Who is Eugene in ‘The Last of Us'? Mystery character explained

NBC News

14-04-2025

As viewers discovered on April 13 with the second season premiere of 'The Last of Us' (HBO/Max), there's a raft of new characters to get acquainted with — including Joel's (Pedro Pascal) therapist Gail (Catherine O'Hara).
But Gail — and Joel — have a connection to another character: Eugene. During their first session together, Gail tells Joel, 'You killed Eugene … I hate you for it.'
So, who is this newcomer to the hit killer fungus series, based on a video game of the same name, and why is he important? Let's find out.
Who is Eugene in 'The Last of Us' video game?
'The Last of Us' started as a video game series in 2013. (There's a 'Last of Us: Left Behind,' 'Last of Us Part II,' and a remake of the first one called 'Last of Us Part 1,' too.)
Eugene isn't a major character, though, and he doesn't show up until 'The Last of Us Part II.'
In 'Part II,' Eugene was a friend of Tommy's (Joel's brother), a former Firefly-turned-patrolman living in Jackson, Wyoming. He'd left his wife Claire and a daughter to fight in the rebellion, which left him lonely as he grew older.
While in Jackson, Eugene became close friends with Dina (played by Isabela Merced in the show); in the game she says he taught her about things like electronics.
According to the show's lore, he died in 2038 of a stroke when he was 73.
Who is Eugene in 'The Last of Us' TV show?
Eugene gets a much bigger part in Season 2, taking these bare bone details and expanding them — like it did with Bill and Frank in the 'Long, Long Time' bottle episode from Season 1, which won episode star Nick Offerman an Emmy.
He's first mentioned when Joel goes to Gail for their therapy session. He pays her in marijuana, and she remarks that Eugene could grow weed no matter what the month of the year was. Then she notes, 'It's my first birthday without my husband in 41 years.'
Now, 'Last of Us' Season 2 has jumped ahead more than five years from Season 1. That means that if Gail is correct in accusing Joel of killing Eugene, he's done it between seasons — and it's something we haven't seen.
Gail tells Joel mid-session, 'You shot and killed my husband. You killed Eugene. And I resent you for it. No. Maybe a little more than that. I hate you for it. I hate you for it. And yes, I know you had no choice. I know that. I know I should forgive you. Well I've tried, and I can't. Because of how you did it. And looking at your face, sitting in our home, makes me so f------ angry.'
This might not be the ideal doctor-patient relationship.
But over the seven episodes of Season 2, expect Eugene's death to have repercussions for Joel and his relationship to Ellie (Bella Ramsey).
Show co-creator Neil Druckmann told Newsweek they wanted to give more layers to the character than exists in the video game.
'Someone like Eugene, we had a take on that character to say, 'OK, well, how does that expand Joel and Ellie's relationship? How does it expand the town of Jackson? How does that expand what the story's about, which is this idea of love and the extremes that love can take you to?''
Why did Joel kill Eugene?
This is unknown as of the first episode. Since Gail says 'I know you had no choice,' there's a good chance that Eugene was infected.
And let's not forget that Joel is still part of the community, so it's not like he's been ostracized for murder.
But it seems that Gail has a few issues of her own to work out — and that Joel is still immersed in a dangerous, if slightly more civilized, world than we saw in Season 1.
Who plays Eugene?
As of yet, Eugene hasn't been seen on screen — but as they've cast Emmy-winner Joe Pantoliano in the role, there's a good chance we'll see him in flashbacks in coming episodes.
Pantoliano is a veteran character actor who's appeared in scores of films and TV shows, including 'The Goonies,' 'The Matrix,' 'Memento' and 'Bad Boys.' He earned his lone Emmy in for playing Ralph on 'The Sopranos' in 2003.