Last Updated on Oct 14, 2025 @ 18:47:48 PM.
The Last of Us Season 2 is only a few weeks away, and HBO dropped the official trailer during the show’s SXSW panel. The gaming community is eager to see how this adaptation of the controversial sequel will deviate from the source material. One of the best parts of the first season was how showrunner Craig Mazin expanded the lore with certain characters that players barely spent time with, or never met. The live-action adaptation grants them the time to focus on particular characters.
The trailer showed new scenes that were never included in the game, such as the Jackson community being attacked by a horde of Infected, and the inclusion of characters only mentioned by name or shown in snippets. Eugene Linden was a resident of the Jackson community, and he will appear in the show through Joe Pantoliano. Some fans have a theory of how his character will not meet the same fate as his video game counterpart.
Joel Could Be Heading Down a Dark Path in The Last of Us Season 2
Despite what he did during the events of the previous season of The Last of Us, some fans will go through hell and back to defend Joel Miller. As a man who lost everything to the world, he was willing to deny the people a second chance by mercilessly executing every single Firefly soldier standing in his way to rescue Ellie from a fate he thinks she may not understand. Joel is the kind of man who will do anything he believes is right, no matter the cost, which makes him a compelling character and a ruthless villain.
The official trailer revealed scenes from the controversial sequel will be played out, such as the first flashback sequence during Ellie’s birthday, Joel’s rescue mission to save Abby from the horde, and many more. While this is a good sign of being faithful to the source material, the HBO adaptation can expand on pre-established lore to amplify this version. In the trailer, we see Pantolioano’s Eugene with Joel, and some fans have a theory that Joel will kill him, which is a major deviation from the game.
Ellie discovers that Eugene served alongside Tommy with the Fireflies. Eugene died at 73 from a stroke. Eugene mentored Dina, rewiring electronics and other survival skills before his off-screen death in the game. Perhaps the writers saw the opportunity to flesh out Eugene and Joel for the second season, similar to how they dedicated a full episode of Frank and Bill in the first season. Some fans suggest that Joel is not taking any chances and will take out anyone affiliated with the Fireflies to keep his secret.
Death and violence have always been the core of this franchise, and this theory could add more depth to the characters’ morals. Joel may think he is righteous, but he does not bat an eye or show signs of remorse for what he did, further solidifying his stance in the second game, where he said he would do it all over again if it meant Ellie stays alive. Others might shun Joel for his actions, while others praise him for being a good father.
Nevertheless, it is exciting to see new content from a story that shook the fans, considering how his character’s fate rocked the gaming community. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann know the source material well; however, this does not mean it will be a perfect adaptation. Fans should expect a few creative changes to keep audience members on the edge of their seats and avoid being hailed as a one-for-one copy of what was already done before.
For more Thumb Wars coverage, check out how The Last of Us Season 2 changed one iconic moment from the original game, and the return of a classic feature missing from season one.
Rouvin Josef Quirimit is a Content Writer, an avid gamer (on his PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch), and film enthusiast. He was fortunate to grow up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was enamored by the storytelling of a shared universe full of heart and spectacle. His love for movies led him to great single-player games and he intends to cover major franchises for years to come!
