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| “ | Are we? Son, we have automatic weapons and hospitals, and you lunatics have bolt-action rifles, bows and arrows, and superstition. So, tell me, how are we going to lose? | „ |
| ~ Isaac to a captured Seraphite soldier during interrogation. |
Isaac Dixon is the overarching antagonist of Season 2 in the post-apocalyptic HBO television series The Last of Us.
Similar to his game counterpart, Isaac is the ruthless commander of the Washington Liberation Front, an insurgent paramilitary organization that controls swathes of Seattle and is embroiled in a brutal conflict against the violent zealous group, the Seraphites, engaging in a vicious total war against them.
He was portrayed by Jeffrey Wright, who also played him in the video game, The Last of Us Part II by Naughty Dog.
Biography[]
Background[]
Isaac Dixon grew up in Seattle with his brother Ed and was known for being bashful around women, struggling to hold conversations with them. However, he found self-confidence in the kitchen, using his cooking skills to dazzle them. He took pride in refining his craft, developing a particular interest in French culinary tools. One of his long-term dreams was to own a Mauviel pan, imagining he might afford one when he retired in thirty years.
Those dreams were cut short by the outbreak of the Cordyceps brain infection. In the aftermath, Isaac joined FEDRA and rose to the rank of sergeant, commanding a platoon stationed in the Seattle quarantine zone. Despite his rank, Isaac grew disillusioned with FEDRA’s authoritarianism—particularly their heinous mistreatment of civilians and revocation of voting rights. He despised both his fellow soldiers and commanding officers, seeing them as corrupt and cruel.
Determined to resist, Isaac planned his defection. He arranged a patrol route through a WLF-controlled suburb under the guise of duty, but his real intention was to meet with a WLF lieutenant, Hanrahan.
HBO’s The Last of Us[]
Season 2[]
In a flashback to 2018, while on patrol in an armored truck, Isaac listened to a soldier, Janowicz, recount a disturbing story about having enjoyed his sergeant abuse a group of religious civilians (the predecessor to the Seraphites) in the quarantine zone. When another soldier, Burton, asked why they referred to them as “voters,” Isaac cut in, calling Janowicz “thoughtless” and explaining that FEDRA had taken away the people’s right to vote and this was their way to insult them.
Isaac and Burton with Hanrahan.
Suddenly, the truck halted—its path blocked by a school bus. Spotting WLF dissenters nearby, Isaac exited the vehicle, ordering his men to hold fire while he and Burton investigated. Approaching the group, Isaac met with Hanrahan face-to-face. After a brief exchange and confirmation, he returned to the truck, tossed two frag grenades inside, and locked the doors, killing a shocked Janowicz and the rest. As the wounded driver fell from the vehicle, Isaac gunned him down with his rifle. He then returned to Hanrahan and shook her hand—officially joining the WLF. He offered Burton the chance to make his choice.
Over the years, Isaac and Burton rose through the WLF’s ranks, eventually leading them to total victory over FEDRA in Seattle. But peace was short-lived; a new threat emerged in the form of the Seraphites. Isaac viewed them as savage religious zealots and oversaw brutal interrogations to extract information from their prisoners. He was also responsible for personally deciding the fates of traitors within the WLF, often holding critical meetings at their Forward Operating Base (FOB), especially after numerous broken truces with the Seraphites.
During this time, Isaac discovered that his brother Ed had joined the Fireflies. Though he never joined the group himself, Isaac promised Ed and his companions a safe haven in Seattle if they ever needed it. By 2024 (after the Fireflies collapse), Abby Anderson and her friends knew of the group and took up on joining. Upon later learning of Abby’s request to track and kill Joel Miller (the smuggler who killed her father), Isaac supported her mission and allowed her to leave temporarily in the winter of 2028.
