PSA: Pedro Pascal Will Return In The Last Of Us Season 2

Warning! This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for The Last of Us season 2 and The Last of Us Part II game.

Joel may have died in The Last of Us season 2, episode 2, but Pedro Pascal will return in future episodes of the video game adaptation. The ending of The Last of Us season 2, episode 2 saw Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) brutally murder Joel with a golf club and pool cue. It was a death as surprising as it was tragic, and many viewers who haven't played the video games were shocked that Joel died as soon as he did. There are, after all, still five episodes left in The Last of Us season 2, and The Last of Us season 3 has already been confirmed.

Joel's death has also caused a bit of confusion surrounding The Last of Us season 2. The rest of the season will follow Ellie's quest for revenge against Abby, but Joel is dead, and it wasn't entirely clear how The Last of Us would handle Pedro Pascal's absence. Joel is the heart of the story, and his relationship with Ellie is arguably the most intriguing part of the series. Luckily, though Joel is dead, Pedro Pascal isn't done with The Last of Us. Joel will reappear, though it'll take a few flashbacks to see him again.

Pedro Pascal Will Return In The Last Of Us Season 2 Through Flashbacks

The Last Of Us Part II Featured Several Flashbacks To Ellie's Time With Joel Between Games

Luckily, though Joel died, Pedro Pascal will return in future episodes of The Last of Us season 2. Pascal appears in four of The Last of Us season 2's seven episodes, meaning Joel still has two more appearances left to make. Joel's future appearances will take the form of flashbacks that Ellie remembers to fill in some of the gaps left by the time jump between seasons of The Last of Us. Some of the trailer footage for The Last of Us season 2 included Joel during scenes from one of the many flashbacks in The Last of Us Part II game.

Since The Last of Us season 2 is only adapting the first part of The Last of Us Part II, we already have a good idea of which flashbacks will be featured in coming episodes. One flashback will likely take place shortly after Joel's rampage at the Firefly hospital and see him taking Ellie to a science museum so she can learn about space travel. Without delving too far into spoilers, other flashbacks will continue to examine Joel and Ellie's relationship over the five-year time jump and the fallout of Joel's decision at the end of The Last of Us season 1.

Could Pedro Pascal Appear In Future Seasons Of The Last Of Us After Joel's Death?

There Are Some Flashbacks To Joel That Would Only Make Sense Later In The Last Of Us' Story

There's even more good news beyond Pedro Pascal's imminent return in The Last of Us season 2. As previously mentioned, The Last of Us season 2 will only adapt a portion of the game it's based on. Because Joel appeared in flashbacks throughout The Last of Us Part II, Pedro Pascal will almost certainly appear in The Last of Us season 3, also in flashbacks. The show could diverge from the games' timeline in some ways, but there are some flashbacks that work best in the story's final moments that will likely remain where they are chronologically.

For example, the final flashback in The Last of Us Part II took place in the game's epilogue and featured a conversation Ellie and Joel had shortly after the dance in Jackson featured in The Last of Us season 2's premiere. That flashback saw Ellie express a desire to learn to forgive Joel, and it worked as a poignant way to cap off Ellie's revenge quest against Abby. There are also a few other flashbacks that likely weren't filmed for season 2, so it looks like The Last of Us will include Pedro Pascal's Joel for quite some time.