With The Last of Us Part 1's remake brewing up at Naughty Dog and being almost ready for release, fans are eager to experience Joel and Ellie's journey once more, this time with better tools in the form of haptic feedback and improved accessibility. Although the game will remain an adventure centered around Joel as the main playable character, old and new players alike may go through the story knowing that The Last of Us Part 2 is where Joel and Ellie part ways for good when a strange woman attacks them and kills the smuggler out of revenge. The Last of Us Part 3 might end up reprising these story threads and letting some characters go out in emotional ways.
The franchise is known for how brutally sincere and heart-wrenching the emotions the characters feel can be, with a great example coming from Joel healing from his lifelong trauma by taking care of Ellie, and Ellie finally confiding in someone after too many losses. That's why The Last of Us Part 2 killing Joel off was especially tragic for Ellie because she lost many people she cared about. For her, the process of losing Joel started even before he was murdered, and that's because the two had been having a falling out due to the man's actions at the end of the first game. Because Ellie lost so much and suffered so much already, The Last of Us Part 3 shouldn't kill her off.
Why Ellie Should Live Throughout The Last of Us 3
Even though The Last of Us Part 1 was already quite tough on the little girl, Ellie's journey got even darker and lonelier in Part 2. The game starts with Ellie and Dina becoming a couple, a relationship that becomes strained due to the circumstances of the world that The Last of Us characters live in, and also because of the events that follow Joel's death.
The Last of Us Part 2 is a story about the dangerous rippling effects of the vicious cycles of revenge that both Ellie and Abby, Joel's killer, go through over time, eventually fighting each other to the brink of death. Because Ellie can't let go of the trauma and pain that Joel's passing inflicted on her even after she and Abby fight each other, with the latter winning and even threatening Dina's life, she eventually decides to walk out on her life with Dina to try once more to avenge her adoptive father.
Ellie had finally managed to build a family of her own with Dina and their son, JJ, but it too was a dream that faded when both of them realized that Ellie couldn't let go of her anger and thirst for revenge. Ellie's story is one of sacrifices and loss, where nearly everyone she cares about eventually dies or leaves across The Last of Us Part 1 and 2. Her story is not a happy one, and even though she gets some moments of solace and normalcy, they often come and go quite fast.
Even if The Last of Us 3 gives Ellie so form of serenity and time to heal, her story shouldn't end in a bitter way, and instead, focus on how she can live a content life. If Ellie dies, her story would have ultimately been one of succumbing to demons rather than a tale of comeuppance, and it might be too much to bear for fans after the events of Part 2. As such, The Last of Us Part 3 should be a testimony of Ellie's struggles and flaws, but one where she can start anew and grow older, possibly while becoming the adoptive mother of JJ like Joel became her father.
The Last of Us 2 is available now on PS4.