The Last of Us tells a magnificent story, but it also leaves a lot open ended. Whether it's the famous ending itself, various plot lines throughout the show, or missing pieces of story, there are a few things that the game intentionally decided not to show us, and that's OK. Not everything needs to be forced down our throats in order for us to understand.
And it is more than likely that some of these will be wrapped up and answered in Part II. But until then, we can only speculate.
These are ten plotlines in The Last of Us that were never resolved.
10 Ellie And Joel
This particular beat has been discussed to death. What exactly happens between Joel and Ellie at the end of the game? We think it's pretty clear that Ellie knows Joel is lying, but even then, what are the repercussions of that knowledge? Does she distance herself from him? Does she choose to live in ignorance? Does she choose to accept his lie? These questions are most certainly going to be answered in Part II, and judging by the initial trailers, Joel doesn't seem to be a big part of Ellie's life. Then again, those are just trailers and most certainly don't tell the entire story.
9 What About The Other Fireflies?
At the end of the game, Joel kills Marlene to prevent the Fireflies from tracking Joel and Ellie. However, Marlene was just one member of a much larger group. Yes, she was the de facto leader, but surely someone else will fill the vacancy. Other people, including the doctors performing the surgery, know who Joel and Ellie are. And if you kept them alive, that means there are very knowledgeable Fireflies still out there. It's more than possible that they can track Joel and Ellie, and we can't wait to see if they play a bigger role in Part II.
8 Joel And Tommy
The game left a lot out of Joel and Tommy's relationship. We know very little about their lives, and we know even less about what transpired between the two of them that led them down a path of hatred and coldness. We know that Tommy ran off to join the Fireflies, but that's about all we know of the interim between the prologue and the present day. We don't know what caused Tommy to never want to see Joel again, and we don't know what caused the immense rift. Surely Tommy leaving the join the Fireflies didn't cause all of that?
7 The Virus
Like a lot of zombie-themed stories, we don't get a very clear picture as to what caused the outbreak. What we do know is that the outbreak was caused by some type of mutated Cordyceps strain, and we know that it hit the United States in September of 2013. But that's about all we know. Now, we're not the types who need every single question answered, and we are perfectly content with the lack of answers. That said, we DO lack answers, and we're sure that some people would like to learn more about the virus, the initial outbreak, and how it came to infect humans.
6 Ellie's Immunity
We also learn nothing about Ellie's immunity. All we learn at the end of the game is that they hoped to remove a section of her brain to reverse-engineer a cure. However, Joel goes and spoils that through his murderous rampage. Therefore, we don't know how Ellie's brain was keeping the infection at bay, we don't know why, and we don't know what makes Ellie immune over someone else. Perhaps these questions will be addressed in the future, but it's also possible that we're supposed to just go with it.
5 Can It Be Cured?
Another question that the game leaves hanging - can the virus actually be cured? Sure, Marlene hoped to use Ellie's brain to reverse-engineer a cure, but nothing was guaranteed. Maybe they wouldn't be able to figure out how it worked, maybe they couldn't engineer a physical and viable cure, and worst of all, maybe the virus can't actually be cured. We're supposed to just take Marlene at her word and accept that a cure could be made, but what if it couldn't? What if humanity is just...done for? Now that is one scary thought.
4 Henry And Sam's Group
While traversing the dangerous streets of Pittsburgh, Joel and Ellie come across Henry and Sam, brothers who are seemingly part of a larger group. While it's possible that they were lying about the larger group, we sincerely doubt it, as they seemed like good, legitimate people. That said, we never actually see them, and they never make their way to the meeting location. It's more than likely that they died, either by the violent hunters or the infected, but it's entirely possible that at least a few of them survived. Will we see some of them in the future? Who knows, but it would sure be cool if we do.
3 Joel's Violent Life
This isn't really a plotline per se, but it is something that was intriguingly glossed over. We know very little about Joel's life following Sarah's death. We do know that he fell in with some bad people, we know he became a smuggler, and he tells Ellie once they were trapped in Pittsburgh that he was "on the other side," implying that he tricked, robbed, and probably killed innocent people. We certainly don't need to know more about this life, because we can fill in the blanks ourselves, but a flashback or two would be pretty cool!
2 Can Ellie Spread The Virus?
One thing that wasn't really brought up was Ellie's ability to spread the disease. She certainly has the virus, which means she could be acting as a carrier. And when she bites David, she tells him that he is now infected (although it's entirely possible that she was just messing with him). But really, CAN Ellie spread the virus? If it can be spread through bodily fluids, that could spell incredible danger for the community. One stray cough or sneeze from Ellie would be enough to send the community into chaos! That is, if she can even spread it in the first place...
1 Bill
Bill is one of the few survivors that Joel and Ellie meet that doesn't die. In a way, his plotline was perfectly resolved, as Joel and Ellie get their car and leave Bill to his weird devices in town. It's safe to assume that Bill will be just fine, as he seems smart and resourceful enough to survive a long time. That said, he did survive, and supplies will likely run out eventually. It would have been cool to see Bill in Part II, although actor W. Earl Brown has admitted that Naughty Dog never asked him to return. It's possible that he's lying in order to protect the surprise, but it's also entirely possible that we won't be seeing any more of good ol' Bill.