Abby Anderson

Lore & Background

Abby's father, Jerry Anderson, was a Firefly surgeon whom Joel killed at the end of the first game to save Ellie. Four years later, in her early twenties, she tracks Joel down in Jackson, Wyoming, and beats him to death. Some time later, back in Seattle, Abby learns that her ex-boyfriend Owen has gone missing while investigating the Seraphites, a religious cult locked in a war with the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), the militia of which Abby is a member. WLF leader Isaac Dixon believes Owen may have defected, and plans to assault the Seraphites' nearby island settlement. Searching for Owen, Abby is captured and witnesses the Seraphites shatter the arm of a runaway Seraphite named Yara. After being rescued by Yara and her younger brother Lev, Abby leaves them to find Owen. He plans to sail to Santa Barbara, California, where the Fireflies are supposedly regrouping, and the two have a romantic encounter. The next morning, Abby returns to find Yara and Lev, and brings them to the aquarium. Yara's arm requires amputation, so Abby and Lev retrieve medical supplies from the hospital, which is overrun by Infected. After the surgery, Lev runs away to the Seraphite settlement to convince their mother to leave the cult. Abby and Yara pursue him, fending off an attack from Tommy, Joel's vengeful younger brother. At the settlement, they discover Lev has killed his devout mother in self-defense. As the WLF attack the settlement, Yara kills Isaac and sacrifices herself to let Abby and Lev escape. Abby and Lev return to the aquarium to find Owen and his pregnant girlfriend Mel killed and a map leading to Ellie's theater hideout. At the theater, Abby kills Jesse and shoots Tommy, crippling him. She overpowers Ellie and Dina but, after learning that Dina is pregnant, spares them at Lev's insistence and warns them to leave. Some time later, Abby and Lev arrive in Santa Barbara searching for the Fireflies, but are captured by the Rattlers.

In Their Own Story

Abby's father, Jerry Anderson, was a Firefly surgeon whom Joel killed at the end of the first game to save Ellie. Four years later, in her early twenties, she tracks Joel down in Jackson, Wyoming, and beats him to death. Some time later, back in Seattle, Abby learns that her ex-boyfriend Owen has gone missing while investigating the Seraphites, a religious cult locked in a war with the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), the militia of which Abby is a member. WLF leader Isaac Dixon believes Owen may have defected, and plans to assault the Seraphites' nearby island settlement. Searching for Owen, Abby is captured and witnesses the Seraphites shatter the arm of a runaway Seraphite named Yara. After being rescued by Yara and her younger brother Lev, Abby leaves them to find Owen. He plans to sail to Santa Barbara, California, where the Fireflies are supposedly regrouping, and the two have a romantic encounter. The next morning, Abby returns to find Yara and Lev, and brings them to the aquarium. Yara's arm requires amputation, so Abby and Lev retrieve medical supplies from the hospital, which is overrun by Infected. After the surgery, Lev runs away to the Seraphite settlement to convince their mother to leave the cult. Abby and Yara pursue him, fending off an attack from Tommy, Joel's vengeful younger brother. At the settlement, they discover Lev has killed his devout mother in self-defense. As the WLF attack the settlement, Yara kills Isaac and sacrifices herself to let Abby and Lev escape. Abby and Lev return to the aquarium to find Owen and his pregnant girlfriend Mel killed and a map leading to Ellie's theater hideout. At the theater, Abby kills Jesse and shoots Tommy, crippling him. She overpowers Ellie and Dina but, after learning that Dina is pregnant, spares them at Lev's insistence and warns them to leave. Some time later, Abby and Lev arrive in Santa Barbara searching for the Fireflies, but are captured by the Rattlers.

Reader's Guide

Abby is one of two main playable characters in The Last of Us Part II, alongside Ellie. She is a soldier of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF). Her primary motivation is avenging her father's death by killing Joel Miller. Her alliances become unsettled when she befriends two ex-members of the Seraphites, Yara and Lev. Key moments include: tracking Joel to Jackson and beating him to death; searching for Owen in Seattle; being captured by Seraphites and rescued by Yara and Lev; retrieving medical supplies from a hospital overrun by Infected to save Yara's arm; pursuing Lev to the Seraphite settlement; escaping the WLF assault with Lev after Yara sacrifices herself; finding Owen and Mel dead at the aquarium; confronting Ellie, Jesse, and Tommy at the theater, where she kills Jesse and shoots Tommy; sparing Ellie and Dina at Lev's insistence; and being captured by the Rattlers in Santa Barbara while searching for the Fireflies.

Did You Know?

• Abby is portrayed by Laura Bailey through performance capture in the game, and Kaitlyn Dever in the television adaptation.
• Abby's face was modeled on Jocelyn Mettler, a visual effects artist who formerly worked at Naughty Dog, while her body was based on athlete Colleen Fotsch.
• Creative director Neil Druckmann specifically wanted to avoid casting Laura Bailey due to her proliferation of roles, but was impressed with her audition tape.
• Bailey gave birth to her first son during production of The Last of Us Part II.
• Kaitlyn Dever's casting as Abby in the television series was announced on January 9, 2024.