‘The Last Of Us 2’: Five Plot Possibilities

We’re probably at least a year away from hearing any news about the sequel to the critically acclaimed survival-horror game The Last of Us, as Naughty Dog – the game’s developer – is currently working on Uncharted 4’s single-player DLC, which will likely be coming out early next year.

There has been a ton of speculation about the plot for The Last of Us 2 ever since Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was released back in May, as the game’s epilogue hinted at an upcoming sequel to 2013’s Game of the Year.

Some reports have suggested that the plot of the game will be the continuation of Joel and Ellie’s journey, while others have suggested that the sequel will introduce completely new main characters. But, as previously mentioned, we really don’t know anything about the sequel and what it will entail. The only thing we know for sure is that Naughty Dog is prototyping the sequel, but the plot of the game remains unknown.

Will the next Last of Us game be a prequel, a sequel, or a completely new story? Well, that’s what we’re here to discuss!

Prequel: Joel And Tommy

We know that Joel and Tommy had a falling out prior to the events of The Last of Us, and we also know why they had a falling out. But, what we don’t know is what they went through together prior to their falling out.

A prequel featuring Joel and Tommy’s younger days could answer a lot of questions, and it would definitely be a story worth playing through. Of course, the prequel would have to cover a ton of ground to get to the point of their falling out, and it would have to show how they both moved on after Joel’s daughter Sarah was killed during the first night of the outbreak.

We’d also get a little more backstory on Tommy, who we really don’t know all that much about. The only thing that we really know about him is that he joined the group known as The Fireflies shortly after the outbreak, which is what prompted the aforementioned falling out between him and his brother.

Prequel: Tommy’s Story

As previously mentioned, we don’t really know a whole lot about Tommy. So the next Last of Us game could give us a look at his journey, which would entail how he met his wife – Maria – what promoted him to leave The Fireflies, and how he organized the community that he was the leader of in the first game.

This prequel could begin with him delivering the line to Joel which was referenced in the first game: “I don’t ever wanna see your G** da**ed face again,” and it could continue on from there.

Neil Druckmann, who is Naughty Dog’s creative director, has said that the studio has considered introducing a completely new story in the next game, which means that they may introduce completely new characters. But telling Tommy’s story would be a way to introduce a new story, while making fans who loved the first game want to play the second one.

Sequel: Pregnant Ellie/American Daughters

This is the one that has gotten the most attention over the last couple of months. As mentioned in the intro to this article, there was an Easter egg placed in Uncharted 4’s epilogue which supposedly hinted at the plot of the next Last of Us game.

Some are saying that the pregnant woman in the mask is Ellie, while others have said that it may be Ellie’s mother Anna, who died shortly after giving birth to Ellie. We still don’t know exactly who the woman is, or if the image has anything to do with The Last of Us 2’s plot.

There was a recent report which claimed that the girl in the photo is Ellie and that she will, in fact, be pregnant in the sequel. The report also said that the game will be released in 2018, and Ellie will be 19-years-old in the game, which means that she would age five years between games, which is the exact same amount of time between the conclusion of the first game and the release of the second game.

Prequel: Sam And Henry

If Naughty Dog wants to tell another gripping story that involves an adult looking after a child in a post-apocalyptic world without introducing new characters, then Sam and Henry’s story would be the one to tell.

Sam and Henry were introduced at about the midway point of The Last of Us, and they were killed off rather quickly. Sam met his demise after becoming infected, and Henry ended up committing suicide shortly thereafter.

We don’t know much about the backstory of the two brothers, all we know is that they were looking for The Fireflies when they met up with Joel and Ellie. So telling the story of their lives prior to meeting up with Joel and Ellie may be Naughty Dog’s next move.

Sequel: Joel And Ellie’s Journey Continues

This is clearly the one that most people are begging for, although there are some who believe that the ending of the first game was perfect and that Joel and Ellie’s journey shouldn’t continue.

There have been rumors which suggest that the second game will feature the death of Joel and that he may end up meeting his demise at the hands of Ellie. The rumors never gave an explanation as to why Ellie would feel the need to take Joel out, but if that were to happen in the sequel, it would unquestionably be a shocking, and emotional moment.

If Naughty Dog is planning on making a sequel, then it’s probably safe to assume that Joel and Ellie’s journey will continue in The Last of Us 2.

[Image via Naughty Dog/Sony Computer Entertainment]