The Last of Us on HBO is a haunting story of love, sacrifice, and survival set in a world where civilization has fallen apart and a fungal infection turns people into monster-like clickers. The first season came out in 2023 and followed Joel (Pedro Pascal), a tough survivor, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a teenage girl who wasn’t affected by the virus, as they traveled across a badly damaged United States. Joel grows close to Ellie like a father and daughter when he has to take her to the Fireflies, a group that is looking for a cure. But when Joel finds out that Ellie has to die in order to find a cure, he makes a terrible decision: he kills the Fireflies, including their lead doctor, to save her life. In order to trick Ellie, he tells her that other people were immune like her, and they move in with Joel’s brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna).
Season 2 started on April 13, 2025, and pick up five years later. The problems that Joel caused are big, and they threaten the fragile peace that he and Ellie have found. Based on the video game The Last of Us Part II, the new season adds more characters to the story and goes into more depth about revenge, loyalty, and redemption. Manny is one of the new characters. He is an important part of the story and his presence makes it more intense. This article talks about Manny’s background, the actor who plays him, and how the character changes from the video game to the HBO show.
Who Is Manny in The Last of Us Season 2?
In Season 2 of The Last of Us, Manny Alvarez is a supporting character. He is called “a loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most.” He is a member of the Seattle-based militant group Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and used to be a member of Firefly, the group that Joel destroyed in Season 1. Manny is good friends with Abby Anderson (Kaitlyn Dever), a new main character who wants to get back at people who hurt her at St. Mary’s Hospital.
Manny joins Abby’s crew on the HBO show. They are called the “Salt Lake crew” because they have a history with the Fireflies. He will always be loyal to Abby and their group, but his happy personality hides deeper emotional wounds. Manny is a skilled soldier who is often in charge of dangerous missions. However, he is weak because he is afraid of letting down his friends. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, who are in charge of the show, have hinted that Manny’s role might be expanded by giving him more depth and screen time than in the game. This could mean that his past and relationships are explored in more depth.
A lot of important things that happen in Season 2 affect Manny’s story, especially what happens with Abby, Joel, and Ellie. Without giving anything away, he’s a character that fans will remember because he’s a part of some of the show’s most dramatic and emotional moments. His relationship with Abby, his interactions with other WLF members, and his part in the larger conflict between groups like the Seraphites and the WLF will keep people interested.
Who Plays Manny? Meet Danny Ramirez
Daniel Ramirez, an American actor, plays Manny Alvarez. On March 1, 2024, HBO and Naughty Dog announced that Ramirez would be playing the role. Ramirez was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 17, 1992. He is of Colombian and Mexican descent and has become a famous star in Hollywood very quickly. His diverse background and athletic upbringing—he initially pursued a career in American football and soccer before turning to acting—bring authenticity to Manny’s physically demanding role.
Ramirez started acting while he was a student at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. His first roles were in The Affair on Showtime and Blindspot on NBC. He became well-known for his roles as Wes in Fox’s The Gifted and Mario Martinez in Netflix’s On My Block. Assassination Nation, which had its world premiere at Sundance and Valley Girl—a musical remake are two of his movies. Ramirez has also been in Lost Transmissions and Tone-Deaf, which show how versatile he is in independent films.
In 2022, he got his big break when he played Lt. Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia in Top Gun: Maverick, a movie with Tom Cruise as a fighter pilot trainee. Fans may remember the memorable scene where Fanboy loses a bet to Tom Cruise’s character Maverick and has to do a lot of pushups to make up for it. Because of his charm and presence on screen in the hit movie, Ramirez was able to get bigger roles, such as one in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Ramirez plays Joaquin Torres in the MCU. In Captain America: Brave New World (2025), Torres becomes the new Falcon. Ramirez played this character before in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+. He got good reviews for his role as Torres, Sam Wilson’s loyal and brave sidekick, which set him up for a bigger role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Ramirez is great at playing both intense and warm characters, which makes him a great choice for the part of Manny, who is both a tough soldier and a caring friend.
