Pedro Pascal drops huge hint about Joel’s fate in The Last of Us season two

Pedro Pascal has all but confirmed a huge twist for the The Last of Us season two.

The first season of The Last of Us was a largely faithful adaptation of the hit 2013 video game of the same name (save for one major, beautiful extrapolation of its source material in episode three, which told the story of queer couple Bill and Frank).

After the show received huge acclaim and impressive viewing figures, a second season has been confirmed, and will draw from the game’s 2020 sequel, The Last of Us Part II.

Pascal has confirmed the show will closely follow the game’s controversial plot, telling Esquire: “It wouldn’t make sense to follow the first game so faithfully only to stray severely from the path.”

This all but confirms a major plot twist. If you don’t already know how the game goes down, and don’t want to be spoiled, look away now.

Spoilers ahead

The Last of Us follows Joel Miller (Pascal) on a quest for salvation across a pandemic-ridden United States, alongside immune survivor, Ellie (Bella Ramsey).

The first game – and the first season of the show – ended with Joel killing the Fireflies to prevent them from performing a fatal operation on Ellie, which could have produced a vaccine against the cordyceps “zombie” fungus. When Ellie awoke, Joel lied to her about what had gone down.

The Last of Us Part II opens several years later, with Joel and his brother Tommy rescuing a survivor called Abby (who fans are convinced will be played by The Wilds star Shannon Berry) from a group of infected.

After being taken to Abby’s safe-house to meet the rest of her group, it’s revealed that she is the daughter of the surgeon Joel shot in the face to save Ellie’s life.

Joel finds himself at the business end of a golf club, courtesy of Abby, and dies as Ellie is held down and forced to watch.

So begins a brutal quest for revenge across apocalyptic Seattle and Santa Barbara.

The Last Of Us season two won’t be all doom and gloom, though. At its heart is a lesbian relationship, and, although the circumstances certainly aren’t cheerful, there’s also a trans character whose identity is central to a sub-plot.

The Last of Us season two has not yet started filming – here’s a rundown of what else to expect.