Why Danny Ramirez left HBO’s The Last Of Us before season 3

The second season of HBO’s “The Last of Us” put all the characters to the test. Surviving a post-apocalyptic world overrun by the infected is difficult enough, but season 2 brought human’s worst impulses to the forefront, paving the way for a climactic third season. Even though this upcoming season was given the green light in April, co-showrunner Neil Druckmann resigned three months laterleaving Craig Mazin in charge. This isn’t the only major change Season 3 faces, as Danny Ramirez, who played Manny in season 2will not reprise this role in the upcoming season. By Weekly EntertainmentRamirez will be recast due to scheduling conflicts.

Ramirez is best known for playing Joaquin Torres/Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is even set to appear in the highly anticipated “Avengers: Doomsday.” You may also remember him as Lt. Mickey Garcia in “Top Gun: Maverick” and Wes in “The Gifted.” The actor’s future projects include Julius Onah’s “Samo Lives,” which also stars Antony Starr and Jeffrey Wright (who played Isaac Dixon in “The Last of Us Part II” and also played the character in season 2 of the HBO series).

Manny is introduced alongside Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who emerges as the main antagonist of season 2, at least from the perspectives of Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal). Although Manny’s presence is somewhat low-key compared to the rest of Abby’s group, he has thus far been portrayed as a loyal and cautious personality. He is, however, capable of extreme cruelty, as evidenced by his actions in supporting Abby’s quest for revenge in season 2.

Spoilers for HBO’s upcoming “The Last of Us.”

Season 2 does not offer us too much a glimpse of Abby and her allies, even though we know they intend to punish Joel for the hospital massacre that took place in season one. In the aftermath of the massacre, Manny was the first to question the reason behind Joel’s actions, as he did not understand why a single child (Ellie) would be worth protecting at the cost of so many deaths. On the day the group planned to ambush Joel, Manny suggested violent tactics to retrieve information from one of Jackson’s patrols, but the others were reluctant to take such extreme measures. Manny was also the one who held Ellie down as she watched Joel die (after kicking him in the abdomen), before leaving her seriously injured.

As “The Last of Us” has strayed from the source material before, it’s difficult to determine Manny’s intended role in Season 3 and whether he will follow the same path as his video game counterpart. However, the focal point of season 3 is Abby, and we will likely witness events from her perspective. Mazin spoke to Deadline about season 3, highlighting its main themes:

“The question we’re asking, and what we’re asking in this story, is: When you’ve done such horrible things, depending on your situation, can you ever come back from that?”

This will be an intriguing moral dilemma to untangle, and we can hope that “The Last of Us” season 3 will be able to pull this off with plenty of depth and conviction.