Summary

• Pedro Pascal's departure from Narcos after season 3 was always part of the plan, according to showrunner Eric Newman.
• Pascal's character, Javier Peña, was originally kept for the final season to maintain an emotional tie, but his exit was a deliberate decision to start a new story in Mexico.
• Rumors that Pascal's exit was due to a real-life tragedy involving the murder of a location scout are unfounded, as his departure from the show was always intended.

Netflix's crime drama about the rise of the cocaine trade in Colombia left fans wondering why the Pedro Pascal Narcos role ended after season 3. The series ran from 2015 to 2017, with Pascal playing Drug Enforcement istration (DEA) agent Javier Peña. His agent worked for two seasons to bring down billionaire narcoterrorist and drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura). Javier Peña was then tasked with taking down a different cartel in Narcos season 3, and then Pascal left the series.

A rare series that gained more critical acclaim across each subsequent season, Narcos was seemingly poised to continue its successful run, especially with Peña being one of Pedro Pascal's best characters at that time. But Narcos traded on-screen suspense for real-life drama: after three seasons, the show — and Pascal's time on it — came to an end, paving the way for the 2018 shared-universe spinoff series Narcos: Mexico. While Pedro Pascal's Narcos exit was rumored to have been fraught, the series' showrunner insists otherwise.

Pedro Pascal's Narcos Exit Was Always Part Of The Plan

While Narcos: Mexico is a kind of season 4 spiritual successor to the three-season original series, it resulted in the question of why the Colombia-set crime drama shifted locations. More than that, Narcos traded long-time protagonist Javier Peña — and actor Pedro Pascal — for new leads. The real-life Javier Peña, who investigated Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel, served as a consultant on the show. Pedro Pascal's Narcos co-star Boyd Holbrook, who played agent Steve Murphy, left before season 3.

Pascal, on the other hand, was kept on for the final season of Narcos to provide fans with an existing emotional tie to the story. But Pascal's time on Narcos was never meant to last. According to Narcos showrunner Eric Newman, Pascal was well aware of his season 3 exit, which led the actor to wrestle with the idea of having his character killed off versus leaving the cameo door open (via The Hollywood Reporter).

"It was a part of the plan as early as season two. The design was always to finish out the Colombian story and the players that we’ve come to know there and then start anew in Mexico."

Did Pedro Pascal Leave Narcos Due To A Real-Life Tragedy?

Ahead of the filming of Narcos: Mexico, the series location scout Carlos Muñoz Portal was murdered in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. Shortly after the 2017 tragedy, TMZ asked Pedro Pascal about the distressing incident. While Pascal expressed his sadness and concern, he didn't indicate that the murder had anything to do with his leaving Narcos.

However, that didn't stop rumors from swirling and conflating Pascal's departure with the real-life tragedy. The actor was always meant to exit Narcos after season 3 to make way for a new story. Things have likely worked out for the best — Pedro Pascal had a great 2023 and beyond.

Pedro Pascal Has Become A Huge Star Since Leaving Narcos

Pedro Pascal's career has exploded since he left Narcos. While his role on that Netflix series was a boon for his career, what has happened in the years since has been more than impressive. On the big screen, Pascal has appeared in some major motion pictures. He was the villain in the DCU movie Wonder Woman 1984, where he played Maxwell Lord. He also took on roles in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, The Equalizer 2, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and in 2024 appeared in Drive-Away Dolls.

Pascal is ing the MCU as one of the first superheroes in Marvel history.

It has been even bigger on TV. Just two years after the Pedro Pascal Narcos run ended, he took on the role as Din Djarin in The Mandalorian, which has been one of the most popular Star Wars shows on Disney+ and will soon become a movie. He then took on the role of Joel Miller in the video game adaptation The Last of Us on Max, which is heading into its second season. It will also get even bigger as Pascal is ing the MCU as one of the first superheroes in Marvel history, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four.