In April 2029, Isaac tortured a captured Seraphite prisoner for intelligence about an upcoming attack. After having beaten him and stripped him nude, Isaac grabbed a heated Mauviel pan and used it to sear his skin. The two argued about the origins of the war. Isaac insisted the WLF would prevail due to their advanced weaponry, while the Seraphite countered that more WLF members were defecting to the Seraphites, not the other way around. Realizing that the prisoners faith was unshakable and no physical pain would hurt him, a frustrated Isaac drew his pistol and coldly executed him.
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Isaac in tent reviewing battle plans.
Two days later, Isaac began preparations for a massive naval invasion of the Seraphites' island, which housed their isolated community. He wanted Abby to be part of the operation, but she had gone missing. Seeking answers, he summoned sergeant Elise Park to his officer’s tent for an update on her whereabouts. Although Elise confirmed they still had Manny, Isaac dismissed him—as well as Owen and Mel—as just above-average rank-and-file soldiers. Abby, he said, was different. More unique. He explained that he expected many WLF soldiers—including himself and Elise—to die in the coming battle. But Abby, he believed, would survive. He saw her as the best candidate to be his successor. Later that night, Isaac began the assault on the island.
Personality[]
| “ | Now, copper's a bit of a pain in the ass - you have to polish it a lot, but it heats faster than anything. Highly conductive. Of course, this means it doesn't retain heat the way cast iron does, which of the two, makes copper the inferior choice for interrogations, but... if you own Mauviel, you use Mauviel. | „ |
| ~ Isaac to the Seraphite soldier as he heats up the frying pan to sear his skin with. |
Isaac Dixon is a cold, disciplined, and ruthless tactician—a man forged by war, and ideology. Initially driven by noble intentions to liberate Seattle from tyranny, he becomes hardened, willing to commit atrocities for what he perceives as the greater good. His hatred for oppression turns into justification for brutal retaliatory measures, mirroring the same violence he once despised.
He operates on a strict code of loyalty and strength, rewarding those who stand by him but eliminating dissenters and enemies. His worldview becomes black-and-white: allies are to be protected, enemies are to be destroyed in every way.
Yet there are flickers of humanity shown in Isaac. His support for his brother, his openness to housing the Fireflies, and his brief offer of mercy to Burton reflect a more layered persona.
For example, when torturing a beaten Seraphite, Isaac uses a Mauviel pan—the very kind he dreamed of using in a peaceful, domestic life—to burn the man’s skin. It’s a symbolic perversion of who he once was, showing how much of his humanity he’s traded for vengeance and control. His eventual execution of the Seraphite, despite the prisoner’s defiance and helplessness, reflects how Isaac’s moral compass has been corroded by endless war.
Relationships[]
Abby Anderson[]
Isaac held Abby in extremely high regard, viewing her as more than just a soldier. He supported her quest for revenge against Joel, even allowing her to leave WLF territory during the winter of 2028 to pursue it. By 2029, Isaac considered Abby the most capable and unique member of her group—more so than Owen, Mel, or Manny—and saw her as a potential successor to his leadership. Isaac believed she would survive the coming war and should lead what would remain of the WLF.
Manny Alvarez[]
Manny was the last of Abby's group still present in the WLF by the island invasion, something Isaac acknowledged with a sense of detachment. Despite recognizing Manny as a fairly good sniper, Isaac did not seem to value him as highly as Abby, describing him, Owen, and Mel as rank and file soldiers.
Burton[]
Burton was originally a fellow FEDRA soldier under Isaac’s command during their time in the Seattle QZ. When Isaac defected to the WLF in 2018, he gave Burton a choice—join him or stay with FEDRA. Over time, the two rose together through the WLF ranks.
Trivia[]
- Isaac Dixon originally debuted in The Last of Us Part II (2020). He was a secondary but significant off-screen presence throughout most of the story, and only appears in-person during a flashback chapter in Abby’s storyline and later on at the island.
- Jeffrey Wright, who portrays Isaac in the HBO adaptation, also voiced and provided motion capture for Isaac in the video game. He is one of the few actors to reprise his role from the game in the series.
Gallery[]
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 Villains
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Survivors Smugglers Fireflies Cannibals Washington Liberation Front Rattlers Others | ||