There are good and bad qualities in everyone, no matter how extreme those traits are. Abby, the protagonist and antagonist in The Last Of Us Part II, is a perfect example of both good and bad. Players have many reasons to resent her throughout the game, but they also recognize that she has many redeeming qualities.
It is rare to possess such mixed feelings about an extreme character and not really know what side to take. Whether players like Abby or not, they must acknowledge that she is a very definitive character in the game. After all, it's not The Last Of Us without Abby! Below are the reasons why Abby is an honorable character and reasons why players have every right to loath her. Obviously, spoilers ahead.
10 SHE'S UNDERRATED: She's Willing To Sacrifice Herself For The Greater Good
Abby possesses a strong will to fight off fungal infection and restore the world to its normal state. However, there is no cure for this pandemic yet. Abby's father, Jerry, brainstorms with Firefly Marlene about ways to cure the infected people. Since Ellie, the main protagonist, is immune to infectious bites, they consider killing her to invent a cure.
Abby announces that she is willing to die to find a cure. She does not end up dying for this reason. However, Abby's willingness to sacrifice herself to save all of society demonstrates true nobility and bravery.
9 SHE'S THE WORST: She's Selfish
There is a minor romance between Abby and one of her group members, Owen. However, Abby focuses so strongly on her revenge to consider the feelings of others. Owen points out a settlement called Jackson to Abby. She comes up with the idea to ambush the citizens who live there to get to Joel.
Not only is she considering killing innocent people just to avenge one person, but she blows Owen off. Owen treks back to a lodge that he and Abby are staying at. He expects Abby to join him there shortly. However, Abby up and leaves Owen in the dust with the goal of hunting down Joel. Rude.
8 SHE'S UNDERRATED: Her Reaction To Jerry's Death
As it turns out, Jerry was one of the surgeons who was about to operate on Ellie. Players may best remember him as the surgeon from The Last of Us' final act who pulled a scalpel on Joel, begging him to think about humanity's chances and survival. Instead, Joel kills Jerry and the other hospital staff to get Ellie out.
Unfortunately, Abby finds Jerry shortly after Joel's rampage. Jerry's in the operating room, bloody and dead on the floor. She lifts Jerry up into her arms and cries. Like her or not, it's hard not to feel sympathy for Abby's loss and subsequent desire for revenge.
7 SHE'S THE WORST: Killing Joel After Tricking Him
Abby finds herself in danger when a group of infected people is after her. Joel and his brother Tommy save her and they all hide from the infected. Abby realizes that Joel is the man she wants to avenge. She plays nice and waits for the right time to attack.
Suddenly, Abby shoots Joel's leg and he falls to the ground. After a bit of interrogation, Abby beats Joel with a golf club until he dies. Joel saves her life and this is his reward?
6 SHE'S UNDERRATED: She's Vulnerable
Owen sits on the edge of a cabin and tries to convince Abby to join him. Abby struggles with acrophobia, which is the extreme fear of heights. She shyly refuses Owen's offer because she does not want to express any fear. Owen then confesses his love for Abby and jumps off the edge of the cabin and into the water.
Abby worries that Owen does not survive the jump but soon realizes that he is just fine. Players get a taste of Abby's vulnerable side in this scene even though she acts tough most of the time. Abby is human like everyone else and can break down that third wall.
5 SHE'S THE WORST: Her Guilt
Abby's main objective throughout most of The Last Of Us Part II is to kill Joel. She wants revenge since he killed her father in the hospital at the end of the previous game. She ends up killing him which is devastating, mainly for Ellie and fans. Now that her revenge is over, it's safe to assume that Abby is happy that she avenged her father, right? Wrong.
After looking at Joel's bloody beaten head, Abby feels an overwhelming sense of guilt. Her guilt is a mix of sadness over her father's death and the regret of killing Joel. Essentially, fans have to witness her feeling guilty about killing one of the best characters in the game. If this is how it was going to be, why did she kill him in the first place? Come on, Abby!
4 SHE'S UNDERRATED: She's A Skilled Fighter
Abby is arguably one of the most skilled fighters in the game. She trains with the Fireflies when she is quite young, so her fighting skills are second nature at this point. She becomes a soldier of very high status because she is such a hard match for any opponent.
Abby manages to defeat every surprise attack that comes her way, never failing to impress players. She can fight many opponents at the same time and still looks like the best fighter out of them all. Don't get in Abby's way - especially when she's holding her sledgehammer or any weapon for that matter!
3 SHE'S THE WORST: She Killed Jesse
Jesse is a rather under the radar guy who joins Ellie's group. He becomes a predominant leader and happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Case in point, Abby shoots him as he feels from room to room.
It's not like Jesse ever does anything to piss off Abby other than the fact that he's friends with Ellie. Just because Abby is a skilled fighter who's on a righteous path of vengeance does not mean she has the right to shoot literally everyone she sees. Jesse does not deserve this.
2 SHE'S UNDERRATED: Her Strength
Abby has both skills and strength, which is a hellacious match for any opponent. In fact, she defeats many enemies using her strength alone. Players can see by her physical appearance that she has to muscles to take on anything.
She is so strong that she can crush skulls and break the bones of enemies. She fights many enemies that are much larger than she is and still knocks them unconscious. Similar to Joel, Abby can even choke and punch enemies to death. Players probably want her workout routine.
1 SHE'S THE WORST: Her Inexcuseable Good Karma
After all of the pain and torment that Abby causes, she still manages to receive good karma. A large group captures Abby and she grows very weak, almost to the point of death. In this vulnerable state, she still manages to bite off some of Ellie's fingers and beat her to a pulp. So of course, with that and Joel's brutal death in mind, Ellie decides to spare her life.
That's right. Ellie has the opportunity to end Abby's life once and for all and avenge Joel - someone both she and players loved. However, Ellie decides to let her off the hook. In fact, Abby gets to live a new life away from all this horror while it seems like it's Ellie who has to struggle and lose everything, as seen in the epilogue. Realistically, Abby does not deserve what comes to her.