Warning: This article contains spoilers forThe Last of Us Part II.
There are plenty of clues thatThe Last of Usseason 2 will expand on the backstory of Jeffrey Wright’s character Isaac — and that could be a great thing for the show. Isaac is the ruthless leader ofthe Washington Liberation Frontwho overthrew FEDRA and took over the Seattle quarantine zone. Although his journey began by liberating the people from their oppressive overlords, Isaac eventually became a corrupt warmonger in his own right.The Last of Us Part IIonly had time to hint at that fascinating story, but the TV show has the freedom to really explore it.
Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have already made one right move with Isaac bybringing back his original video game voice actorto play him in the HBO series. Wright gave a captivating performance in his couple of scenes inThe Last of Us Part II, but the TV show has a chance to really expand on this character. It could even dedicate a whole episode to Isaac’s backstory — not just how he took over the Seattle Q.Z., but why he was driven to rise up. There have been plenty of hints that that’s the plan.
All Hints Suggest The Last Of Us Season 2 Will Expand On Isaac’s Backstory
Jeffrey Wright Was Seen Filming Non-Game Scenes (& He’s Teased An Isaac Origin Story)
There have been plenty of hints thatThe Last of Usseason 2 will explore Isaac’s origin story. The firstphoto of Wright onThe Last of Ussetshowed him filming a scene that isn’t in the game. He’s wearing tactical gear and standing on the street alongside his troops. It’s just one photo taken by an onlooker, but it seems to confirm that the show’s depiction of Isaac will go beyond what’s seen in the game. The series could go back and showhow Isaac managed to topple FEDRA and invade Seattle.
Wright is the secondLast of Usvideo game actor to reprise their role in the TV show after Merle Dandridge returned as Marlene in season 1.
In a recent interview withTVLine, Wright acknowledged that he’d been getting asked a lot about whether or notThe Last of Usseason 2 will dig into Isaac’s backstory. He teased, “We might,” whichisn’t a confirmation by any means, but isn’t a denial, either. The writer notes that after this answer, Wright gave a look that suggested, “I know something you’d really like to know.” All signs are pointing to Isaac getting a much larger role in the second season of the TV show than he got inThe Last of Us Part II.
The Last Of Us Part II Didn’t Have Time To Explore Isaac’s Character In Depth
The Game Could Only Show Isaac From Abby’s Perspective
AlthoughIsaac is one ofThe Last of Us Part II’s most compelling characters, the game didn’t have enough time to really explore the character in depth. Video games are confined to the perspective of the character that the player is controlling. When they’re playing as Ellie, Isaac is a mysterious background character confined to notes and letters. When they’re playing as Abby, they finally meet Isaac face-to-face, butAbby quickly leaves the base to go looking for Owen, and Isaac isn’t seen again until a deadly encounter three days later.
10 “Unseen Stories” That Could Be Explored In HBO’s The Last Of Us
Craig Mazin has teased that HBO’s The Last of Us will explore “unseen stories” from Part II, which could mean a few different background storylines.
TV shows aren’t confined by the same limitations. They can jump between a bunch of different characters’ perspectives and flash back and forth all over the narrative timeline.The Last of Usseason 1 had cold opens ranging from a scientist in Indonesia witnessing the Cordyceps outbreak toEllie’s mother giving birth to herafter getting infected.Season 2 could take advantage of this format to develop Isaac a bit moreand show things from his point of view. He might turn out to be more sympathetic than he seems inPart II.
The Last Of Us Season 2 Has Plenty Of Isaac History To Draw From
Ellie Finds A Lot Of Evidence Of Isaac’s Ruthless Takeover Of Seattle
InThe Last of Us Part II, the player doesn’t get to meet Isaac until they get to the end of Ellie’s third day in Seattle and go back to the first day to play as Abby. But Isaac is a looming presence in the game long before then. When Ellie and Dina first arrive in Seattle, they find that a vast downtown section of the quarantine zone is unoccupied.As they start exploring, they find evidence of a violent uprising against FEDRAby the mysterious group they’re chasing: the Washington Liberation Front.
Playing as Ellie, wandering around downtown Seattle, there are plenty of notes, letters, and official documents to be found mentioning Isaac.
Playing as Ellie, wandering around downtown Seattle, there are plenty of notes, letters, and official documents to be found mentioning Isaac. He recruited a bunch of people who were similarly fed up with FEDRA’s oppression andthey rose up and took over the Q.Z. by brute force. Ellie and Dina stumble across a W.L.F. hideout where they planned an attack on a FEDRA convoy, and it’s possible to find the remains of the convoy itself after the attack. There are also a handful of skeletons of FEDRA soldiers that Isaac executed dotted around the city.
The Last Of Us Season 2’s Villain Casting Proves Just How Big Abby’s Story Will Be
HBO’s The Last of Us has made an exciting new casting announcement, showing just how prevalent Abby’s divisive narrative will be in season 2.
The Last of Us Part IImight not have shown any of Isaac’s backstory, but there’s still plenty of established backstory for the second season of the HBO series to draw from. Season 1 expanded on the game’s hints that Ellie’s mother was friends with Marlene by showing her giving a baby Ellie to Marlene to look after.Season 2 can do the same with all the suggestions about Isaac’s backstory from the letters, battle plans, and bodies to be found around SeattleinPart II.
How Isaac’s Origin Story Would Complement Ellie & Abby’s Story In The Last Of Us Season 2
It’s A More Macro Exploration Of The Endless Cycle Of Violence
Mazin and Druckmann have made it clear that they won’t just expand on video game characters for the sake of it. It has to expand on the themes of the story at hand. Bill and Frank’s romance made for a beautiful standalone episode of season 1, but it also served a thematic purpose; it tied into the central theme of Joel and Ellie’s story: the sacrifices that people make for their loved ones.Isaac’s origin story would similarly complement the core theme of Ellie and Abby’s storyinThe Last of Usseason 2.
10 Brutal The Last Of Us Season 2 Moments That Will Beat Joel’s Season 1 Finale Massacre
After Joel’s brutal massacre in The Last of Us season 1 finale, some moments from the second game could make season 2 even more shocking.
Ellie and Abby’s story inThe Last of Us Part IIis all about the endless cycle of violence and revenge.Joel kills Abby’s father, so Abby kills Joel, so Ellie sets out to kill Abby— and slaughters all her friends along the way. The message is that revenge won’t solve anything; it’ll just lead to more violence. Isaac’s war with FEDRA, and later the Seraphites, is a much more macro version of that.The Last of Usseason 2 has a great opportunity to contrast that with Ellie and Abby’s tale of vengeance.
The Last Of Us
Cast
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.
