Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us 2 is a game that is mired in secrecy. Players have been trying to avoid gameplay trailers so as not to spoil their experience and the developers have done their best to keep many of the game’s biggest secrets from the public eye. Of course, there has been a major Last of Us leak that revealed some key points of the plot, but there are still those who want to go in as pure as possible.
On the flip side, there may be some Last of Us fans who are curious about the game and would like more information going in. Specifically, there are those who want to know who Abby is with regards to the game. But to fully discuss Abby it’s important to give a spoiler warning. We won’t detail the full plot – just who Abby is in The Last of Us Part 2 and what impact she has on the story.
Spoiler Warning!
The Last of Us 2 attempts something fairly unique in its 25 to 30-hour gameplay experience. Players control Ellie for a good portion of the first half, as she seeks revenge against Abby for killing Joel at the beginning of the game. There are some hints early on, but it’s unclear why Abby killed Joel, but regardless, Ellie wants to see her punished.
Then, in a surprise twist, The Last of Us 2 puts players into control of Abby for the second “half” of the game. She is the second playable character that Naughty Dog was referencing in early interviews for the game. The studio never makes clear that Abby is playable, but there are actually some gameplay trailers that feature her sections of the game.
There were some rumors based on the leaks that Abby is a trans character, but that is not the case. She identifies as female and is merely in incredible shape. This is due to the fact that she is a member of the Western Liberation Front (WLF or Wolves), a militarized group that occupies Seattle and parts of Washington.
Prior to grouping up with the WLF and when she was much younger, Abby was a member of the Fireflies with her dad. He was the surgeon that was going to operate on Ellie to create a potential cure. However, when Joel found out that Ellie would die during the operation, he killed the doctors working on Ellie and escaped with her. Abby’s dad was among those that Joel killed in order to get Ellie free.
It takes Abby a long time to find Joel, but eventually, she finds the Jackson, Wyoming settlement and is even rescued by him and Tommy at the beginning of the game. Abby kills Joel as an act of revenge for what he did to her father.
It’s a controversial decision by Naughty Dog, but The Last of Us Part 2 tries to show that Abby is no different than Joel or Ellie. She makes tough decisions in a difficult world and has to live with the consequences. Whether or not players understand and justify those actions is up to them.
The Last of Us 2 releases June 19, 2020 for PS4.