The Last of Us Part 3 leaks make Ellie’s reprisal possible in a genius way

Ellie wouldn’t have previously seemed like a protagonist in The Last of Us Part 3 if she hadn’t been the focal point of Part 2, and the fact that Part 2 leaves fans with another tragic cliffhanger basically ensures that her story could be continued again. in a future installment. It might not be the case if rumors of leaks are to be trusted, but the story could nonetheless come back to Ellie in an interesting way, even if she doesn’t get a starring role like the last two entries. Ellie’s immunity might not seem as important as it once was, but the character herself is.

It would be fantastic to see other characters get the same amount of screen time that Ellie has, especially if they get so much development and challenges. It makes sense for the franchise to evolve with new characters now – considering how much attention to detail and world-building has been implemented – but involving Ellie in the lives of new characters could give some fans a perspective they felt deprived of in The Last of Us Part 2 Ellie is a fan favorite character, but should be reintroduced as if she were one of the few survivors players could encounter in the world.

Rather than being playable, it would be awesome to have Ellie accompany the player and their new protagonist on their journey. Ellie could appear as a wandering survivor whose path crosses with the player’s, and obviously fans would know who she is when she suddenly arrives, but having the new protagonist learn about them would give her a new perspective.

Ellie could realistically be left alone for the foreseeable future based on where she ended up in Part 2, but if Naughty Dog still has any loose threads it wants to connect for her, it could do so with Ellie as an NPC. The third installment with Ellie as its sole protagonist would likely be the most popular option for fans, but it wouldn’t be satisfying if Naughty Dog didn’t have another entire game of storytelling and character development dedicated to her.

It would make more sense narratively if The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off introduced a new cast of characters, though Part 3 doing so would mean Naughty Dog could actually be intent on taking the series beyond its beloved mascots. It’s also entirely possible that Abby and Lev could be the sole focus of the third game, which would be brave of Naughty Dog to see how much toxicity came from the supposed fandom over her role in Part 2.

But either way, Ellie’s return would need to make logical sense and not simply be a way to tie the game and its new characters to an iconic figure. If Part 3 follows a group of survivors fans haven’t met before, Ellie showing up and having to explain why she must be trusted would be intriguing from the perspective of fans who already know her.

So new characters could cast their judgment based entirely on the decisions she makes from that point forward, without the baggage of everything she’s done weighing her down. If Ellie is able to start fresh with new survivors and create a unique identity in The Last of Us, there could still be a lot for her character to learn in future entries.

The Last of Us Part 3 is rumored to be in early development.