Danny Ramirez steps away from Manny Alvarez in The Last of Us season 3, forcing HBO to hunt for a replacement as filming ramps up soon.
The actor, fresh off Captain America: Brave New World, faces timing issues likely tied to Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday wrap and possible Secret Wars commitments, sources close to production tell Variety.
Ramirez joined in season 2 as the optimistic WLF fighter hiding trauma from his Firefly past, backing Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby on her revenge trek against Joel.
Manny pops up sparingly last season, arriving from Seattle with Abby’s crew to settle scores after the hospital massacre. His loyalty shines through tense moments, like shrugging off leader Isaac’s doubts while prepping for Seraphite clashes.
Deadline reports the recast hits now because casting calls already seek a new take on the role, underscoring how fast HBO moves post-season 2 renewal in April 2025. ScreenRant notes Ramirez finished Doomsday and a Basquiat film, but overlapping shoots spell the end for his post-apocalypse gig.
This swap caps a string of hurdles for the HBO hit. Neil Druckmann, game co-creator, handed showrunning duties to Craig Mazin alone after season 2, focusing on Naughty Dog projects like Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
Writer Halley Gross, key to Part II’s story, also exited in July to clear room for new voices. Fans on Reddit mix shock with shrugs, some praising Ramirez’s charm but others eyeing game voice actor Alejandro Edda as inspo for the reboot.
Fan Backlash Hits as Abby’s Arc Looms Large
Social media lights up with disappointment over Ramirez’s Manny, a fan pick whose easy vibe cut through season 2’s grim tone. Parade captures the vibe: crushed viewers mourn the exit of a breakout who hinted at deeper layers in Abby’s circle.
One Reddit thread questions if the change dilutes WLF dynamics, especially since Manny bonds tightly with Abby during Seattle hunts and stadium life. ComicBook.com ties it to broader gloom, with Druckmann’s step-back fueling worries about the show’s soul.
Manny’s game roots demand heft in season 3, shadowing Abby on patrols, roommate banter, and bloody Seraphite raids teased in the finale. Gizmodo flags his setup for humanizing the “villains,” rooming with Abby at base, and joining patrols that flip player hate to empathy.
The Last Of Us Season 3 (Credit: Amazon Prime Video)
Independent reports confirm HBO leans into game swings, letting Mazin stretch Part II over longer episodes starting March shoots. EW stresses Manny’s soldier grit masks anxiety over letting friends down, a trait Ramirez nailed in sparse scenes like the Wyoming Joel hunt.
Yet optimism tempers the outcry. Comic Book Movie predicts a quick recast fix, given HBO’s casting muscle and season 3’s expanded budget for Abby’s pivot. Nexus Point News, first on the scoop, hints weeks or months till announcement, aligning with Mazin’s solo vision post-Druckmann.
Yahoo notes the role’s pivot from season 2 cameo to frontline player, pressuring the new hire to match Ramirez’s rising star pull from Top Gun: Maverick. Debates rage on whether this refreshes or risks Abby’s crew chemistry, central to Part II’s bold perspective flip.
Bigger Battles and Bold Changes Ahead
Season 3 cranks focus on Abby, filling Seattle invasion gaps from Ellie’s view while unpacking WLF-Seraphite war roots. Mazin promises a beefier run, eyeing HBO’s greenlight for seven seasons to mine both games deep.
CBR warns the recast tests fan faith, but Manny’s plot armor holds: aiding Abby’s hunts, base hangs, and stadium assaults keep him vital. SuperHeroHype echoes that, with Isaac dismissing his zeal yet relying on it for frontline pushes.
Production shifts add edge. Without Druckmann scripting or directing, Mazin helms alone, backed by an exec producer status for the game boss. Newsbytes highlights Manny’s Firefly scars, fueling his WLF switch, a backstory ripe for flashbacks in Abby episodes.
IMDb updates track the buzz, with filming timelines clashing with Ramirez’s MCU grind, from Doomsday reshoots to Secret Wars whispers. YouTube reactions, like Coding With clips, frame it as Hollywood shuffle pain but prime for fresh blood.
Viewership stakes ride high post-season 2’s strong numbers. The Wrap via Reddit predicts minimal disruption, as Manny’s arc peaks in Abby’s orbit, not a solo spotlight. TVLine-style scoops suggest HBO eyes Latino talent to honor game vibes, blending optimism with battle scars.
As Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) fade back, Abby’s crew owns the chaos: infected hordes, rival cults, lost kin quests. Fans speculate recast drops early 2026, syncing with Paramount+ hype.
Kingstown parallels aside, The Last of Us thrives on gut-wrenching twists. Ramirez’s dip opens doors for unknown fire, potentially elevating Manny’s haunted soldier turn. GameFragger relays Nexus intel: casting underway, no drama beyond calendars.
