There was a lot of curiosity when the news broke that Joel McHale would play a role on Yellowjackets season three. Joel McHale, of course, is an icon in the world of pop culture for his role on Community. Yellowjackets is a very funny show at points, too, but it’s definitely much more of a dark humor—a bit removed from the purely hilarious sitcom energy that Community brought to the table. And it turns out McHale is very removed from his turn as Jeff Winger on Yellowjackets as well. For Community fans and Joel McHale fans overall, McHale’s role as Kodiak, a.k.a. Kodi, might be something of a surprise. We break it all down below.
Joel McHale Plays Kodiak, a Wilderness Survival Guide, on Yellowjackets Season 3
It’s all gruffness and toughness for Joel McHale on Yellowjackets season three. McHale’s character Kodiak is a serious outdoorsman who is not there to mess around with the wilderness but is there to flippantly throw knives past people’s faces. He claims he was named after tobacco. We meet McHale’s character alongside two biologists who have wandered into the wilderness, where the Yellowjackets team also crashed.
The university that biologists Hannah and Edwin work for hired McHale’s Kodiak/Kodi to help guide the researchers through the dense woods. Hannah and Edwin wish to observe a frog mating ritual and bring back a specimen of the Arctic Banshee frog. McHale’s Kodiak doesn’t seem to think too much of frogs, but he’s plenty willing to show off his wilderness chops. He also appears to think little of scrawny scientist Edwin, whom he clearly considers “less manly” than him, and meanwhile enjoys flirting with Hannah, Edwin’s partner—although he doesn’t think twice about abandoning her when danger comes.
Is Joel McHale’s Kodi a Dangerous Character?
In one scene, Yellowjackets makes a point of noting that Joel McHale’s Kodi has a bag labeled “Erik.” Edwin claims that he’s hiding something and that they know nothing about him, not even his name. Additionally, he feels that Kodi may have broken their satellite phone, the one connection the research team had to the outside world, on purpose. Joel McHale’s Kodiak claims that the phone is not their lifeline, and instead, he is. And he seems offended by the whispers about him. But as mentioned, Kodiak flees the scene, leaving Hannah to fend for herself once they encounter the Yellowjackets team in the woods. He also shoots Melissa from very close with his crossbow. We do not like the energy of this Joel McHale character on Yellowjackets.
Will Kodi Help the Yellowjackets Escape the Wilderness?
Although we don’t trust him, it is true that Joel McHale’s Kodi/Kodiak is the only character that has any hope of escaping the wilderness on Yellowjackets. Kodi has a good sense of where they are and how to survive and literally no one else does. Initially, Akilah and Travis help Kodiak survive his fall off a cliffside in the hopes that he will lead them home. But Akilah leaves breadcrumbs for the other girls, and Kodiak gets taken captive and returned to the Yellowjackets’ camp. There, Nat and most of the team want to have Kodi lead them out of the wilderness, and Joel McHale’s character seems ready to help. But Shauna intervenes, with the support of Lottie and Tai, and refuses to allow them all to leave.
Does Joel McHale’s Kodiak Die in the Wilderness?
There’s a very notable toxic masculinity air to Kodiak. It’s honestly a character type that hasn’t really appeared on Yellowjackets before. Travis had a bit of that attitude at the beginning of the series, but time in the wilderness seems to have excised most of it from him. That’s why Kodiak’s angry, bullish disposition, his dislike for other men whom he considers less strong, and his immediate need to flirt with the only woman around stands out on the series. As Lottie said, the Wilderness does not want him (and his noxious manliness) there. But does that mean he’s doomed? It turns out, yes. In the end, Joel McHale’s Kodi meets his death in episode nine of Yellowjackets season three.
But surprisingly, Kodiak is not killed by the Yellowjackets or the wilderness. Instead, he is killed by his team member, Hannah, who turns on him when Shauna discovers that Kodi, Hannah, Nat, and some of the other team members were trying to plan an escape. Hannah stabs Joel McHale’s Kodiak in the face (and through the brain) with a knife, and that’s the end of him. Honestly, we feel like we barely got to know the character at all. But we suspect we won’t be seeing him again.
We’re not sure if the Yellowjackets would have been happy following Kodiak out of the woods, although going home and being rescued probably would be very nice for them. If only the Yellowjackets could live their free life in a society without arbitrary standards, but also have running water and enough food to live.
It was fun to see Joel McHale’s Kodiak on Yellowjackets season three while he lasted. RIP Kodi.
Originally published on March 24, 2025.