What role does Ben Ahlers play in The Last of Us season 2? Character explored
Ben Ahlers is one of the several new actors joining the cast of The Last of Us season 2. His casting in HBO's hit dystopian sci-fi series was announced earlier in March, as the network continues to expand the supporting cast for the new season. Besides Ahlers, Alana Ubach, Joe Pantoliano, Hettienne Park, Noah Lamanna, and Robert John Burke are also set to appear in supporting roles.
Ben Ahlers plays Burton in The Last of Us season 2, with his character first introduced in the season's newly released episode 4, titled Day One. The episode follows Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Mercer) as they continue their journey to Seattle to find Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her friends, seeking justice for Joel's (Pedro Pascal) death.
However, Ellie and Dina are not aware that they are about to deal with a larger militia community, the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), a group of which Ahler's character is a part.
Disclaimer: This article contains some spoilers for The Last of Us season 2. Reader's discretion is advised.
Burton: All about Ben Ahlers' character in The Last of Us season 2
Ben Ahlers joins the cast of The Last of Us season 2 episode 4 as Burton, and his debut sparks some questions about his character. He appears in both the 2018 and the 2029 timelines, first as a Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA) soldier in 2018 and later as a WLF soldier in 2029.
Ben Ahlers' Burton one of the characters introduced as the show expands Jeffrey Wright's Isaac Dixon character, a reprisal from his role in The Last of Us: Part II. In the 2018 flashback in episode 4, Burton appeared decked in his FEDRA gear and assault rifle alongside Isaac. They were on patrol in an armored car when he asked Isaac why a particularly cruel FEDRA sergeant calls civilians "voters."
Isaac explained to Burton that the term is used to mock the civilians because FEDRA took their right to vote after the Cordyceps outbreak. Burton was also alongside Isaac, at the latter's request, when he met the WLF leader, Hanrahan, played by Alana Ubach, to talk.
Ben Ahler's Burton was also the FEDRA soldier who aimed his gun at Hanrahan's head in the flashback. Unknown to him, Isaac was about to betray FEDRA for the WLF, and he saved Burton from an unfortunate fate. Burton then got a hunch that Isaac and Hanrahan weren't strangers to each other, which was confirmed when Isaac threw grenades into the FEDRA armored car.
The next scenes solidified Burton's character arc, as seen in the 2029 timeline, where he's not wearing a FEDRA uniform anymore but the same gear as the WLF soldiers. It turned out that when Isaac defected, he made Burton choose to side with him or die, and it appeared that Burton chose the former. In 2029, he stood on guard in the chamber as Isaac tortured a Seraphite prisoner, saying:
"Scar got what he deserved. F**king animal."
Is Ben Ahlers' Burton in the series from The Last of Us video games?
Ben Ahlers' character in The Last of Us season 2 episode 4 is one of the newly created characters for the HBO series. Burton does not appear in the original The Last of Us video games. It's why, without a reference from the games, there is little known about his character except that he was a former FEDRA soldier who later joined Isaac at WLF.
As the series continues with Ellie and Dina's quest for revenge, their hunt for Abby and her friends will likely include coming face-to-face with WLF soldiers like Burton and Isaac, as Abby's group is part of the WLF.
Catch Ben Ahlers as Burton in The Last of Us season 2, which is now streaming on Max.
