This story contains spoilers for Yellowjackets Season 1. If you've watched already, but need a refresher, check out our Yellowjackets Story So Far.
The Yellowjackets are back, the opening credits remain a trip, and we've got a whole lot more questions than we did at the end of Season 1. Now, the series is back, and there's a lot to keep track of! Yellowjackets features a huge ensemble, and that number has only grown since the show's Season 2 premiere. To help you keep it striaght, we're here with a handy dandy character guide with the who's who across timelines. If you're also trying to keep straight when the dang series airs, check out our Yellowjackets how to watch and remember that the show drops on streaming two days before it'll hit Showtimes linear channels.
And now, let's dive into our list of (probably) doomed characters!
Shauna Shipmen
There's no real "lead" of Yellowjackets, but if we had to pick one for Season 2, it'd probably be Shauna. Played by Melanie Lynskey in the present and Sophie Nélisse in the past, Shauna's just got all sorts of unfortunate things going on for her across timelines. Past Shauna's stuck in the same mess as the rest of the surviving Yellowjackets in the harsh winter in the middle of the woods. They're running low on food and hope, but Shauna has the added misfortune of being in the same scenario while extremely pregnant. Meanwhile, in the present timeline, Shauna's doing the best to cover up the murder she committed largely thanks to her dopey but well meaning husband?
Misty Quigley
Poor Misty doesn't share Shauna's levels of misfortune, but she sure does struggle with connections. Played by Christina Ricci in the present and Samantha Hanratty in the past, Misty just can't seem to figure out how to make friends. She'll drug, kidnap and kill to get there though, so A for effort at the very least. In Season 2, both past and present Mistys are still working on that whole friendship thing, but it seems like both versions will have more success than they did in Season 1. Present Misty is also on a quest to figure out just what the heck happened to Natalie, who we saw get kidnapped at the end of Season 1.
Natalie Scatorccio
Nat is just doing her best. Played by Juliette Lewis in the present and Sophie Thatcher in the past, Nat's stuck with the impossible burden of trying to find food for the group while keeping Travis — who is understandably freaking out about his lost and potentially dead brother, Javi — sane. Meanwhile, in the present, she's alive but seemingly held captive by a cult? And boy does that cult sure wear a very familiar symbol...
Lottie Matthews
Oh Lottie. Played in the past by Courtney Eaton and the present by series newcomer Simone Kessell, Lottie's just got a lot on her mind. Literally. Diagnosed with schizophrenia after an episode that saved her parents from a car crash, past Lottie is the frontrunner for Antler Queen (the mysterious entity we see the girls worshipping in visions from Season 1). She's also gathering acolytes in the past, as some of the girls have decided that her visions are real and will save them all from starvation and the harsh winter. Present Lottie — who we don't meet until Season 2 — seems to be living the life most similar to their time in the wilderness, as she's now started a cult who rocks the same symbol that they found in the woods all those years ago.
Read: What's Lottie Hiding in the Season 2 Premiere?
Taissa Turner
The enigmatic Tai remains the skeptic of the group both in both timelines. Played in the past by Jasmin Savoy Brown and the present by Tawny Cypress, Tai is just trying to keep her friends alive by keeping their heads. Unfortunately, she also suffers from what at first seems to be a sleepwalking disorder, but quickly reveals itself to be something much more nefarious. Past Tai is romantically involved with Van (a Lottie acolyte), while her present self recently won a race to become Governor. Thanks to a discovery by her wife Simone, we learn that she may have accomplished her miraculous win by sacrificing their dog. The twist here is that Tai didn't really do it — at least not the Tai who's awake...
Vanessa "Van" Palmer
Van's a believer. Or, at least she is in the past. Played in the past by Liv Hewson and the present by Lauren Ambrose, Van turned to Lottie after surviving a wolf attack in the woods against all odds. Balanced by Tai's skepticism, the two do their best to keep the group from fracturing into believers and non-believers. It's currently unknown if the present version of Van has been spending time at Camp Green Pine with Lottie.
