Will Abby Die in 'The Last of Us' Season 2?

Note to reader: major spoilers ahead.

Although the second episode of The Last of Us aired Sunday night, it's taking more than 24 hours to process what just happened. We’re not only grieving Joel, played by Pedro Pascal—who is, yes, actually dead after a brutal beat down—we’re also grappling with new emotions, particularly toward his killer and a newly polarizing character: Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever.

Introduced with a vengeance, Abby made an unforgettable entrance in Season 2 with her clear mission: to avenge her father, whom Joel had killed years prior during his desperate rampage through the Fireflies' facility to save Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) from a fatal surgery she did not consent to. In the gut wrenching episode, Abby did just that. She brutally avenged her father and without hesitation, sending shockwaves throughout The Last of Us' fandom. Ellie, who was forced to watch his final blow, made her own vow for vegeance.

Those who play the video game (off which the TV show is based) knew what was coming to Joel. But for those watching the series without that context, Abby’s attack felt like a betrayal, especially after Joel had just saved Abby from a swarm of infected. It was a punch to the gut. Now, plenty viewers are left wondering what will happen to Abby and if she will die or survive Ellie's impending wrath.

After all, one of the last lines Ellie utters in the second episode isn’t just a mere threat, it’s a vow. Plus, viewers are also taking sides, gunning for more revenge. Keep reading to learn about what will happen to Abby, including on if she will die in Season 2 or make it to Season 3, which has already been confirmed.

Will Abby Die in The Last of Us?

The show is sticking remarkably close to the video game’s storyline, and while there is a definitive answer in the game about Abby’s fate, the series might not follow it to the letter. The showrunners could still surprise us. In the game, Ellie tracks Abby down after killing many of her friends in a long fight for revenge. When they fight and she comes close to killing her, Ellie decides to spare her life after seeing a vision of Joel.

Dever, who plays Abby, will appear throughout Season 2 and, as of now, will not be playing in Season 3, which means Ellie’s thirst for revenge may be quenched soon. For now, we can expect the current season to focus heavily on Ellie’s grief, and her slow transformation into someone capable (and very willing) to kill.

Is Abby the New Villain in The Last of Us?

There are no clean heroes or villains in The Last of Us, ultimately. Abby’s storyline in the fungal zombie world has only just begun, and her motives are complex as Joel’s ever were. Still, the moment she killed him, right in front of Ellie, lit a new fire. The brutal scene makes it quite hard not to absolutely hate Abby and write her off as the evil, soulless villain since she chooses to beat Joel to death with golf clubs and her bare fists before fatally stabbing his bloodied body in the neck.

But without thinking too deeply about her motivations and intentions, then yes, Dever's Abby character is definitely considered the new villain in The Last of Us, at least to Ellie. The question is: will this season end in bloodshed, or is that something we’ll have to wait for until Season 3?