Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.

The biggest change to Tommy’s character in HBO’s The Last of Us will have heartbreaking consequences when he goes to Seattle to seek vengeance in season 2. Tommy didn’t have a huge role in the first Last of Us game, but he’s one of the most important characters in The Last of Us Part II, which means he’ll be one of the most important characters in the second season of the HBO series. One key change to Tommy’s character in the TV show didn’t change much in season 1’s story, but it’ll have massive ramifications in season 2.

Tommy’s significance in the story of The Last of Us Part II is second only to the playable characters. He’s featured in the opening scene, as Joel confesses his Firefly massacre to his brother, and in the following four-year time jump, he’s become like family to Ellie. After Joel is murdered, Tommy sets out on a warpath to find his killer in Seattle. The biggest change to Tommy’s character in season 1 will make his sudden departure even more devastating in The Last of Us season 2.

Maria’s Pregnancy In The Last Of Us Season 1 Means Tommy Will Be A Father When He Goes To Seattle

In The Last of Us season 1, just like in the game, Joel and Ellie stop by Jackson so that Joel can try to convince Tommy to take Ellie the rest of the way. There, Joel learns that Tommy has married a woman named Maria. The key difference in the TV adaptation is that Maria is a few months pregnant when Joel and Ellie arrive in Jackson, which wasn’t a part of The Last of Us game. This means that by the time Tommy heads to Seattle to avenge Joel, he’ll be the father of a four-year-old.

Even without a child to consider, in The Last of Us Part II, Maria is dead against Tommy risking his life to seek revenge in Seattle. She knows that revenge won’t solve anything and worries he’ll get himself killed in the process. It ends up taking a huge toll on their relationship when Tommy ignores her pleas and goes to Seattle anyway. Since Tommy will be a father when he heads to Seattle in the TV show, his selfish departure will be even more heartbreaking. He’s not just risking his own life; he risks leaving his child without a dad.

Having A Child Will Make Tommy’s Decision In The Last Of Us Season 2 Even More Heartbreaking

Since Ellie is dead set on going to Seattle to find Abby and make her pay for killing Joel, Tommy is caught between a rock and a hard place at the beginning of The Last of Us Part II. He pays Ellie a visit to try to talk her out of going to Seattle, because he initially agrees with Maria. To bring along the backup they’d need, they’d have to leave Jackson vulnerable to attacks – and they don’t even know for sure that Abby and her group are from Seattle.

Tommy is trying to dissuade himself from seeking revenge as much as Ellie. But he can tell that there’s no point in trying to talk her out of it, because she’s made up her mind. So, instead, Tommy sneaks off in the night to get a head-start. The way he sees it, the best way to protect Ellie is to head to Seattle before her and thin out the WLF’s forces before her arrival. This is already a heartbreaking decision in the game, but it’ll be even more devastating when Tommy has a kid in the TV show.

Maria Will Have More Reason To Resent Tommy In The Last Of Us Season 2

After Tommy leaves for Seattle in the middle of the night and Maria wakes up to find a note he left for her, she’s furious. In the game’s epilogue, after Tommy returns to Jackson with life-altering injuries, he and Maria have a huge falling-out and he mentions that they’ve decided to spend some time apart. Tommy leaving for Seattle created a huge rift in his marriage to Maria even when they were a childless couple in the game.

In The Last of Us TV show, Maria will have even more reason to resent Tommy for sneaking off to Seattle. In the TV show, he won’t just be leaving her behind to risk his life in a futile quest for revenge; he’ll be leaving behind their young child, too. Making Maria pregnant didn’t seem to make much of a difference in The Last of Us season 1, but it’ll add even more dramatic substance to season 2.