History repeated itself when The Last of Us TV series began to adapt the controversial video game sequel, The Last of Us Part II. Fans of the HBO show that hadn’t played the games were shocked when it was revealed that Pedro Pascal’s Joel Miller didn’t leave to fight another day and was taken out by a brand new character. Combo that with bizarre criticisms about Bella Ramsey’s Ellie in the latest season, and you’ve got a controversial firestorm that really mimicked what preceded it with the second video game. Despite this, the show was still watched in droves, prompting a Season 3 renewal.
Things have seemed dour regarding The Last of Us Season 3 in some ways. It didn’t take long after the episodes had been ordered and Season 2 had been completed before series co-creator Neil Druckmann confirmed that he would be stepping away from the show to instead focus on his duties at video game developer Naughty Dog (and, presumably, their next major video game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet). Now, a rumor has been revealed that points to a big departure, with a major character potentially needing to be recast for Season 3.
The Last of Us Season 3 May Recast Danny Ramirez’s Manny
According to Nexus Point News, Danny Ramirez will not be returning to Season 3 of The Last of Us as casting is currently underway for the next batch of episodes, with his character “Manny” among the roles to be filled. Though the outlet gives no reason for why Ramirez would be unable to appear in the series, there is speculation that it could be because filming on Avengers: Secret Wars would conflict with the production timeline of The Last of Us Season 3, though this remains unconfirmed.
Best known to some fans for his MCU role, where he plays Joaquin Torres aka the new Falcon, Ramirez previously appeared in five episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV series and the feature film Captain America: Brave New World. He’ll reprise the part in Avengers: Doomsday, which has prompted speculation that he will be back for Avengers: Secret Wars as well, a movie that fans believe will have a gigantic cast and feature nearly anyone who has worn a superhero costume for the House of Ideas.
In The Last of Us, Ramirez appeared in just four episodes of Season 2, with most of his screentime in the first two episodes. As the narrative continued, he had sporadic appearances in the rest of the series, but as gamers know well, was due to have his screen time expanded significantly in Season 3, which could very well explain why he’s unable to return. Season 3 of The Last of Us, like the video game sequel, was set to flip the story on its head and put the perspective almost entirely on Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby. Not only will it fill in the gaps of the story by showing her perspective of Ellie’s invasion of Seattle, but allow deeper exploration into what is going on with the WLF and the Seraphites. If it were to follow the game closely, Manny would have a major presence in these episodes, appearing not only as Abby’s roommate at the WLF base but also sharing the screen with her for plenty of bloody encounters.
For now, it remains unconfirmed that Ramirez will even be out of the new episodes, but this rumor is somewhat easy to believe, given what could be one of the most important Marvel movies of all time is on the horizon. It’s unclear when Season 3 of The Last of Us will start filming, either, but this next batch of episodes is also quite important as they arrive with a change behind the scenes for the series and a bit of a turnaround in reception from fans compared to Season 1.
