The following may contains potential spoilers for HBO's The Last of Us.

HBO's television adaptation of Naughty Dog's video game The Last of Us is creeping around the corner. While some are worried about how faithful the show will be to its original source material, there's an exciting prospect to the mystery surrounding the series. One of the biggest secrets concerning the series is who the original actors of Joel and Ellie -- Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, respectively -- will portray in the show.

In the latest trailer for The Last of Us, Baker and Johnson make their first appearances in blink-and-you-miss-it moments. They aren't the only actors returning from the game and onto the small-screen -- Merle Dandridge will physically reprise her role as Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies, and Jeffrey Pierce (original voice of Joel's brother Tommy) will be playing an original character named Perry. Dandridge and Pierce's confirmed roles lead to speculation on why Baker and Johnson's roles have yet to be confirmed, but it might have to do with the importance of their characters.

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Who Does Troy Baker Play In HBO's The Last of Us?

While not confirmed, the trailer makes a case that Baker is playing a member of David's group. Players of the game know David as a sadistic man who first appears friendly to Ellie when she's hunting in the winter while Joel is recovering from an injury. However, David quickly turns on her when he realizes that she and Joel were the ones David's group encountered at the university, and he kidnaps her in retaliation. He later reveals to Ellie that his group resorted to cannibalism to survive and intended to do the same to her and Joel.

How does Baker fit into this storyline? Contrary to a popular theory, Baker might not actually be playing David, who was originally voiced by Uncharted's Nolan North. The placement of his character in the trailer in a winter landscape indicates that he'll be playing a henchman since he's not front-and-center. In fact, he might be James, who Ellie calls "buddy boy" when she first encounters David and his friend.

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Ashley Johnson's Character Might Be Anna, Ellie's Mother

Ashley Johnson holding a baby in The Last of Us

Ashley Johnson is seen for a brief second as a brunette woman holding a baby after birth, who may very well be Ellie's mother, Anna, in a flashback. Anna is never seen in The Last of Us Part 1 or the sequel. But she is mentioned by Marlene as a close friend, and Ellie keeps a note from Anna that is available to read during the winter section of The Last of Us. Moments from the DLC Left Behind and the comic miniseries The Last of Us: American Dreams reveal that Anna was a nurse and Ellie's switchblade was hers that she passed down. Unfortunately, Anna died within a day of giving birth to Ellie.

Anna's role in the HBO series could provide more insight into why Ellie is immune to virus. The games never explore why Ellie is the only one who's immune because the Fireflies are so focused on finding a vaccine, but Anna could be the answer. But even if the show never answers this question, Anna's death will give a more detailed backstory to Ellie and Marlene's relationship, the latter of which looked after Ellie when Anna died. For fans who know what Marlene does to Ellie at the end of the first gut, it'll be a punch in the gut to watch.

There's also beauty to Johnson potentially playing Ellie's mother -- she not only metaphorically gave birth to Ellie as her original actor in the game, but she also literally gave birth to Ellie if she is Anna in the show. It's the perfect role for Johnson to inhabit; just small enough as a cameo, and big enough to add so much weight to the story. For now, Johnson's role looks much more substantial than Baker's is in The Last of Us, but that could all change once viewers see them in action in January.

The Last of Us premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Jan. 15, 2023.