The Last of Us season 2 update seemingly teases a potential backstory for a new video game character. The first season of HBO’s massively popular series, based on the 2013 video game, follows a smuggler, Joel (Pedro Pascal), tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), across a post-apocalyptic United States. The Last of Us season 2, based on 2020’s The Last of Us Part II, is set to introduce several new characters, including Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac Dixon.

In an interview with TVLine talking about the new spy drama, The Agency, Jeffrey Wright also teased that The Last of Us season 2 might tell Issac’s backstory. The actor, who reprises his role as the militia leader from the video game, says that season 2 “might” tell “a little bit of a backstory about Isaac,” but “it might not be pretty.” Read his full comment or watch the portion of the video below (the relevant section beginning at 9:50):

People have asked… whether we’ll get a little bit of a backstory about Isaac? We might. It might not be pretty.

What Jeffrey Wright’s Tease Means For The Last of Us Season 2

It Might Tell A Little Bit Of Issac’s Backstory

Issac Dixon, voiced and mo-capped by Jeffrey Wright, is introduced as a supporting character and serves as the secondary antagonist in Abby Anderson’s storyline in The Last of Us Part II. While he is crucial to the events of that story, and should also be in The Last of Us season 2, not much is known about Issac’s early life. What is known about his backstory is that he served in the United States Marine Corps at some point and eventually settled in Seattle.

Wright teasing a potential backstory for Issac in The Last of Us season 2 suggests that the HBO series will delve deeper into the character’s past, exploring what shaped him to become the ruthless leader of the Washington Liberation Front. Given Issac’s intimidating presence and morally gray decisions in The Last of Us Part II, combined with Wright saying “it might not be pretty,” his backstory might reveal a darker and more complex history involving trauma, loss, or other difficult moral choices he made during his time as a Marine.

Our Take On The Last Of Us Season 2 Telling Issac’s Backstory

The HBO Show Should Continue To Expand On Video Game Characters

By exploring Issac’s backstory, The Last of Us season 2 should continue to expand on characters from the video games, much like the first season did with Bill and Frank. Additionally, the exploration of Issac’s backstory should continue the HBO show’s complex portrayal of its characters, especially its antagonists, similar to how season 1’s Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) provided a fresh perspective on the Hunters. The Last of Us season 2’s continued focus on complex and multifaceted antagonists should continue setting the HBO series apart.

The Last of Us season 2 is slated for a spring 2025 premiere.