Summary
The core ofThe Last Of Usis the human connections and relationships that are formed in dire situations. The game is mostly centered around Joel and Ellie as they travel across post-apocalyptic America while fighting off infected cannibals. Throughout their journey, they strengthen their bond and encounter many characters that not only added depth to the story, but also challenged the protagonists' dynamic.
The Last Of Usis often remembered forJoel and Ellie’s father-daughter-like relationship. It was heightened by the fact that Joel lost his only daughter before the outbreak began, and Ellie was an orphan who grew up in a military boarding school. Players got to immerse themselves in these characters' lives as the story progress, but the originalThe Last Of Usdidn’t dive too much into Ellie’s parents, particularly her mom. However, the HBO series provided some much-needed answers on this topic.
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What Happened to Ellie’s Mom in The Last Of Us?
In the firstThe Last Of Us, Ellie would mention her mom in passing during conversations. Theswitchblade and lettershe carried in her backpack were from her mom as well. What is known about Ellie’s mom, Anna, in the video game is that she was Marlene’s close friend, which was why she agreed to look after her when Anna died. Players could also hear Marlene “talking” to Anna when they pick up the artifact called Marlene’s recorder 2. However, fans were left to wonder about what exactly happened to Anna when she died, as well as her personality and appearance.
The game wasn’t able to go into detail about a lot of characters' backstories, including Ellie’s, so it wasn’t surprising that her mom felt like a mysterious phantom in the story. This was what creator Neil Druckmann wanted to address in content outside the video game. The four-issue comic seriesThe Last Of Us: American Dreamswas a prequel focused on Ellie’s life before she met Joel. It tackled a bit about her upbringing in the military school, how she met Riley, and also some details about her mom, Anna. This was where Marlene revealed to Ellie that she promised her mother that she’d take care of her. Although Anna didn’t make an appearance inAmerican Dreams, it still quelled people’s curiosities.
HBO’sThe Last Of Ustook this a step further. In episode 9, a heavily pregnant Anna (played by Ashley Johnson, who also voiced Ellie in the game) was shown running away from Clickers before settling down at an old house, where she went into labor and later gave birth to Ellie. She was found by Marlene and the Fireflies, who discovered that Anna was already infected. However, her daughter wasn’t affected by the Cordyceps, which already raised suspicions that she might be immune to it. In her last moments, Anna asked Marlene to protect and take care of Ellie, which she promised to do in the next few years. ManyThe Last Of Usviewers found the scene emotional, while some questioned if the scene was canon.
Druckmann had made it clear in the past that the events in the HBO adaptation were part ofThe Last Of Uscanon. The series was also a way to add more nuance and context to the video game’s story.Bill and Frank’s story may be differentfrom the source material, but Druckmann wanted to tell a story where the two characters lived a beautiful life where they could live and die on their own terms. Anna’s fate in the show could be seen as Druckmann filling in the gaps in the game and the comic series, with gamers finally getting the answers about Ellie’s mother that they wanted for years.
Ellie’s story inThe Last Of Usis a sad one because she grew up in a post-apocalyptic world without parents, and knowing nothing but survival. It’s equally heartbreaking that Marlene, the person that her mom entrusted her to, tried to kill her to find a cure. Anna might not have been there to raise and protect her daughter, but luckily, Joel was there to fill that role in some way.
The Last of Us Part 1is now available on PC and PS5.
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