Henry (Lamar Johnson) in episode 5 of 'The Last of Us'

Who Is Henry in ‘The Last of Us’ and Why Does Kathleen Hate Him?

Henry is in 'The Last of Us' games, but Kathleen isn't — find out why Melanie Lynskey's character is after Henry in the HBO series.

by Lauren Anderson

Published on February 14, 2023

2 min read

‘The Last of Us’ Episode 5 recap: Henry and Kathleen face off

At the end of “Please Hold to My Hand,” we meet Henry and his little brother Sam (Keivonn Woodard). Episode 5 explores their back story, including why Kathleen and her Kansas City resistance are after Henry.

In the episode, Henry and Sam team up with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to escape Kansas City. Henry, a non-violent person, asks Joel to be the muscle while he navigates through the city’s tunnel system to evade Kathleen’s people.

Despite their best efforts, Kathleen and her resistance get wind of Henry, Sam, Joel, and Ellie’s location. When one of the resistance vehicles falls into a sinkhole, the infected, which the resistance previously forced into the tunnels, emerge and wreak havoc.

A child clicker kills Kathleen Henry, Sam, Joel, and Ellie manage to escape, but not unscathed. Sam gets infected, attacks Ellie the next day, and Henry shoots him. Henry then dies by suicide, unable to live with the guilt of killing his brother.

Henry killed Kathleen’s brother Michael, which is why she’s after him

Henry is a character in The Last of Us video game, but Kathleen is not. In the HBO series, Henry revealed the location of Michael, the leader of the Kansas City resistance and Kathleen’s brother, to the oppressive organization FEDRA so he could access leukemia drugs for Sam. Henry’s revelation led to Michael’s death, leaving Kathleen to seek vengeance.

Co-creator Craig Mazin described Kathleen to Lynskey as such: “[Kathleen is a] war criminal. Imagine if you were Jesus’ sister, and your brother was this wonderful person whom everybody adored and respected. And you were fine, but nobody really felt that way about you. Then he’s brutally murdered, your world is upended, and you’re forced to step into this position he had” (via Vulture).

‘The Last of Us’ Episode 6 release date

In the teaser for episode 6 of The Last of Us, Joel finally reunites with his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna). This week, The Last of Us will air at its regularly scheduled time. Tune in to episode 6 on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. ET to see what happens next on Joel and Ellie’s journey.