Who Plays Isaac In The Last Of Us Season 2

A new era of "The Last of Us" brings a brand new cast of survivors and some characters we'll probably end up crying over when they roll up a sleeve and reveal they've been become infected in the post-apocalyptic society. But besides new friendly faces joining the fold, there are also some far colder characters making the tough choices that others daren't make. Among these select few is Isaac Dixon, a former Marine and leader of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), who's on a mission to wipe out an opposing faction known as The Seraphites. But who is playing this new authority figure that could clash with our heroes? None other than beloved star, Jeffery Wright.

An Oscar-nominated actor who might have one of the coolest voices in Hollywood, Jeffrey Wright is an all-around brilliant talent that elevates just about anything he puts his name to. But while some other stars in season 2 of "The Last of Us" might be new to the nightmares scratching at their walls, Wright, like Merle Dandridge, who played Marlene in season 1, is the only other cast member to be reprising a role he already played in the video game series. Such a casting choice is a no-brainer: Not only is he one of the greatest talents to have graced the franchise already, but he's a crucial component to some historic franchises and has a lengthy history with some of the best shows ever made on HBO, the network that decided to give "The Last of Us" a shot on the small screen.

For most of Jeffrey Wright's career, HBO has been a routine base to return to, and in doing so, he's done some of his best work. After turning heads in the 2000 "Shaft" remake, Wright starred in "Angels in America," adapted from the stage production in which he also performed. Starring alongside the likes of Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Emma Thompson, Wright held his own, which helped his career to thrive in the years that followed.

13 years later, he returned to HBO, this time as a villain facing off against the late Michael K. Williams' Chalky White in "Boardwalk Empire." While the closing chapters of the period drama weren't it's strongest, Wright's turn as Valentin Narcisse was a compelling one and provided the relevant ammunition for the show to go out on a high as he turned up the tension in the penultimate season.

Three years later, Wright made an appearance in another groundbreaking HBO show that boldly remade a cult classic sci-fi movie, "Westworld." Wright portrayed one of the park's greatest minds, Bernard Lowe, who saw the theme park go gradually haywire and its staff break free before the show was frustratingly canceled. But while Wright may have lost a place in one property fueled from a franchise, he'd find a space in a handful of others that required him to be the back-up for caped crusaders, super spies, and heroes from different realities.

Over the course of two decades, Wright was a recurring name appearing in some of the most successful franchises in history. In 2006, he played James Bond's "brother from Langley," Felix Leiter, in "Casino Royale," turning a side character from Ian Fleming's popular works into an essential one for Daniel Craig's era as the super secret agent. It would be a role he'd stick with for 15 years, until Felix's heartbreaking on-screen death in "No Time To Die."

A year later, he'd back another hero who had just as many gadgets and a flashy car but dressed in a bat suit to save the day in Matt Reeves' "The Batman." He made James Gordon his own, even with the pressure and passion of fandom that came with entering the world of the Dark Knight, which the actor admitted, even after his time with Bond, that he wasn't properly prepared for. Beyond that, there were other corners of heavily fanned franchises he popped up in. As well as appearing in "The Hunger Games" films, Wright did voice work in the likes of "Rick and Morty," "Bojack Horseman," and Marvel Studios' "What If...?" In 2020, he made a rare jump into a totally different medium when he ventured into the video game arena for Isaac in "The Last of Us Part II." Now he's coming full circle and bringing the relentless leader to television in what is guaranteed to be another gripping but equally unsettling performance.

"The Last of Us" season 2 airs on Sunday nights on HBO and Max.