Summary
Marketing forThe Last of UsSeason 2 is beginning to ramp up as the series approaches its 2025 release window. The second season of HBO’s video game-to-series adaptation will tackle Naughty Dog’s blockbuster sequelThe Last of Us Part 2.
The first teaser trailer forThe Last of UsSeason 2 has previewed a faithful adaptation of the beloved Naughty Dog game, with the story picking up five years after the Season 1 finale. In the second game, Joel and Ellie are tested by the events of their pasts, which leads Ellie to go on a vengeance-fueled quest to Seattle, Washington. Kaitlyn Dever also joins the cast ofThe Last of UsSeason 2 as Abby, a major character from the video game who becomes entwined in Joel and Ellie’s paths.
The Last Of Us Season 2 Posters Revealed
Topromote the upcoming season ofThe Last of Us, HBO has released a series of abstract character posters featuring Ellie, Abby, and Joel. Apart from the striking design of the poster, they also contain plenty of hidden clues and references to the game that may hint at what’s to come in the new season.
All the Easter Eggs & References Hidden in The Last of Us S2 Posters
Ellie’s Character Poster
Ellie takes much more of the spotlight inThe Last of Us Part 2, and the character poster featuring Bella Ramsey appears to pay homage to the cover of Naughty Dog’s game. Thebox art forThe Last of Us Part 2features a close-up shot of Ellie’s angry and blood-spattered face, which is mirrored in the poster design with Ramsey as Ellie.
Hidden in the white space of the image are the outlines of a few pivotal objects that will play a part inThe Last of UsSeason 2. One is theoutline for the cordyceps fungus, which is responsible for turning humanity into the infected creatures that have ravaged society. In Season 1, it was established that Ellie is immune to the cordyceps virus, allowing her to be bitten or scratched by infected subjects or breathe in the toxic spores without any risk of infection. Cordyceps continues to be a big part of Ellie’s journey inThe Last of Us Part 2, both in terms of the infected she encounters and how her immune status impacts her relationships.
Also spotted in Ellie’s character poster is the outline of her switchblade, a weapon that once belonged to her mother and was passed on by Marlene. The switchblade is a core part of Ellie’s arsenal in bothThe Last of Usvideo games and, particularly in the sequel, it is responsible for a lot of damage. The final element of note in the poster is the outline of a large moth. This is a shout-out to the tattoo that Ellie gets between the events of the first and second games, which she uses to cover up the infected bite mark and hide her immunity. Game director Neil Druckmannhas expanded on the meaning of Ellie’s tattooand revealed the moth is a symbol of death and compulsion, and that they wanted to play with the motif of moths constantly being drawn toward the light.
Joel’s Character Poster
Pedro Pascal’sJoel features heavily in one ofThe Last of UsSeason 2 character posters. Similar to Ellie’s poster, Joel’s artwork features the outline of cordyceps, a unifying element across the series of posters, which identifies the artwork as belonging to the world ofThe Last of Us.
Joel’s character poster also features two important images. One is the black-and-white outline of Joel’s watch, which is identifiable by the cracks in its face. Despite it being broken,Joel continues to wear the watchthroughout the series as it was a birthday gift from his daughter, Sarah, who was tragically killed during the outbreak. Surrounding the watch face in the poster is the outline of a guitar, another important element inThe Last of Us Part 2. Joel and Ellie both share a love of playing guitar, which is something that Joel teaches Ellie soon after they move to Jackson. Throughout the second game, their story is bonded by the motif of the guitar, particularly Joel’s rendition of Pearl Jam’s ‘Future Days’.
Abby’s Character Poster
Abby is a new character toThe Last of UsSeason 2, but an integral one. Her character poster hints at the events to come in Season 2, particularly how her fate becomes connected to that of Ellie and Joel. Abby’s poster somewhat mirrors Ellie’s, showing a side profile of her face with plenty of blood splatter. This is symbolic, as bothEllie and Abby go on a journeyof violence and vengeance.
Abby’s poster also includes an outline of a wolf in the white space of the image. InThe Last of Us Part 2, wolves are the symbol of theWashington Liberation Front, aka WLF,one of the factions introduced in Seattle. Throughout the game, members of the WLF are colloquially referred to as wolves. As Abby is a member of the WLF, so the inclusion of a wolf in her poster is a hint at her identity.
The lower half of Abby’s poster shows an inverted image of Joel carrying Ellie out of the hospital in the Season 1 finale.This event is pivotal to Abby’s journeyas Joel is responsible for killing her father during his raid on the hospital to save Ellie, and this leads her to seek him out and enact revenge. Including this image in the poster is a hint at how Joel and Ellie became a core part of Abby’s foundation as a character.
The Last of UsSeason 2 is expected to release on HBO in 2025.
The Last Of Us
Based on Naughty Dog’s popular PlayStation game, HBO’s The Last of Us takes place decades after a fungal infection eradicated most of humanity. When a teenage girl named Ellie is found to be immune to the disease, Joel agrees to smuggle her across the United States.
