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The Last of Us Season 3: Clarity, Chaos, and Characters We Thought Were Gone
<p data-start="293" data-end="501">Season two of <em data-start="307" data-end="323">The Last of Us</em> just ended with a bullet and a blackout. Now, the cast and creators are teasing a third season that promises to answer big questions—and bring back a few faces we didn’t expect.</p>
<p data-start="503" data-end="883">Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby pulled the trigger, Jesse dropped dead, and just like that, the screen faded to black. It was a brutal, jarring end to a season that raised more questions than it answered. The very next scene? A shift in perspective. We’re with Abby now, not Ellie, watching her step into the war-hardened heart of the WLF’s Seattle base—a football stadium turned fortress.</p>
<p data-start="885" data-end="937">And that’s just the beginning of what’s coming next.</p>
<h2 data-start="939" data-end="988">A Story That’s Changing Even As It’s Written</h2>
<p data-start="990" data-end="1138">Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann aren’t playing coy—they’re just being honest. Right now, there’s no locked-in roadmap for season three.</p>
<p data-start="1140" data-end="1361">Mazin himself admitted during a recent press conference that even if he thought he knew what’s next, “two weeks from now we may have a different idea of how it should go.” That’s not hedging—it’s storytelling in motion.</p>
<p data-start="1363" data-end="1463">But what <em data-start="1372" data-end="1376">is</em> clear? Abby’s not going anywhere. Neither is Ellie. Or Dina. Or even Joel, possibly.</p>
<p data-start="1465" data-end="1477">Yes, Joel.</p>
<p data-start="1465" data-end="1477"><a href="https://www.theibulletin.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Kaitlyn-Dever-Abby-WLF-stadium-HBO-The-Last-of-Us.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-57526" src="https://www.theibulletin.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Kaitlyn-Dever-Abby-WLF-stadium-HBO-The-Last-of-Us.jpg" alt="Kaitlyn Dever Abby WLF stadium HBO The Last of Us" width="937" height="619" /></a></p>
<h2 data-start="1479" data-end="1543">Flashbacks Aren’t Off the Table—And Neither Is Pedro Pascal</h2>
<p data-start="1545" data-end="1768">Joel’s dead. That much is certain. But dead doesn’t mean done. Season one brought back Tess after her death. Season two featured a whole episode focused on Joel’s father, a character who never even made it into the games.</p>
<p data-start="1770" data-end="1907">“I wouldn&#8217;t have guessed we would have a short story about Joel&#8217;s dad before we wrote the season,” Druckmann shared. “So there you go.”</p>
<p data-start="1909" data-end="2077">It was a casual remark, but it dropped like a loaded gun on the table. Could Pedro Pascal return in some meaningful way? Don’t bet on it—but don’t rule it out either.</p>
<p data-start="2079" data-end="2277">Even Bella Ramsey is bracing for a smaller role in the next season. “I think that I&#8217;m going to be there, but not a whole bunch,” she said in an interview. Still, she’s not disappearing completely.</p>
<h2 data-start="2356" data-end="2406">The Shift to Abby: A Bold (and Familiar) Move</h2>
<p data-start="2408" data-end="2443">Fans of the game saw this coming.</p>
<p data-start="2445" data-end="2587">The second game made the same pivot—pulling the lens away from Ellie and focusing squarely on Abby. It was controversial, to put it lightly.</p>
<p data-start="2589" data-end="2836">Now the show is doing the same, and Kaitlyn Dever’s performance is front and center. The final moments of season two marked that transition. Her Abby walks into a different Seattle than Ellie knew. This version is brutal, organized, militarized.</p>
<p data-start="2838" data-end="2881">And that’s where the next chapter begins.</p>
<ul data-start="2883" data-end="3115">
<li data-start="2883" data-end="2940">
<p data-start="2885" data-end="2940">The WLF’s massive stadium base will be a focal point.</p>
</li>
<li data-start="2941" data-end="3021">
<p data-start="2943" data-end="3021">The Seraphites and their mysterious prophet are getting their own spotlight.</p>
</li>
<li data-start="3022" data-end="3115">
<p data-start="3024" data-end="3115">Questions about Isaac, the war, and the explosion in episode seven? All of that’s coming.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p data-start="3117" data-end="3172">Mazin said it bluntly: “All of it will become clear.”</p>