Travis Martinez
Travis, uh... doesn't make it. I mean, he does, technically, but his suicide is the core of Season 1's mystery. Played in the past by Kevin Alves and very briefly in the present by Andres Soto, most of Travis' story is rooted in his brother Javi. As mentioned, Javi's still missing after his disappearance in Season 1, and Travis is being torn in two directions while Nat insists Javi must be dead and Lottie swears she had a vision that he's ok. You'll see some more present Travis flashbacks as Nat tries to discover whether adult Lottie is telling the truth or if she really did kill her on-again-off-again not-boyfriend-boyfriend.
Ben Scott
As far as we know, Assistant Coach Ben Scott doesn't make it to the present either. Played in the past by Steven Krueger, Ben is currently an amputee in the harsh winter with no food in the middle of the woods and a bunch of girls who may or may not be getting involved in the supernatural and ritual sacrifice. Ben is, uh, going through it.
Javi Martinez
Javi's been a Yellowjackets mystery since the fated Doomcoming episode and, as far as we know, he does not make it out of the woods. Right now, we don't even know if we'll see him alive in Season 2. He's played in the past by Luciano Leroux.
Jackie Taylor
Queen Bee Jackie Taylor did not have a good time in the forest. Played in the past by Ella Purnell, the other Yellowjackets quickly learned that not only did Jackie have no real survival skills, she also kind of got downright mean once she saw her social status begin to plummet. After cruelly revealing Shauna's pregnancy and getting mad about the Doomcoming events, Jackie tells Shauna to leave the cabin. Instead, Shauna and the rest of the team tell Jackie that she can leave. She then tragically freezes to death in the first frost of winter. She's still billed for Season 2, though, so expect to see more of Jackie!
Lisa
Lisa's new! Played by Nicole Maines in the present, Lisa seems to have important connections to both Lottie and Nat. She's been a member of Camp Green Pine for some time, it seems, and has a deep trust in Lottie despite the cult leader's occassional cruelty to the young member. After capturing Nat, Lisa is put in charge of her care. Like most of Nat's relationships, thing start rocky between the two.
Laura Lee
Continuing the very dead train is one Laura Lee. Played in the past by Jane Widdop, Laura Lee is a devout believer who converts Lottie to Christianity before learning that Shauna is pregnant and trying to fly an old decrepit plane off the island to get help. Lottie has since turned to seemingly darker dieties, Shauna remains very pregnant with no help, and Laura Lee is, regrettably, very dead.
Akila
Somebody get this girl a last name! As far as we know, Akila doesn't make it to the present. Played in Season 1 by Keeya King and then recast in Season 2 with Nia Sondaya, Akila's got survival skills that the other girls lack. She was a girl scout back in the day, so she's able to help identify food that may kill them and helps keep Van alive by stitching up her face after the wolf attack.
Mari
Mari's mostly a side character, but she'll become increasingly more important as the factions split in the past. Played by Alexa Barajas, Mari is firmly team Lottie Acolyte.
Jeff Sadecki
Sweet, sweet Jeff. Played in the present by Warren Kole, Jeff is the extremely well-meaning and sometimes kinda dumb husband of Shauna. You might recognize him from such hits as "What, there's no bookclub?!" and blackmailing his wife and the other Yellowjackets to drum up business at his furniture store and accidentally making Shauna kill her lover Adam (who she believed to be the blackmailer).
Adam
Oh no, he died! Played in the present by Peter Gadiot, Adam was always shady. Who can blame Shauna, really? Anyway, Adam had an affair with Shauna and ultimately found himself on the recieving end of knife and then eventually a bone saw. He will not be returning to the land of the living.
Walter
A wild Citizen Detective appears! Played in the present by Elijah Wood, Walter looks to be a possible love interest for Misty? Either way, the two have met their match in one another as Misty does her best to keep Adam's murder unsolved to protect Shauna.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/yellowjackets-character-guide