Maria and Tommy officially made their entrance into HBO’s The Last of Us in episode six, titled “Kin.”
The heartfelt episode reunited Joel and his little brother in the bustling community of Jackson, and introduced viewers to Tommy’s new wife, Maria. One of Jackson’s council members, Maria is a take-charge, no nonsense woman who still manages to come across as compassionate and caring. Her small gesture to Ellie — in the form of a reusable menstrual cup — helped to ingratiate the teen to her, but there’s still plenty of distance between Maria, her newfound brother-in-law, and his surrogate daughter.
Before they continued on their way, Tommy extended an invitation for Ellie and Joel to return, and Joel assured his brother they were “counting on it.” This indicates that they will eventually return to Jackson, once their work out west is concluded, and reunite with their new — and growing — family. By the time they get back, Maria’s pregnancy — which is still in its early stages — will likely be far closer to completion, if she and Tommy’s baby hasn’t already arrived. The growing Miller family has fans taking a look back at the games, and Maria and Tommy’s family in video game canon.
Do Maria and Tommy have kids in the Last of Us games?
Longtime The Last of Us fans were startled to learn that, in HBO’s adaptation, Maria and Tommy are expecting. This is an alteration from the games, in which the couple don’t share any children.
This isn’t the first time HBO has taken liberties with the source material, altering elements to deepen character connections or flesh out aspects of the story. It did the same with Frank and Bill’s backstory in “Long Long Time,” and will likely continue this trend as the season — and series — continues onward. Maria’s pregnancy could ramp up the story in several ways, regardless of whether or not she and Tommy are able to welcome their child into the world.
In the games, however, Maria and Tommy’s family never expands beyond two. Their marriage is largely strong, following Ellie and Joel’s return to Jackson, but — for whatever reason — they never have any children. Instead, they serve as mentors and honorary aunt and uncle to the smattering of children who reside in Jackson, including Ellie.