<h2 data-start="3174" data-end="3226">The WLF and the Seraphites: War With No Winners</h2>
<p data-start="3228" data-end="3350">The conflict between the WLF and the Seraphites wasn&#8217;t just background noise. Season three is setting it up as the core.</p>
<p data-start="3352" data-end="3403">Expect blood. Betrayal. And politics. Lots of it.</p>
<p data-start="3405" data-end="3436">Here’s what’s still unresolved:</p>
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<th data-start="3438" data-end="3449" data-col-size="sm">Question</th>
<th data-start="3449" data-end="3463" data-col-size="sm">Hint So Far</th>
<th data-start="3463" data-end="3488" data-col-size="sm">Expected in Season 3?</th>
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<tbody data-start="3540" data-end="3753">
<tr data-start="3540" data-end="3586">
<td data-start="3540" data-end="3563" data-col-size="sm">Who started the war?</td>
<td data-start="3563" data-end="3579" data-col-size="sm">Still unknown</td>
<td data-start="3579" data-end="3586" data-col-size="sm">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr data-start="3587" data-end="3638">
<td data-start="3587" data-end="3619" data-col-size="sm">Who is the Seraphite prophet?</td>
<td data-start="3619" data-end="3631" data-col-size="sm">Not shown</td>
<td data-start="3631" data-end="3638" data-col-size="sm">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr data-start="3639" data-end="3690">
<td data-start="3639" data-end="3663" data-col-size="sm">What does Isaac want?</td>
<td data-start="3663" data-end="3683" data-col-size="sm">Murky motivations</td>
<td data-start="3683" data-end="3690" data-col-size="sm">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr data-start="3691" data-end="3753">
<td data-start="3691" data-end="3726" data-col-size="sm">What was the explosion in Ep. 7?</td>
<td data-start="3726" data-end="3746" data-col-size="sm">Massive and vague</td>
<td data-start="3746" data-end="3753" data-col-size="sm">Yes</td>
</tr>
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</table>
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<p data-start="3755" data-end="3876">It’s not about good guys and bad guys anymore. It&#8217;s about factions. Belief systems. Survival. And none of them are clean.</p>
<p data-start="3878" data-end="3995">The brutality shown in season two—especially in Abby’s storyline—won’t let up. If anything, it’s about to escalate.</p>
<h2 data-start="3997" data-end="4059">Isabela Merced, Jesse, and the Ghosts Who Haunt the Story</h2>
<p data-start="4061" data-end="4106">It’s hard to stay dead in <em data-start="4087" data-end="4104">The Last of Us.</em></p>
<p data-start="4108" data-end="4186">Jesse’s death hit hard. It was fast. Brutal. And final. Except&#8230; maybe not.</p>
<p data-start="4188" data-end="4227">Not in the traditional sense, anyway.</p>
<p data-start="4229" data-end="4461">Craig Mazin said we haven’t seen the last of several characters who are “currently dead in the story.” Whether that means memories, dreams, or full-blown flashbacks is unclear. But don’t be surprised if they reappear in some form.</p>
<p data-start="4463" data-end="4606">Isabela Merced’s character, though still relatively new, has already hinted at deeper layers. She’s sticking around. That much was confirmed.</p>
<p data-start="4608" data-end="4693">Just don’t expect all answers to come at once. This show isn’t about spoon-feeding.</p>
<h2 data-start="4753" data-end="4798">No Straight Answers—And That’s the Point</h2>
<p data-start="4800" data-end="4877">There’s a certain irony to how <em data-start="4831" data-end="4847">The Last of Us</em> communicates with its fans.</p>
<p data-start="4879" data-end="5028">Mazin and Druckmann don’t tease with trailers or gimmicks. They tease with <em data-start="4954" data-end="4965">ambiguity</em>. That press conference? Full of hints. Full of misdirection.</p>
<p data-start="5030" data-end="5090">“We haven’t seen the last of a lot of people,” Mazin said.</p>
<p data-start="5092" data-end="5163">He’s probably right. But he’s also probably messing with us a little.</p>
<p data-start="5165" data-end="5263">That’s the dance this show does so well. Tension without resolution. Heartbreak without comfort.</p>
<p data-start="5265" data-end="5373">And season three? It’s already promising more of the same. Just with new faces holding the guns this time.</p>

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