A Marvel star makes a surprise cameo as a key role in Joel and Tommy's lives in The Last of Us season 2

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 6.

The Last of Us season 2 has been filled with several surprise cameos, and this week's episode has one that we definitely did not see coming.

The Last of Us season 2 episode 6 opens with a young Joel assuring Tommy that he won't get beat up by their dad, because Joel is going to take the heat instead. Joel waits nervously at the kitchen table, while his father, a police officer, walks in through the door. His father, Joel Sr., is played by none other than Hawkeye and Daredevil star Tony Dalton.

In the scene, Joel tries to take the wrap for what Tommy did, insisting that he was the one buying pot - when in reality, he beat up the guys that Tommy was buying the pot from. Joel warns that he won't let his dad hurt Tommy, but Joel Sr. responds with a story about his own father breaking his jaw for stealing a candy bar. Joel asks him why he hits his sons now if he knows what it feels like, and his dad responds that he would never take it that far. "When it's your turn," he tells Joel. "I hope you do a little better than me."

It's important to note that this doesn't happen in the game, and that Dalton's guest-starring role was created for the HBO show - most likely to give a little perspective as to how and why Joel acts the way he does. Though this feels like a one-off cameo, it's possible that we could see him appear in another flashback.

Dalton is best known for playing Jack Duquesne aka The Swordsman, a wealthy socialite turned vigilante who is loosely involved in the criminal world, in both Hawkeye and Daredevil: Born Again. He also played the absolutely terrifying Lalo Salamanca in the Breaking Bad spin-off series Better Call Saul, a role that earned him several Screen Actors Guild and Saturn Award nominations.

The Last of Us airs on Sundays in the US on HBO and Max, before landing on Sky and NOW in the UK the following day. Ensure you don't miss an episode with our guide to The Last of Us season 2 release schedule.