The Last of Us Star Isabela Merced Says Her Character is the Only One That Gets "a Decent Ending"

It sounds like Dina's arc will play out similarly to the PlayStation game.

By Marc Deschamps

When The Last of Us Season 2 debuts on HBO, audiences will be introduced to Dina, a major character that first appeared in The Last of Us Part II. When the game begins, Dina and Ellie are a couple and have built a life together. In Season 2, Dina will be played by actress Isabela Merced (Madame Web, Alien: Romulus). In a new interview with Total Film, Merced discussed her role in the new season, and what Dina brings to the series. While Merced was careful to avoid spoilers, she did seem to hint that Dina's role will follow a similar path to what we saw in the PlayStation game. 

"[TLOU's Dina is] sort of a light in Ellie's life, in Ellie's world. I think that's the general consensus, because you look at the video game, too, and she is really the only one who actually gets sort of a decent ending," Merced told Total Film. "Everyone else gets kind of screwed or dies!"

As Merced hints, The Last of Us Part II is a fairly dark game, and things don't turn out great for the majority of the cast. The subject matter for the first game was already pretty grim, and developer Naughty Dog turned things up a notch for the sequel. That's not too surprising given the fact that the games deal with what is (essentially) the end of the world. However, Merced believes that if she were in that position, she would handle things in a manner similar to Dina. 

"I love, more than anything, to be that light for the people in my life. And I like to make them laugh, and I like to make them understand themselves more," Merced continued. "I just like to help in general. I think Dina's very close to my own personality. I think we're both very silly, and I think I would maybe handle the apocalypse in a similar way if I were in it."

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The cast in the first season of The Last of Us was highly-praised, and it will be interesting to see if new additions like Isabela Merced are just as well-received. Unfortunately, the new season does not have a release date just yet, so we don't know when viewers will get a chance to see this take on Dina. 

Are you excited for the new season of The Last of Us? How do you feel about Isabela Merced playing Dina? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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