With the games being a bleak examination of humanity as society succumbs to the apocalypse, it's an understatement to say that most people who inhabit the universe of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us never have an easy time of things. This is especially true of the original series protagonist Joel's brother, Tommy. Unlike most characters who survived the initial zombie-like Cordyceps outbreak, the younger Miller sibling has on several occasions managed to claw out a happy existence, only for it to be cruelly snatched away from him. In a lot of ways, his dramatic story has the potential makings of a fascinating DLC expansion.

Considering Naughty Dog's schedule is currently filled up with The Last of Us 2's standalone Factions multiplayer game, and the heavily rumored The Last of Us Remake, any DLC for The Last of Us 2 seems like a possibility. With Sony mandating the re-release of critical acclaimed first party games under the Director's Cut moniker on PS5 and PS4 though, a chance still remains that the studio might be called up to explore its hit game once more. If that does happen, a DLC expansion that charts what Tommy got up to while Ellie and Abby were waging their war against each other should be one of the first things considered.

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Tommy's Time in Seattle

While only a limited number of instances exist where Naughty Dog explored content expansions, there are still a couple of examples which suggest that a focus on Tommy would potentially be on the table. The biggest of these comes from the original The Last of Us' substantial Left Behind DLC, which filled in the gaps of the story from the main campaign. Set primarily during the chapters that Joel was incapacitated, the expansion utilized a series of flashbacks to simultaneously explore how Ellie discovered her world-altering Cordyceps immunity. Thematically, Tommy's role within The Last of Us 2 has enough unexplored gaps as well, which neatly mirror Ellie's in the original game. As such, this would justify him heading up a similar DLC story.

During the notoriously polarizing opening chapters of the game, Tommy plays an active role in driving the plot forward in the run up to Joel's murder at the hands of Abby. More importantly, it is through his interactions with the grief stricken Ellie afterwards that the series of events that leads to the action moving over to Seattle really gets rolling. Having been struck by her desire for revenge, Tommy attempts to protect his brother's surrogate daughter by setting off to deal with the Washington Liberation Front alone, leaving behind his own family in the process. This in turn proves to be the catalyst that prompts Ellie and Dina to set off in hot pursuit to help.

To a considerable extent, the foundation and motivation for a Tommy-centric DLC expansion that charts his exploits in Seattle has already been laid out in those opening sections of the game. Having arrived in the city well ahead of Ellie, there's plenty of plot for Naughty Dog to explore that would fill in the gaps in a similar fashion to the Left Behind expansion. Throughout the rest of the game, Tommy's presence is almost always felt from the shadows by both Ellie and Abby before his physical reappearance during the climactic theatre scene. Letting players take direct control of these moments, and his journey between them, would help to flesh out the plot whilst also offering a unique perspective on events that players think they already know.

Additionally, focusing on a Tommy-themed expansion that explores the events of Seattle from this angle would make sense from a development standpoint considering Naughty Dog's packed release schedule. While it's almost impossible to see the studio recycling assets entirely based on the work ethic it injects into all of its games, keeping things confined to a city that's already been designed would save a lot of time compared to a brand new location. From the parts of Tommy's story that players are already familiar with, like the theatre and marina, additional work expanding these areas wouldn't necessarily be needed too much, either.

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What Tommy Did Next

Of the Jacksonville residents that actually survive the run-in with Abby and the Washington Liberation Front, Tommy is one of the characters that loses the most from the encounter. If being blind in one eye and unable to walk unaided weren't awful consequences enough on their own, it's also revealed that his wife Maria has decided to spend time apart from him following his revenge driven pursuits. Compared to other central characters in The Last of Us 2, a lot of Tommy's story after Seattle just so happens to occur off screen. Seeing these events playout in front of the player at the conclusion of a DLC expansion would therefore offer a degree of closure.

Where Tommy's story goes after The Last of Us 2 is left ominously ambiguous, as he is not seen following his final interaction with Ellie at the farm that she's managed to establish with Dina and JJ after the events in Seattle. It's in Tommy's final scene that the character lambasts Ellie for seemingly giving up on her pursuit for revenge, following his perceived sacrifices at the start of the game. Considering Naughty Dog's narrative prowess, it's no surprise to see this interaction mirror the early part of the game exactly, only in reverse. This time, it is Ellie who eventually leaves her family behind on a quest of vengeance.

Considering Naughty Dog's attempts to dissect what it means to be human at the edge of the apocalypse, there's every chance that Tommy's story will be left on this negative note as a warning. However, with the character already being an established fan favorite, and set to appear heavily in the upcoming HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, there's a chance that the studio might have future plans for the last surviving Miller. If that happens to be the case, a potential DLC for The Last of Us Part 2 would be the ideal way to set up these plans.

The Last of Us Part 2 is available now on PS4.

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