Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Usfranchise introduced the world to Ellie and Joel, who have become iconic pop culture characters. WithThe Last of Us Part 2, developers decided to make a very daring move by having gamers play as Abby, who brings about Joel’s demise. The events are thematically relevant because revenge, forgiveness, and the cycle of violence are prevailing themes in the game. Nevertheless, Joel’s death inThe Last of Us Part 2brought about great controversy within the fandom.
The nextThe Last of Usgame should address just how much controversy Joel’s death brings within the game, and how she goes about making amends to his loved ones and finding some kind of atonement. In doing so, she would also soothe the frustrations of real-world fans who were upset to see Joel go. ThoughAbby’s past is littered with bad deeds, a well-written game could demonstrate that nobody is too far gone for redemption.
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Abby’s Unfinished Business in The Last of Us Part 2
InThe Last of Us Part 2, gamers meet Abby, who is the daughter of thesurgeon that Joel kills to save Ellie. Seeking revenge for her father’s death, Abby hunts and kills Joel. Although she hopes that revenge will bring her peace and closure, it does not. Instead, she finds herself constantly haunted by her actions. Furthermore, her actions ignite rage within Joel’s loved ones, sparking a vicious cycle of violence that leaves many of Abby’s friends dead.
By the end of the game, Abby and Ellie haven’t reconciled. However, Ellie does spare her life, and they go their separate ways. Though this marks the conclusion of Abby and Ellie’s feud, at least for now, there are still a lot of loose threads regarding Abby’s life. Though she has seemingly squashed her feud with Ellie, she is far from her only enemy. Tommy, who is Joel’s brother, is still alive, and he still has grudges. Furthermore, she still has to worry about theWashington Liberation Frontand the Seraphites who may decide they’re not quite done with her yet. Most importantly, though Abby seemingly recognizes her wrongdoings, this is not enough. She has to show some kind of repentance before her character arch is fully realized, and she can gain the full forgiveness of those who love Joel in the game and real life.
How The Last of Us Part 3 Can Address Abby’s Real-World Controversy
The Last of Us Part 2’s ending suggests thatAbby and Lev take off to search for the Fireflies, and this opens the possibility that the next game may follow her adventure and feature her as the protagonist. If this is the case, Abby will have to address the real-world controversy that surrounded her actions in the prior game. When she took a life, it enraged many fans. Hence, the road to her redemption may be to save a life. She already did this with Lev, though she has yet to show the same kind of compassion to anyone on Joel’s side, only sparing Ellie and Dina from death by her own hands instead of saving them from an outside party.
The most obvious character who could offer a pathway to Abby’s redemption is Tommy. By the end ofThe Last of Us Part 2, Tommy still wants Abby dead. If Abby were able to save his life somehow, it could be the first step toward Tommy finally finding forgiveness. If Joel’s brother can learn to move on from old grudges, then it makes it far easier for Joel’s fans to move on as well. It may be more important than ever for the nextThe Last of Usgame to address Abby’s actions, as it has been confirmed thatThe Last of Us Part 2will be receiving a television adaptation. This will expose the series to a new batch of Joel fans who will be demanding Abby’s blood.
The Last of Usis in a better position than ever. The television adaptation has been highly successful, and gamers can look forward to astandalone multiplayerThe Last of Usgame. If Abby is handled correctly, the next game in the series could tie up many loose ends and give fans the closure they have been searching for.
The Last of Us Part 2is available on PS4.
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