With Seraphites looming and Isaac plotting, season 3 bets big on Abby’s world, recast or not. HBO’s track record screams adaptability, turning exits into arcs that stick.
Tom Hiddleston just wrapped his scenes for Avengers: Doomsday and could not hold back his excitement over the storyline. He told GQ the core plot feels monumental, something totally fresh that caught him off guard when he first read it.
After fifteen years playing the trickster god since Thor hit screens in 2011, Hiddleston sees this as a rare chance to push Loki further.
The actor stressed how his own growth mirrors Loki’s shift from scheming invader to reluctant hero. Loki Season 2 wrapped with the character alone at time’s edge, branches of reality woven by his hands to stabilize everything after the Temporal Loom blew apart.
Now that setup feeds straight into Doomsday, where Hiddleston hints at bigger stakes. Details stay locked down, but his buzz points to Loki clashing with forces threatening those fragile timelines.
Word from set chairs announced at Comic-Con confirmed Hiddleston among a stacked lineup, including Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Anthony Mackie leading new heroes.
Production under the Russo brothers aims for a December 2026 release, building hype as Phase Six kicks off. Hiddleston’s take suggests Loki holds a key spot, maybe even facing off against the film’s big bad in ways comics fans have long dreamed up.
Doomsday Clash: Loki vs Doctor Doom
Robert Downey Jr. steps back into Marvel as Victor von Doom, flipping his old Iron Man hero role into the ultimate foe.
Hiddleston lit up when the news dropped at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, firing off texts to Kevin Feige packed with shock. He called it thrilling for Downey to explore new shades after owning the franchise’s heart for years.
Loki’s new power as time’s weaver puts him square against Doom’s schemes. Rumors swirl about Doom targeting the TVA or even Loki directly to rip apart multiverse branches for his Battleworld vision.
One leak mentions Doom snatching Franklin Richards, the Fantastic Four kid with reality-bending gifts, sparking fights across Earth-616 with X-Men and Avengers variants piling in.
Hiddleston played it coy on exact plot beats during a Happy Sad Confused podcast chat, saying he knows some things that keep him pumped. Loki started as The Avengers’ 2012 villain under Loki’s invasion plot, and now circles back as a potential savior.
Avengers: Doomsday (Credit: Disney+)
Picture the irony: the guy who once craved Earth’s throne might block Doom’s grab for godlike control. Cast lists pack in Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm, and mutants like Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, hinting at team-ups Loki could steer or sabotage.
This matchup flips MCU history. Downey’s Doom brings brains and armor rivaling Tony Stark’s, but Loki’s timeline mastery adds chaos no tech can match. Hiddleston noted the script’s center surprised him for breaking fresh ground, fueling talks of multiverse wars where Loki rallies survivors or pulls strings from the shadows.
God of Stories’ Next Chapter Buzz
Fans lit up social media when Hiddleston’s Doomsday role surfaced, tying back to his belief that Loki Season 2 marked the end. He owned that conviction post-finale, only to get pulled back in, calling it an honor to stick with the squad.
Reddit threads exploded with theories on Loki popping into the TVA for a last stand or linking OG Avengers variants against Doom’s rampage.
Online chatter digs how Loki evolved through six films and two Disney+ seasons, from Thor rival to multiverse linchpin.
One fan spotlights a possible post-credits nod in Fantastic Four: First Steps, where Doom eyes Franklin, setting Loki’s defense as pivotal. Hiddleston’s recent Olivier Awards stop let him finally spill a bit after years of silence, stressing more tales await the character.
Beyond Doomsday, eyes turn to Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027 as the saga capper. Loki’s spot in What If…? Season whatever keeps him animated too, voicing alongside Hemsworth.
Hiddleston ties his ride to personal shifts, relishing Loki’s redemption arc that mirrors real growth. As filming wraps, his teases crank anticipation for how the trickster tips the scales in a hero-packed bloodbath.
Doomsday packs heavy hitters like Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi battling Beast, dual Yelenas from Florence Pugh, and X-Men vets, including Patrick Stewart’s Professor X.
Hiddleston’s return cements Loki as MCU glue, bridging the old guard with mutants and Fantastic Four newcomers. His GQ chat paints a film ready to redefine team-ups, with Loki’s threads pulling heroes through Doom’s storm.
The script’s bold swing has insiders calling it a game-changer, especially with Loki’s sacrifice echoing into real plot muscle. Hiddleston wrapped shooting with clear thrill, positioning his god for clashes that test every MCU era. As trailers loom, one fact stands: Loki’s not sitting out the multiverse meltdown.
