Rumors that The Last of Us Part 3 is on the way make one wonder where Ellie's story could go after the events of The Last of Us Part 2. In a series featuring so much death and grief, it would not be a surprise to see Ellie's journey come to an end in the next entry. Although sad, this could be a good thing for the overall narrative of the franchise.

Naughty Dog has been giving a lot of attention to The Last of Us recently, so it would not come as too much of a surprise to learn that the rumors of a The Last of Us Part 2 successor are true. In addition to the upcoming PC port of The Last of Us Part 1, fans can also look forward to the HBO adaptation which will debut in early 2023. While the series will stick to its source material, fans may also find out new details about the world of The Last of Us.

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Ellie's Story Has Run Its Course

ellie-outside-the-last-of-us-part

Within gaming, several characters can stick around for years enduring adventure after adventure. This is true even for franchises that have been developed by Naughty Dog, including Crash Bandicoot's titular undying protagonist. The same can't be said for The Last of Us, which attempts to infuse realism within its often action-packed Hollywood-esque aesthetic. Characters as beloved as Joel are vulnerable to permanent death, and characters have to deal with the consequences of their choices, no matter how long it takes for their actions to catch up to them.

Plenty of fans have grown deeply attached to Ellie, especially because gamers have gotten to watch her grow up and even eventually start a family with Dina. Nevertheless, much like Joel, one of Ellie's character traits is forgiveness, which leads her to make a lot of mistakes. She crosses the path of vicious factions, and when she has her mind on a single goal, all who stand in her way are mere obstacles to be eliminated. Joel's ultimate mistake was living a life of brutality for his survival which eventually earned him more enemies than he could deal with. Ellie could very well find herself in the same position with all the dead bodies that lie in her past.

It would only be the natural order of things in The Last of Us universe for Ellie to eventually have to answer for all her actions. However, things don't have to reach the same bloody end that Joel experienced, which also consecrated Abby as a great villain in The Last of Us Part 2, then turned deuteragonist.

Ellie's story could be one of redemption and self-sacrifice. Rather than continuing her story infinitely, which would make it feel less realistic, bringing Ellie's story to a close in a way that allows her to mend her relationship with Dina and find closure regarding all the loss she's experienced would feel a lot more fitting for The Last of Us 3.

The Last of Us Is Good At Switching Characters

Sarah Miller daughter of Joel in The Last of Us

Throughout the series, players control a few characters. At first, in the first game, it's Sarah, but it quickly switches to Joel, and then to Ellie at brief points. The Last of Us Part 2 continues this trend by giving players control of Joel, Ellie, and Abby during different times of the game. These character switches are impactful, progress the plot, and each of the characters feel adequately different from each other, which only increases immersion.

Bringing Ellie's story to a close would open the door for more character switching. Best of all, many characters seem ready to take the baton and continue the series. The series could follow Abby and Lev as they search for the Fireflies, or it could turn its attention to JJ, who is the son of Dina and Jesse.

Though the rumors about The Last of Us Part 3 have yet to be confirmed, the thought of an upcoming next entry in the series does raise a lot of questions. The Last of Us Part 2 answered many questions, but it also left gamers with more to think about. A third game could shine a light on humanity's ultimate fate following the outbreak, but it could also coincidentally end Ellie's story.

The Last of Us Part 2 is available on PS4.

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