In The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 5 explores new characters and narratives, featuring a tense scene in a hospital basement. One character that is notable in the episode’s opening moment is Leon — but who exactly is he, what part does he play in the unfolding story, and is he a character from the original video game created by Naughty Dog? Let’s delve into the details.

When Does Leon Appear in The Last of Us Season 2?

The episode kicks off with Hanrahan (portrayed by Alanna Ubach) questioning Elise Park (Hettienne Park), a high-ranking officer in the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), about a botched mission at Lakehill Hospital in Seattle. Elise shares that she adhered to Hanrahan’s directives and dispatched a team to secure the hospital basement, having already cleared the upper levels of Infected.

Elise discloses that she assigned a soldier named Leon to lead the mission, referring to him as “my best.” It soon becomes clear that Leon is not only a dependable soldier but also Elise’s son.

What Became of Leon?

The operation was perilous from its inception. Elise mentions that the hospital basement was the initial treatment area for Cordyceps patients back in 2003. After determining that the first floor of the basement was clear, Leon guided the unit to the second floor.

“Just a few minutes in, he radios back, ‘There’s Cordyceps on the walls, the floor,’” Elise recalls. Despite the alarming signs, she ordered the team to press on. However, the situation rapidly deteriorated.

Leon contacted them once more, this time gasping for air. Spores were present in the atmosphere — a grim indication. In a heartrending moment, Leon instructed his mother to seal off the second floor, essentially sealing him and his team inside.

“We did what Leon said. We sealed them in,” Elise states, her voice laden with sorrow.

Later in the episode, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) pursues Nora (Tati Gabrielle) into the same hospital basement. There, she discovers it thoroughly infested with Cordyceps. Spores float in the air, and several human forms grotesquely meld into the walls, continuing to release spores. One of them has a name patch: L. Park — confirming the devastating outcome of Leon (played by Cheonguk Park), now a half-living spore host.

Is Leon Featured in The Last of Us Games?

Leon does not serve as a prominent character in the original games, but his name appears in The Last of Us Part II through environmental storytelling. Within an abandoned Westlake Bank in Seattle, Ellie and Dina uncover a note next to a gym bag filled with cash. The letter, penned by a double-crossed bank robber, recounts how he was attacked by Infected and locked inside the bank by his partners — one of whom was named Leon Travis.

While this Leon is a distinct character, the thematic similarities are compelling. Both were confined due to the Cordyceps menace — one a soldier, the other a criminal. Whether by design or coincidence, it adds a level of poetic irony to the narrative of the show.

The Last of Us Season 2 is currently available for streaming on Max, with new episodes premiering Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

Are you eager to experience the story firsthand? Here’s how to play The Last of Us games.