'The Last of Us' creators tease a big change to Abby's origin story ahead of season 2

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Actress Kaitlyn Dever steps into the role of Abby, a polarizing figure in "TLOU" universe, next season

Kaitlyn Dever in The Last of Us season 2
(Image credit: HBO)

"The Last of Us" fans have already heard that they should expect "deviations" from the original game script in the second season of the HBO hit, which will premiere on Sunday, April 13.

And several of those deviations will reportedly revolve around Abby, a new-to-the-show character described as "a skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those she loved."

Even the way that Abby gets introduced in season 2 — which will largely be adapted from "The Last of Us Part II" video game, albeit with a few aforementioned twists — is getting tweaked, revealed "TLOU" co-creator Neil Druckmann during a recent press conference.

“In the game, you play as Abby, so you immediately form an empathic connection with her, because you’re surviving as her, you’re running through the snow, you’re fighting infected. And we can withhold certain things and make it a mystery that will be revealed later in the story,” Druckmann said, per GoldDerby.

“We couldn’t do that in the show because you’re not playing as her, so we need other tools. And that context gave us that shortcut.”

Instead, Druckmann explained, the team decided to introduce Dever's Abby to Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) very early in the season, presumably in the premiere. (Here are details on that episode one title and runtime, FYI.)

“If we were to stick to a very similar timeline, viewers would have to wait a very, very long time to get that context,” Druckmann added. “It would probably get spoiled to them between seasons, and we didn’t want that, so it felt appropriate for those reasons to move that up and give the viewer that context right off the bat.”

"The Last of Us" season 2 will pick up with Joel, Ellie, Abby and the rest of the survivors five years after the action of the first season. When the premiere episode drops on April 13, we'll find our heroes living in Jackson, Wyoming, in a survivors' settlement. Abby will be one of several newly introduced survivors, including Owen (Spencer Lord), Mel (Ariela Barer), Nora (Tati Gabrielle), and Manny (Danny Ramirez).

We'll see exactly how Abby's introduction plays out in the second season of "The Last of Us." Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all updates regarding the show's action-packed second season, including behind-the-scenes tidbits, character details, new teaser clips and more.

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Christina Izzo
Christina Izzo
Writer

Christina Izzo is a writer-editor covering culture, food and drink, travel and general lifestyle in New York City. She was previously the Deputy Editor at My Imperfect Life, the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York. 

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