HBO’s The Last of Us had to speed up Abby’s reveal

image via The Verge

April 14, 2025, 1:30 PM

• •In the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, Abby's story is told in a different way than it is in the game.
• •Parts of her story were moved up in the show so that viewers wouldn't have to wait as long to understand her motivations.
• •The show's co-creators, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, say that they needed to find a way to make viewers sympathize with Abby, even though she is a complex and morally ambiguous character.

The Last of Us Part II introduced Abby as a new character who is both an antagonist and protagonist. In the game, players don't learn much about her until midway through, when they actually take control of her as a character. The HBO adaptation of The Last of Us had to introduce her earlier in the show, so they moved up parts of her story and changed how she is presented to viewers. This was done in order to make viewers sympathize with her, which is a tricky task because she is a complex character who can be both hated and loved. The show's co-creators, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, discuss how they approached this challenge and why they believe it was important to make viewers connect with Abby.

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