How Many Episodes Will ‘The Last of Us’ Season 3 Have? Everything to Know About Pedro Pascal’s Potential Return
Will Pedro Pascal return for The Last of Us S3? We have the details on the new season and the controversy surrounding the star.
The Last of Us will return for its third season in 2027. The announcement came after the second season concluded, confirming a longer episode count than the previous seven-episode installment. Showrunner Craig Mazin stated the new season’s length will be more comparable to the nine episodes of Season 1.
Mazin told The Hollywood Reporter,
We’re kind of fiddling around with that — it’s a little bit of a trade secret at the moment. But I will say that season three will be longer than season two. Season three will be more on par with season one. More bang for the buck.”
The story will now center on Kaitlyn Dever’s character, Abby Anderson, which leaves Pedro Pascal’s return as Joel uncertain following the death of his character.
The Last of Us Season Two Ending Explained: Will Pedro Pascal Be in Season 3?
The second season delivered a significant plot twist early on, with Joel’s death occurring in the second episode rather than the finale. Abby Anderson finds him at a ski lodge and k*lls him with a golf club as retribution for her father’s death, which Joel caused in the first season. Ellie witnesses the m*rder, an event that fuels her actions throughout the remaining episodes.
The season’s finale follows Ellie’s pursuit of revenge across Seattle. She travels with Dina, who reveals she is pregnant with Jesse’s child. By the seventh episode, Ellie tracks Abby’s companions to the Seattle Aquarium, where she k*lls Owen and fatally injures Mel.
The confrontation freezes Ellie when Mel reveals her pregnancy. The final scene cuts between Ellie’s moral crisis and flashbacks of Abby’s perspective, ending with Abby holding a gun to Ellie’s head.
Pedro Pascal could reappear in the third season through flashback sequences. Showrunner Craig Mazin hinted at this possibility, suggesting fans should “never say never about seeing Joel again.” Mazin mentioned that Season 3 might explore side stories, such as Joel and Tommy terrorizing the countryside, similar to a flashback used in Season 2. (via People)
So maybe a side trip to Joel and Tommy terrorizing the countryside.
With Abby becoming the new central figure, incorporating Joel through flashbacks would fit the show’s narrative structure.
Why Pedro Pascal’s 2025 DILF Crown Sparked Backlash on Social Media
Pedro Pascal’s online popularity surged in 2024 and early 2025, where he was widely labeled the internet’s favorite “DILF
This led to intense public analysis of his appearance and fashion, curated by stylist Julie Ragolia to challenge conventional masculine imagery. His clothing choices became frequent viral topics.
A backlash ignited in July 2025 after anti-trans activist Posie Parker shared videos that she claimed showed Pascal being inappropriately physical with female co-stars. The clips depicted him holding colleagues’ arms and placing his hands on their hips, leading to a surge of posts on X.
The campaign was linked to Pascal’s public support for trans rights and his criticism of J.K. Rowling (via People). Pascal’s representatives explained his physical contact as a way to manage anxiety in difficult situations. According to Pride.com, the accusations were a fabricated controversy intended to target his activism.
The situation escalated to the point that stylist Julie Ragolia received death threats in April 2025 from fans upset with his fashion (via Forbes). By September 2025, Pete Davidson defended Pascal on a podcast, noting the pattern of social media building up celebrities only to tear them down .
What do you think? Should Pedro Pascal return for Season 3, or is Abby’s story enough? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Norman Reedus Explains Daryl Dixon's Use Of A Long-Dead Walking Dead Character
There have been many deaths in "The Walking Dead" franchise, but the "Daryl Dixon" spin-off proves that some of them carry long-term emotional weight for certain characters. Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) died all the way back in "The Walking Dead" Season 3, but his demise still haunts Daryl (Norman Reedus) in the aforementioned spin-off, as he hears his sibling's voice from childhood throughout Season 3. Still, it goes deeper than that. The storyline provides some insight into Daryl's psyche, and Reedus believes it continues an idea that was first introduced on "The Walking Dead."
"There's a past life trauma that Daryl has, which was introduced in the original series back in America, of how he lost his mother. She burned in a house fire. We never got into that story," Reedus explained to Entertainment Weekly. "So this is not a retelling, because we never really told it, but it's the answers to some of those questions. And I think at this point in his life, after all he's been through and his time alone, he's starting to remember things in ways that are really f***ed up."
"The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon" Season 3 finale leaves plenty of unanswered questions to be addressed at a later date, including some that pertain to the eponymous character's childhood. So, now that Season 3 has wrapped (read a finale recap here), what can viewers expect in Season 4?
Norman Reedus teases more childhood trauma in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 4
"The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon" features plenty of action and mayhem, and the Season 3 finale indicates that the titular character won't find peace any time soon. However, the future of the series will see Daryl revisit his childhood years more, and Norman Reedus believes this is reflective of his character's growth.
"You tell that story about when you were a kid throughout your life, and you sort of just tell the abbreviated version of it forever," Reedus told EW. "And then that becomes fact, but you never really get into the minuscule parts of those stories because there is no time, or because you don't want people to really know who you are, or it's none of their business. But Daryl's being stripped away of all these things. And as he's growing and going through all these experiences, things are starting to become clearer."
Reedus added that "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon" Season 4 will explore the topic in more detail, so it wouldn't be surprising if more deceased blasts from his past make their presence felt in his psyche. The upcoming season also marks the spin-off's swan song, but it remains to be seen if Daryl will find peace and resolution.