Ramirez played a mysterious stranger named Ash in Hulu’s thriller No Exit in 2022. She also played the lead role in Claire Denis’s drama Stars at Noon. He is ready to take on Manny’s complicated story in The Last of Us because he has worked on high-stakes dramas and action-packed movies before. According to Ramirez, Season 2 will be very emotional. He said, “I saw some clips in ADR. It’s gonna f*ck people up. It’s so good.” His enthusiasm and commitment to the role suggest that Manny will be a standout in the series.
Manny Alvarez in The Last of Us Part II Game
Antony Alvarez voices and moves like Manny Alvarez in The Last of Us Part II (2020). He is a supporting character and can be played as in the game’s “No Return” mode. Many was born in Mexico and grew up with his father. After the Cordyceps outbreak, he joined the Fireflies. By 2034, he was working at St. Mary’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. It was there that he lived through Joel’s rampage and saw what happened afterward, including the death of Abby’s father, Jerry Anderson. After the Fireflies failed, Manny and his friends Abby, Owen, Mel, and Nora joined the WLF in Seattle. They became close and became known as the “Salt Lake crew.”
Manny becomes a lieutenant in the WLF and earns the trust of the group’s leader, Isaac Dixon, who sees him as one of his best soldiers. Since Manny is Abby’s second-in-command, he is very good at shooting and fighting with his hands. He can easily kill infected and Seraphites. His combat skills are shown in missions like surviving Tommy’s sniper attacks for a long time, but he ends up dying because he isn’t paying attention.
Manny is a study in contrasts when it comes to his personality. His enemies think he is cruel because he tortured Seraphites and spit on Joel’s body after Abby got her revenge. But to those who support him, he is loyal, kind, and quick to make people laugh. He treats his Firefly friends like family and tries to make things better between everyone in the group, especially Abby and Mel. Manny’s love for anime, care for his sick father, and a cluttered barracks show a softer, more human side. His tendency to date women, on the other hand, adds a flaw because he often has casual relationships within the WLF.
Manny plays a big part in the game, but not as much as the main characters, Ellie and Abby. He goes with Abby to Jackson to talk to Joel, helps with important WLF operations, and faces problems during the conflict in Seattle. His story comes to a dramatic end at the marina, where players are shocked by how his fate is sealed. It is expected that the HBO show will give Manny more scenes and a deeper look at what drives him, similar to how Season 1 gave characters like Bill and Frank more screen time.
We meet Manny Alvarez for the first time in Season 2 of The Last of Us. He is an important character in a world of revenge and survival. Danny Ramirez does a great job as Manny, who is a mix of charm, strength, and weakness on the HBO show. Manny’s story is based on a complicated character from The Last of Us Part II. It will fascinate people with its deep emotions and exciting action. Fans can expect Ramirez to give a performance that honors the game while also making a unique place for himself in the story of the show. The second season of The Last of Us is coming out soon, and Ramirez says it will “f*ck people up.” Get ready to meet Manny.
Stay connected with tvacute.com for more insights, character deep-dives, and updates on THE LAST OF US SEASON 2, including episode recaps and exclusive previews.
THE LAST OF US SEASON 2: WHO IS ISAAC AND WHO PLAYS HIM?
THE LAST OF US SEASON 2: WHO IS NORA AND WHO PLAYS HER?
THE LAST OF US (FUTURE DAYS) RECAP: SEASON 2 EPISODE 1 — EXPLAINED
THE LAST OF US SEASON 2: WHO IS ABBY? AND WHO PLAYS HER?
THE LAST OF US SEASON 2 EPISODE 1 – WHAT DOES ‘FUTURE DAYS’ MEAN?
[HBO] The Last of Us Episode 1: Who Is Riley? Is she Fireflies? Explained!
The Last of Us Episode 8: Who is David?
How to Watch The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 8?
The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 8 Recap
The Last of Us Episode 8 Cast [When We Are in Need]
