The Last of Us 2 was one of the most critically-acclaimed video games of 2020, and is in fact one of the most critically-acclaimed games of all time. The Last of Us 2 has won more Game of the Year awards than any other game in history, and a large part of this success is due to its narrative. While many fans were split on The Last of Us 2's narrative, others have heaped praise on it for making bold decisions and leading the characters in unexpected directions.
The Last of Us 2's story all leads up to a powerful ending that, like the original Last of Us game, leaves things somewhat ambiguous. For those who have yet to complete The Last of Us 2, proceed with caution as this article will have MASSIVE SPOILERS for The Last of Us 2, including its ending.
The Last of Us 2's ending sees Ellie hunt down Abby and Lev in California. However, Ellie finds them after months of abuse and starvation, with Abby having deteriorated into a far weaker version of herself. Even so, Abby puts up a serious fight against Ellie, and the two brawl on the beach. During the fight, Abby is successful in biting off two of Ellie's fingers, but Ellie ends up getting the advantage and has the opportunity to finally kill her and avenge Joel's death.
However, Ellie changes her mind and lets Abby and Lev escape on a boat. Abby and Lev's fate after they get on the boat is unclear, but The Last of Us 2 players are given a glimpse at what's next for Ellie. Giving up her quest for revenge, Ellie returns to the farmhouse where she shared a life with Dina and baby JJ. However, Ellie finds that the farmhouse has been abandoned, with Dina moving everything out except Ellie's things.
Ellie then tries to play the guitar that Joel gave her, but due to the injuries she sustained with her fight against Abby, she's unable to play it correctly. The game then ends without making it clear what Ellie's next move is. Presumably, fans will find out what happens next in Ellie's life when they play The Last of Us 3, though that game is not in active development. The Last of Us 3 has a story outline written, but Naughty Dog has reportedly not started actually working on the project.
Everyone has their own opinion about The Last of Us 2's ending and everyone has their own theories about what's next for the game's various characters. However, it's since come to light from various sources that The Last of Us 2 ending could have been much different. Details were changed and removed that, had they been included, would have resulted in a much different tone for The Last of Us 2's ending.
Abby Dies
Not long after The Last of Us 2 launched, director Neil Druckmann and writer Halley Gross spoke in an interview with Game Informer where they revealed that the game once had a much darker ending. In this darker ending for The Last of Us 2, Ellie succeeded in killing Abby during their fight on the beach. Ellie would then leave Lev floating in the boat, with his ultimate fate left open to interpretation.
This ending is clearly much different than the ending that made it into the final game, and it would have completely changed the tone of the ending. The assumption could be made from it that perhaps The Last of Us 3 would be yet another revenge story with Lev seeking out Ellie, but who's to say. Ultimately, Naughty Dog decided to let Abby survive the events of The Last of Us 2, and so both she and Lev can potentially return in a future installment in the franchise.
Happier Ending for Ellie
More recently, Halley Gross spoke on the Script Apart podcast about another Last of Us 2 ending detail that wasn't in the final version of the game. This detail didn't completely change the fate of a character, but it was a slightly happier ending for Ellie and would have been much less ambiguous. Apparently, when Ellie returned to the farmhouse at the end of The Last of Us 2, she was going to find one of JJ's toys that was accidentally left behind. Ellie was going to put JJ's toy in her backpack and leaving, implying that she was going to try to find Dina and patch up their relationship.
Both of these events would have drastically changed the tone of The Last of Us 2's ending, and both would have had huge implications for The Last of Us 3. However, for one reason or another, Naughty Dog decided to make these changes to The Last of Us 2's story, and so anyone speculating about the future of the franchise will need to stick with the canon ending where Abby lives and it's unclear if Ellie is going to return to Dina.
The Last of Us 2 is out now, exclusively for PS4.
Source: Game Informer, Script Apart