A recent interview has hinted that The Last of Us‘ already heartbreaking story could have been even more devastating. The Last of Us tells a gut-wrenching tale about survivors Joel and Ellie as they are forced to work together in the hopes that they could find a cure for the dangerous fungal cordyceps outbreak that has devastated the human population. The game has been highly praised for its storytelling, which focused on the relationships between its characters as they struggle to survive a perilous journey across a post-apocalyptic America.
With the acclaimed game now adapted into an HBO series helmed by The Last of Us‘ writer and co-director Neil Druckmann, and Chernobyl showrunner Craig Mazin, fans are starting to see the story expanding beyond the parameters of the games’ campaigns. The biggest addition so far seems to be further exploring the world prior to the cordyceps outbreak, by spending more time following Sarah in the pilot episode prior to its heartbreaking recreation of the game’s opening events, and then showing a scientist discovering an early case in the second episode’s cold open.
The Last Of Us Nearly Explored Ellie’s Mother’s Story
This trend looks set to continue, with the show’s promotional footage showing Ellie’s mother, Anna, who will be portrayed by the actress who portrayed Ellie in the games, Ashley Johnson. Ellie carries a letter that Anna wrote for her before she died, along with her mother’s switchblade, and Anna is mentioned in several conversations that primarily talk about her friendship with Marlene, The Last of Us‘ Fireflies leader. In a recent interview with Variety (via TheGamer), Druckmann revealed that the game was supposed to explore the character further via DLC.
According to Druckmann, he had written a short story about Ellie’s mother, but the game had shipped already. Naughty Dog had considered releasing it as either DLC or an animated short, but for a reason left unexplained, these plans ultimately fell apart.
The Last Of Us’ DLC Showed Ellie’s Past Instead Of Anna’s
The Last of Us did get some story DLC, with Left Behind exploring part of Ellie’s story prior to the game’s main campaign and her relationship with Riley, and showing how Ellie got bitten and discovered she was immune to the infection. Despite offering up much more of Ellie’s backstory, Anna was only briefly mentioned in Left Behind when Ellie asked Riley if Marlene had talked about Anna during her time with the Fireflies, which revealed that Anna was a nurse prior to the outbreak.
With The Last of Us 2 never receiving DLC, Left Behind remains the only story DLC across both games. It’s clear from the HBO adaptation that Druckmann had several ideas for further tales within The Last of Us‘ universe, and although it’s disappointing that Druckmann didn’t get to tell Anna’s story sooner, fans can look forward to seeing a glimpse at what this DLC could have been through the show’s telling of these events.
Sources: Variety (via TheGamer), PlayStation/YouTube
