Last of Us Season 2 Cast: Confirmed Guide and New Faces

After a first season that lived and died by Joel and Ellie, The Last of Us Season 2 is about to blow the cast wide open. Kaitlyn Dever stepping into Abby’s boots alone marks the biggest shift in tone the show has attempted. This guide maps every confirmed face heading into 2025, sorts out what’s solid versus what’s still rumor, and explains what each casting choice means for the story.

Joel Miller: Pedro Pascal · Ellie Williams: Bella Ramsey · Dina: Isabela Merced · Abby: Kaitlyn Dever · Tommy Miller: Gabriel Luna

Who is cast in The Last of Us Season 2?

The returning ensemble carries over from Season 1 intact. Pedro Pascal is Joel Miller, Bella Ramsey is Ellie at 19, and Gabriel Luna is Tommy Miller — all confirmed as series regulars (Cosmopolitan). Rutina Wesley returns as Maria, Tommy’s wife and co-leader in Jackson.

Returning cast from Season 1

• Pedro Pascal — Joel Miller, the smuggler whose fateful decision drives the entire series
• Bella Ramsey — Ellie Williams, now 19 and immune to Cordyceps
• Gabriel Luna — Tommy Miller, Joel’s brother
• Rutina Wesley — Maria, co-leader in Jackson alongside Tommy

Full cast list with roles

• Spencer Lord — Owen, one of Abby’s companions
• Robert John Burke — Seth, character from Jackson
• Alanna Ubach — Hanrahan, high-ranking WLF member
• Josh Peck — Janowicz, FEDRA soldier in Seattle
• Ben Ahlers — Burton, loyal WLF soldier

Who are the new characters in The Last of Us Season 2?

Six new faces join the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us Part II, each pulled directly from the game or written for television. The showrunners drew casting inspiration from the game’s performance captures, particularly Laura Bailey’s work as Abby (Wikipedia).

Isabela Merced as Dina

Isabela Merced plays Dina, Ellie’s best friend and romantic interest — also Jesse’s ex. HBO and Naughty Dog announced her role on January 11, 2024 (Wikipedia). Merced, known for roles in Madame Web and Alien: Romulus, reportedly had not played the games before landing the part (Fandom).

Young Mazino as Jesse

Young Mazino was cast as Jesse, Ellie’s ex and Dina’s former partner, announced January 10, 2024 (Wikipedia). Jesse serves as a stabilizing presence in Jackson before the events of Part II unfold.

Kaitlyn Dever as Abby

Kaitlyn Dever plays Abby, a WLF soldier whose thirst for revenge reshapes the entire narrative of the second season. Her casting was announced January 9, 2024 — the first major new addition after the SAG-AFTRA strike ended in November 2023 (Wikipedia).

Catherine O’Hara as Gail

Catherine O’Hara plays Gail, Joel’s therapist — a television-original character with no game counterpart. Her casting was announced February 2, 2024 (Wikipedia), adding an Oscar-winning presence to the cast.

Is Pedro Pascal leaving The Last of Us?

No confirmed departure exists. Pedro Pascal remains cast as Joel Miller in Season 2, and his name appears on every official cast announcement and press release from HBO (Cosmopolitan). The departure rumors circulating online have not been substantiated by any named source.

Rumors and confirmations

Online speculation about Pascal leaving the show appears regularly but lacks any verification from production insiders or credible entertainment reporting. Season 2 is set five years after Season 1 in Jackson, Wyoming (Wikipedia), and Joel’s arc in Part II remains central to the narrative regardless of production-set rumors.

Pedro Pascal’s role in Season 2

Pascal’s Joel appears in the first half of Part II before the story shifts heavily to Abby’s perspective. The show has not indicated any recasting or reduced screen time for the character.

Who plays Abby in The Last of Us Season 2?

Kaitlyn Dever plays Abby. She is a Washington Liberation Front soldier driven by the need to avenge her father’s death at Joel’s hands (Cosmopolitan). Abby is one of two main playable characters in Part II alongside Ellie (Wikipedia).

Kaitlyn Dever casting

Dever was announced on January 9, 2024 (Wikipedia), weeks after the SAG-AFTRA strike concluded. She previously appeared in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Wikipedia), which shares narrative DNA with The Last of Us through Naughty Dog’s development.

Abby character background

In the game, Abby is portrayed via performance capture by Laura Bailey (Wikipedia). She is a WLF member — not a Firefly — and her arc in Part II runs parallel to Ellie’s through the Seattle chapters of the game.

Ellie in The Last of Us Season 2 cast

Bella Ramsey returns as Ellie Williams, now 19 years old in Season 2 (Wikipedia). She is the only character confirmed immune to Cordyceps in the series, a fact that defines her value and vulnerability throughout Part II.

Bella Ramsey as Ellie

Ramsey broke out playing Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones before landing Ellie (Cosmopolitan). Her casting received widespread praise following Season 1, with critics noting her ability to capture Ellie’s sharp humor and emotional guardedness.

Character changes and identity

Season 2 pushes Ellie into situations that test her moral limits far beyond anything from Season 1. The show follows the first half of The Last of Us Part II (2020) (Wikipedia), meaning Ellie’s storyline grows considerably darker and more complex.

The expanded cast in Season 2 shifts the show’s center of gravity. Where Season 1 lived almost entirely through Joel and Ellie’s relationship, the Part II material demands a broader ensemble — Dever’s Abby and Merced’s Dina in particular drive plotlines that have nothing to do with Joel. O’Hara’s inclusion as a TV-only character suggests the writers are willing to build out the world in ways the game never did. For viewers coming in fresh, the new cast is the entry point; for game fans, it’s the test of whether live-action can honor what performance capture already delivered.

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