Why Does Ellie Hate Abby In The Last Of Us?

2026-06-15 10:53:53
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3 Answers

Liam
Liam
Favorite read: Her Hatred
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Ellie’s hatred for Abby is personal, but it’s also symbolic. Abby represents everything Ellie couldn’t protect: Joel, her chance at forgiveness, even her own innocence. The game cleverly makes you live Ellie’s rage—the way she fixates on Abby’s face, the nightmares, the reckless violence. It’s scary how relatable it feels, even when you know it’s destroying her.

What sticks with me is the duality of their stories. Abby gets her revenge, but it doesn’t fix her pain, just like Ellie’s quest doesn’t fix hers. That final fight isn’t about justice; it’s two broken people drowning in grief. When Ellie lets Abby go, it’s not forgiveness—it’s exhaustion. She’s finally too tired to hate.
2026-06-18 06:55:15
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Hudson
Hudson
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From the outside, Ellie’s hatred seems straightforward: Abby kills Joel, so Ellie wants payback. But digging deeper, it’s way more layered. Ellie’s relationship with Joel was already strained because of his lie about the Fireflies. She never got the chance to fully reconcile with him, and Abby robs her of that closure. There’s this awful irony where Ellie spends years resenting Joel for 'taking her purpose' by saving her, only for Abby to take Joel and leave her with nothing but fury.

What hits hardest is how Ellie’s obsession with revenge costs her everything—Dina, her stability, even her ability to play guitar (that final scene wrecks me). The game doesn’t let you look away from the cost of hatred. Even when Ellie realizes Abby spared her twice, it doesn’t matter in the moment. Trauma doesn’t play fair. By the end, you see how both women are mirrors of each other, trapped in cycles of violence they didn’t start but can’t escape.
2026-06-18 23:47:16
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Zane
Zane
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The hatred Ellie feels for Abby in 'The Last of Us Part II' is this raw, visceral thing that builds from the very first moment Abby does the unthinkable. It’s not just about what happens to Joel—though that’s obviously the catalyst—it’s about how Ellie’s entire world fractures in that instant. One second, she’s arguing with Joel, grappling with their complicated relationship, and the next, Abby takes everything from her. The game does such a brutal job of making you feel Ellie’s helplessness, her rage, and the way grief twists into something darker.

What’s fascinating is how the narrative forces you to sit with that hatred, even as it slowly peels back Abby’s side of the story. Ellie’s journey isn’t just about revenge; it’s about how trauma consumes you. By the time she reaches the beach in Santa Barbara, that hatred has hollowed her out. It’s not just Abby she’s fighting—it’s herself, the memory of Joel, and the guilt of surviving when he didn’t. The game leaves you wondering if hatred was ever really about Abby at all.
2026-06-20 16:26:12
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Which The Last of Us fanfictions focus on Abby and Ellie's complex dynamic beyond rivalry?

3 Answers2026-03-05 03:17:17
Abby and Ellie's dynamic is one of the most fascinating to explore beyond their obvious rivalry. There's a ton of potential in stories that peel back the layers of their trauma and grudges to reveal something more nuanced. One standout is 'Weight of the World' on AO3, where Abby and Ellie are forced into a reluctant alliance against a common enemy. The author does an incredible job of balancing their hostility with moments of grudging respect, and the emotional payoff feels earned. Another gem is 'Scars That Bind', which delves into their shared grief over Joel. It's rare to find fics that acknowledge Abby's loss alongside Ellie's, but this one handles it with raw honesty. The slow burn from enemies to something ambiguously tender is heartbreaking yet cathartic. Less action-driven, more introspective fics like 'Ghosts of Jackson' also caught my attention—Ellie and Abby circling each other in a post-apocalyptic truce, wrestling with guilt and the impossibility of forgiveness. The writing in these stories often mirrors the game’s tone: brutal but tender, with dialogue that crackles.

Why does Ellie leave Dina in The Last of Us Part II?

4 Answers2026-05-01 10:25:57
The moment Ellie walks away from Dina at the farmhouse wrecked me. It's not just about revenge or Abby—it's about the guilt and PTSD festering inside her. Even after settling into this idyllic life with Dina and JJ, she can't escape the nightmares of Joel's death or the violence she caused. The farm sequences are peaceful, but Ellie's journal shows she's drowning in unresolved trauma. She leaves because staying would mean pretending she's healed when she isn't. That final flash of Joel on the porch? It's her realizing she can't move forward without confronting the past first. Some argue it's selfish, but I read it as self-destructive necessity. Dina gave her everything—love, stability, family—yet Ellie still feels like a ghost in her own life. The guitar left behind symbolizes what she sacrifices, but also what she might reclaim if she ever finds peace. Naughty Dog doesn't give us a clean resolution, and that's brutal but honest. Trauma doesn't wrap up neatly after a revenge quest fails.

What is Ellie's backstory in The Last of Us?

4 Answers2026-06-15 05:21:42
Ellie's backstory in 'The Last of Us' is heartbreaking yet oddly hopeful. Born into a world ravaged by the Cordyceps outbreak, she never knew life before the infection. Her mother, Anna, died shortly after giving birth to her, leaving Ellie to grow up in an orphanage in the Boston Quarantine Zone. What makes her unique is her immunity to the fungus, a secret she carries with fear and confusion until Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies, reveals its significance. The weight of her immunity becomes a burden—she’s not just a kid anymore; she’s potentially humanity’s last hope. What really gets me about Ellie is how her tough exterior hides so much vulnerability. She cracks jokes, swears like a sailor, and acts fearless, but her trauma runs deep. Losing Riley, her best friend (and maybe more), to infection in the 'Left Behind' DLC shatters her. That moment cements her survivor’s guilt—why did she live when others didn’t? It’s this mix of defiance and sorrow that makes her such a compelling character. By the time Joel enters her life, she’s already been through hell, and their journey together forces her to confront what survival really costs.

How does Abby's redemption arc in The Last of Us fanfiction explore her emotional conflicts with Ellie?

3 Answers2026-03-05 17:36:24
Abby's redemption arc in 'The Last of Us' fanfiction often dives deep into the messy, raw emotions between her and Ellie, and I’ve seen some incredible takes on AO3 that twist their dynamic in unexpected ways. One recurring theme is the weight of guilt—how Abby’s actions haunt her, but also how Ellie’s relentless pursuit forces both to confront their pain. Some fics frame Abby’s redemption through small, quiet moments: a shared meal, a reluctant truce, or even Abby saving Ellie from a threat unrelated to their past. The best stories don’t rush the healing; they let the hatred simmer down into something brittle before it cracks into understanding. What fascinates me is how writers use physical scars as metaphors—Abby’s muscular build versus Ellie’s smaller frame becomes a visual contrast of their trauma. Ellie’s rage is fiery, impulsive, while Abby’s guilt is heavier, more suffocating. I read one fic where Abby teaches Ellie to swim, a skill Joel never got to pass on, and it wrecked me. The water becomes this neutral space where they’re stripped of weapons and grudges, just two people trying not to drown. It’s those kinds of layered, symbolic touches that make their emotional conflicts feel earned, not just tacked on for drama.
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