The Last of Us season 2 introduces Isabela Merced as fan-favorite survivor Dina. Looking ahead to the new season, Merced teases Dina’s key role in Ellie’s life.

The Last of Us became one of the most successful video game adaptations ever made when it premiered on HBO last year. Epic in scope and unforgivingly brutal, the show also had plenty of heart, following the unlikely bond between zombie apocalypse survivors Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey).

Looking ahead to season 2, the story will be significantly bigger. The new season will begin to cover the events on Naughty Dog’s sequel game The Last of Us: Part II. The second game is much broader than the first. It expands the world, brings in tons of new characters, and dials everything up to 11.

One of the new characters coming our way is Dina, played by Isabela Merced. Dina is a survivor in the Jackson community who becomes a close friend and love interest of Ellie. “[TLOU’s Dina is] sort of a light in Ellie’s life, in Ellie’s world,” Merced told Total Film. “I think that’s the general consensus, because you look at the video game, too, and she is really the only one who actually gets sort of a decent ending. Everyone else gets kind of screwed or dies!”

Merced believes Dina’s compassionate nature well reflects her personally. The casting was a perfect match. “I love, more than anything, to be that light for the people in my life. And I like to make them laugh, and I like to make them understand themselves more,” she explained. “I just like to help in general. I think Dina’s very close to my own personality. I think we’re both very silly, and I think I would maybe handle the apocalypse in a similar way if I were in it.”

Merced went on to praise the creative team behind the show and their ability to understand characters on a deep level. The brains behind the operation include video game creator Neil Druckmann and Emmy Award-winner Craig Mazin. “Craig [Mazin] and his writing team and Neil [Druckmann] – they’re all extremely good at writing characters and people that are well-rounded and troubled and multidimensional. It’s a beautiful balance that they bring to entertainment but also character studies. It’s very interesting,” she concluded.

The Last of Us season 2 is expected to premiere sometime in 2025. No exact release date has been set yet. Season 1 is currently streaming on Max.