is brought in to examine a patient who was infested by the fungus, and while at first skeptical that such an infection could be possible, is terrified to find that it’s true. Her shocking recommendation to address the outbreak sets the tone for its seriousness.
Bill (Nick Offerman, Season 1)
Bill is a hardened survivalist who lives as the sole resident in heavily fortified Lincoln, Massachusetts. He is an ally of Joel and Tess, and one of the series’ most emotionally touching episodes explores his backstory and evolution through his relationship with fellow survivor Frank.
Frank (Murray Bartlett, Season 1)
Frank is Bill’s partner in Lincoln. Frank appears at Bill’s doorstep one day and asks for shelter, which the paranoid Bill is initially hesitant to provide. Frank and Bill eventually enter a romantic relationship, with Frank bringing a sense of warmth and hope to Bill’s bleak life.
Henry (Lamar Johnson, Season 1)
Henry is the protective older brother of Sam, a pair of survivors that Joel and Ellie meet after being stranded and hunted by a violent rebel group in Kansas City, Missouri. Henry is also being hunted by the rebels for both defying the group’s leader, Kathleen, to steal medication for Sam, who has leukemia, and because Kathleen believes he murdered a group of rebel soldiers that Joel actually killed in self-defense. The two pairs band together to escape the city.
Sam (Keivonn Montreal Woodard, Season 1)
Henry’s younger brother, who is deaf and has leukemia. He’s too young to understand the full gravity of the outbreak and the situation that he and Henry are in, attempting to live as a normal, happy kid. Ellie bonds with Sam during their escape from Kansas City, setting up one of the first season’s heaviest moments.
Kathleen Coghlan (Melanie Lynskey, Season 1)
Kathleen is the vengeance-driven leader of the revolutionary movement in Kansas City. Consumed by grief and revenge, her arc shows how deep loss can distort a personal’s initially noble intentions and cause their leadership to morph into tyranny.
Perry (Jeffrey Pierce, Season 1)
Perry is Kathleen’s loyal lieutenant and enforcer. A former soldier who follows Kathleen with military precision, ultimately meeting a brutal end during the infected attack.
Maria (Rutina Wesley, Season 1 & 2)
Maria is Tommy’s wife and a leader in Jackson. Strong-willed and protective, Maria and Tommy are expecting a child when Joel and Ellie reach Wyoming. She is dedicated to rebuilding some semblance of civilization and normalcy in Jackson.
Marlon (Graham Greene, Season 1)
A grizzled old man living in the wilderness with his wife Florence. Their comedic but cautious presence provides a moment of levity and insight into survival through pure avoidance.
Florence (Elaine Miles, Season 1)
Marlon’s wife, who shares his dry humor and distrust of outsiders. Together, they deliver one of the show’s most memorable and grounded scenes.
Riley Abel (Storm Reid, Season 1)
Ellie’s best friend in Boston and first love, featured in a flashback episode exploring Ellie’s time in FEDRA military school. Their playful bond and tragic ending deepen Ellie’s emotional resilience and character development.
David (Scott Shepherd, Season 1)
David is a preacher who has taken control of the town he lived in before the outbreak and established a hardline religious rule. He is extremely manipulative, luring Ellie into his group before imprisoning her. David’s disturbing facade of kindness and benevolence masks sinister motives and a dark secret, culminating in a violent confrontation.
James (Troy Baker, Season 1)
James is David’s right-hand man, who carries out his leader’s orders with quiet menace. He is initially loyal to David and is aware of his leader’s disturbing method for ensure his town’s survival, but he eventually begins to question David’s intentions.
Anna (Ashley Johnson, Season 1)
Ellie’s mother, appearing in a flashback. Her brief, emotional scene reveals the origin of Ellie’s immunity and links the character back to the original voice and motion capture actress who played Ellie in the video games.
Abby Anderson (Kaitlyn Dever, Season 2)
Abby is a soldier in the Washington Liberation Front, a paramilitary group from Seattle. The primary antagonist of the second season, she harbors a deeply personal vendetta, which culminates in one of the most consequential events in the series.
Dina (Isabela Merced, Season 2)
Dina is Ellie’s girlfriend in Jackson. She is a free-spirited person who has trouble accepting the dire situation humanity has found itself in and offers emotional support to Ellie.
Jesse (Young Mazino, Season 2)
Dina’s ex-boyfriend, Jesse is a kind and dependable member of the Jackson community. Jesse’s strength lies in his compassion and loyalty, especially in his relationships with Ellie and Dina.
Manny (Danny Ramirez, Season 2)
Manny is another solider in the WLF and a close friend of Abby. He’s fiercely loyal and adds depth to Abby’s side of the story.
Mel (Ariela Barer, Season 2)
Mel is a medic in Abby’s group, caught in a complex emotional web. She adds tension to the series, raising moral questions about loyalty and survival.
Nora (Tati Gabrielle, Season 2)
A former Firefly who assists Ellie in the second season. A confrontation that erupts between her and Ellie leads to one of the season’s most intense and emotional scenes.
Owen (Spencer Lord, Season 2)
Owen is Abby’s ex-boyfriend and Mel’s current partner. He is a dedicated WLF soldier and former Firefly, but he struggles with the violent nature of the outbreak-scarred world.
Eugene (Joe Pantoliano, Season 2)
Eugene is a Jackson resident and clandestine marijuana grower. He is a former Firefly with deep knowledge of the organization and its history.
Gail (Catherine O’Hara, Season 2)
Gail is Eugene’s wife in Jackson, and Joel’s impromptu therapist. This character was created specifically for the show.
Isaac (Jeffrey Wright, Season 2)
Isaac is the brutal, ruthless leader of the WLF. Isaac is strategic and intimidating, illustrating the lengths people will go to assert control and establish order.
Seth (Robert John Burke, Season 2)
A Jackson resident who disapproves of Ellie and Dina’s relationship. He comes into conflict with Ellie and Dina, revealing tensions within the “safe” community.
Kat (Noah Lamanna, Season 2)
Ellie’s ex-girlfriend in Jackson, whose character serves as a device to explore the events during the five years between Joel and Ellie’s arrival in Jackson and the beginning of the second season.
With this guide, you’ll be ready for The Last of Us season 2, at least in terms of knowing who’s who in the post-apocalyptic cordyceps-infested world the show takes place. We can’t promise the season won’t wreck you emotionally, but at this point that’s a given with this series.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the main characters in The Last of Us?
Survivors Joel and Ellie are the main characters in The Last of Us?
What caused the world to collapse in The Last of Us?
A pandemic caused by an outbreak of Cordyceps fungal infestation in humans caused societal breakdown in The Last of Us.
Who is the main antagonist in Season 2 of The Last of Us?
Abby, a member of the Washington Liberation Front, is the main antagonist in the second season.
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