Let’s talk about the Joel-shaped hole in season 3
Pedro Pascal’s Joel wasn’t just the star of HBO’s The Last of Us. He became its gravity. Nobody can look away when he’s on screen. Then, season 2 started, and boom — his legendary run ended at record speed. Yet, even with Joel out of the game, nobody can stop talking about the guy. And here’s the dilemma that keeps fans up at night: Will we see Joel in season 3, or is he out forever? Let’s rip open that question, layer by layer.
Where the show stands: greenlit and reloading
First, the basics. HBO didn’t waste time. They greenlit The Last of Us season 3 in April 2025, just as the season 2 storm revved up (TVLine). Showrunner Craig Mazin has dropped hints that the story from the game’s Part II isn’t one-and-done. He’s thinking bigger. Season 3 might spread out, or even lead into a fourth, because this arc needs room to breathe — expect more than seven episodes this round.
And where does the timeline stand? HBO folks have their eyes on 2027 for the next season premiere (Yahoo). The writers room’s busy connecting dots, but they don’t rush a show this big.
Neil Druckmann, the game’s co-creator, is moving to a more “big picture” role while focusing on Naughty Dog (The Verge). So, Craig Mazin takes the lead, but Druckmann keeps the story close.
Joel’s death: Irreversible, but not invisible
If there’s one thing Mazin and Druckmann refuse to do, it’s to dodge the hard stuff. They debated when, but never if, Joel’s headlined exit would happen. Mazin actually told Pedro Pascal right out of the gate: “In Season 2, he’s gonna die” (The Wrap). Imagine landing that role and getting hit with that on Zoom.
Now, if you’re hoping for miracles — sorry. They made it clear: No dream sequences, no “it was all a plot twist!” Just memory and consequence.
But here’s the kicker: dead in The Last of Us doesn’t mean gone. Not even close. Season 2 laid the flashback groundwork early, weaving Joel into Ellie’s trauma, and the payoff landed hard in episode 6. It wasn’t about cheap tricks; it was about emotional honesty. And let’s be honest, it hurt good.
Pedro’s afterlife — the power of flashback
Let’s cut to the chase. Pedro Pascal isn’t finished with this show, and neither is Joel. In the aftermath of Joel’s death, Mazin himself teased that Pascal would appear “more than people might think,” even though Joel’s dust by episode 2 (NY Post). So, where did he show up? In those shattering flashbacks that colored Ellie’s journey. That was no accident.
Flashbacks do double duty here. They keep Joel’s legend burning, and they let viewers pry open Ellie’s rawest wounds. The showrunners used season 2 to translate the game’s interlocking time-jumps into devastating TV. Ellie’s timeline, peppered with Joel, kept Pedro alive in ways no retcon ever could. And fans felt every second.
And let’s not forget, the same blueprint sits right there for season 3. More perspective shifts await — especially with Abby in the narrative lane — so who’s to say memory won’t reroute back to Joel when Ellie’s psyche demands it?
Don’t get your hopes up for TV magic
Still, it’s important to manage those fan-theory expectations. You want Joel back through sci-fi sorcery or hidden plot shenanigans? Forget it. Mazin and Druckmann keep shutting down that hype train. They respect the story’s logic too much.
When asked after the season 2 finale about more Joel, Mazin just played it cagey: “We might see him in flashbacks. But no timeline trickery. No undo button”. Some folks dream of secret stashes of Joel footage. Well, there was precedent — unused material from season 1 popped up later. But, don’t count on a heap of hidden Joel scenes waiting in HBO’s vault. Yes, technically possible, but don’t buy a t-shirt for it just yet.
The many ways Joel haunts Ellie
Let’s get real about the grief pipeline in season 3. Season 2 ended with Abby’s story taking center stage, but Ellie never shrugged off Joel. If anything, she wears him like a shadow. Bella Ramsey describes Ellie’s actions post-Joel as “bent, broken, and burning” (Business Insider). That closet scene with Joel’s jacket? Ramsey called it her hardest moment.
- A porch memory.
- The scratch of guitar strings.
- A note forgotten inside a map.
All these are triggers. And they all spark stormy reactions.
Grief in The Last of Us doesn’t tidy up, and it doesn’t get boring. Ellie relives Joel in everything she does — rage, guilt, love, and regret take turns driving her. But she also fears the curse of becoming too much like Joel. That’s the sort of character knot this series loves to unravel.
And there’s structural precedent, too. In season 2, every flashback felt like an emotional patch, rebuilding the bridge between Joel and Ellie, even after his death. As season 3 opens up the storytelling space (and likely runtime), those visceral memory drops could get even more creative.
Abby, revenge, and the way Joel shapes every beat
With Abby poised to share the spotlight, one might assume Joel will fade. Not so fast. Abby’s arc spins directly off Joel’s murder. The consequences of his actions now ripple through Seattle’s WLF drama, Seraphite chaos, and Lev’s growth spurt (People).
And Ellie’s scenes? Expect Joel in the margins. That’s just how revenge fiction works. Every line of dialogue, every risky step, echoes that first brutal wound. So, Joel’s presence lingers without the show having to break its own rules. That’s the beauty of how Mazin and his team play memory — not as escape hatch, but as a hammer.
Season 3: Backstage whispers and what they really mean
Right now, the production vibe says yes, season 3 will run longer. Yes, the writers love to keep doors open for flashbacks or side stories (TVLine). And yes, HBO wants to get this right, even if 2027 feels ages away.
And about that extra runway — more episodes buy more room for deeper dives. Mazin straight-up called the core of season 2 a “nuclear bomb,” with little space to wander. Season 3, though? The shackles are off, and flashbacks could flow. The smart money stays on remembering Joel through Ellie’s breakdowns — the simple act of gripping a watch or plunking a string could turn a scene inside out and zap us right back to a Joel moment.
What’s Pedro Pascal up to, and what does he think?
Pascal himself has not shied away from how “brutal” it was to wrap Joel. He’s joked about being in “active denial” all over the interview circuit (Variety AU). He came back for the flashbacks in season 2, even after what most claim was the “biggest death scene on streaming TV.”
Still, nobody’s let slip a confirmation for brand-new Joel flashbacks in season 3. If it happens, you know HBO will keep that secret buried deeper than any Firefly lab.
What should fans expect? The emotional map ahead
- HBO’s planning a longer season 3 with the story space to match.
- Abby takes the wheel, but every turn references Joel.
- Ellie? She’s not letting go, and neither will the camera.
- Pedro Pascal probably pops up — but only in memories, not magic acts.
- No Joel resurrection. Just memory, guilt, rage, and a ton of heartbreak.
Season 3 is still in the oven, but all signs point to more powerful echoes — less spectacle, more soul.
The last chord isn’t silent
It’s pretty clear: Joel died, but he won’t vanish. Season 3 will let Ellie remember him, hurt for him, and rage against what she lost. And if the past two seasons taught us anything, it’s that The Last of Us doesn’t flinch. It respects its scars. It doesn’t reverse loss — it lets loss crack characters open.
So, get ready for a season where Joel flickers at the edges. He’s the unfinished melody, the heavy echo, the ghost in every flashback. Season 3 won’t cheat to bring Joel back. Instead, it’ll find the realest magic of all: memory. When that door cracks open, expect to see Joel — not because the world bent for him, but because Ellie’s heart still does.
