The Last of Us Part 3: Is Ellie’s ‘Chosen One’ Status About to Get a Lot Less Exclusive?
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
A former Naughty Dog developer has revealed that Neil Druckmann once envisioned a 'congregation' of immune survivors, potentially changing everything we know about Ellie's role in The Last of Us Part 3.
Right, so you know that feeling when you think you’ve finally mastered a high-level spell, only to realize you’ve been holding the wand upside down the whole time? That’s a bit how I felt this morning while digging through the latest whispers surrounding Naughty Dog. It turns out, the emotional foundation we’ve all been standing on since 2013 might have a few more cracks in it than we realized. And honestly? I’m here for the chaos, even if it makes my heart ache just a little bit more.
For over a decade, we’ve lived with the heavy burden of Ellie being the ‘only one.’ The one miracle in a world of fungus-brained tragedies. That uniqueness was the literal lifeblood of the story. It’s why Joel did what he did—you know, the whole 'saving the girl but potentially dooming the species' bit. It was a 1-in-7-billion stakes game. But what if I told you the creator of this miserable, beautiful world, Neil Druckmann, once hinted that Ellie might just be one of many?
I’ve been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. This isn’t just some random fan theory scribbled on a napkin in a pub; it comes from Gabriel Betancourt, a former Naughty Dog lighting artist who spent a fair amount of time in the trenches with the team. Speaking on the KiwiTalkz podcast, Betancourt dropped a bit of a bombshell about a conversation he had with Druckmann back in the day.
According to Betancourt, Druckmann suggested that Ellie wasn’t actually the sole survivor of her kind. Instead, there’s apparently a 'congregation' of people with immunity. Let that sink in for a second. A congregation. That’s not just a couple of lucky outliers; that’s a community. A group. A gathering of people who can take a Cordyceps spore to the face and just keep on walking.
Now, I reckon we need to apply a healthy dose of wizardly skepticism here. Betancourt left Naughty Dog over ten years ago, right after working on *Left Behind*. A lot can change in a decade. Ideas in game development are like draft potions—sometimes they ferment into something brilliant, and sometimes they just turn into sludge and get poured down the drain. This 'congregation' idea might have been a seed that never sprouted. But—and it’s a big 'but'—Druckmann recently teased that he’s got 'one more chapter' left in him for this saga. If Part 3 is on the horizon, this old idea might just be the map they’re following.
But what does this actually mean for us as players? Well, if you head over to the corner of the internet where the die-hard fans live (looking at you, Reddit), the reaction is... let’s say 'spirited.' Some fans are vehemently against the idea. They argue that if Ellie isn't a '1 in 7 billion' messiah figure, the gravity of Joel’s choice at the end of Part 1 evaporates. If there were other immune people out there, was Joel’s massacre at the hospital less of a tragedy or just a redundant bit of violence?
I see it a bit differently, though. I’m cautiously optimistic about where a 'sophisticated story' involving multiple immune characters could go. Think about it: if there’s a whole group of people who are immune, why haven't they saved the world yet? Are they hiding? Are they being hunted? Are they—dare I say it—forming a society that views the rest of humanity as obsolete? Now that’s a spicy bit of digital tea leaves to read.
We also have to look at how the HBO show handled things. They gave us a scientific-ish reason for Ellie’s immunity involving her mother and a very poorly timed bite during birth. It made her feel like a fluke of biology. But if Druckmann moves toward a 'congregation' in Part 3, it shifts the narrative from a story about a 'miracle' to a story about a 'new species.' It’s less about a cure and more about evolution. That feels very Naughty Dog—taking something we find comfort in and twisting it until it’s unrecognizable and slightly uncomfortable.
Of course, the studio is busy with other things too. They’re working on *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*, which sounds like it’s going to be a wild departure from the grounded misery of the apocalypse. We’ve also got Shaun Escayg—the genius behind *Uncharted: The Lost Legacy*—directing another mystery project. But let’s be real: we’re all waiting for that clicker-infested shoe to drop for Part 3.
Is this a retcon that ruins the original game? Or is it the expansion the universe needs to keep from becoming a repetitive cycle of revenge? I’m leaning toward the latter. I’ve always found that the most interesting stories happen when the 'Chosen One' trope gets subverted. Finding out you’re not special is a different kind of trauma, and if there’s one thing Naughty Dog knows how to do, it’s explore trauma with the precision of a master alchemist.
So, mate, what do you reckon? Would you feel cheated if Ellie found a whole city of people just like her? Or does the idea of an 'Immune Uprising' sound like the kind of chaotic energy this series needs to finish on a high note? I’ll be keeping my eyes on the horizon for more clues. Until then, keep your shivs sharp and your skepticism sharper.
Tags: The Last of Us, Naughty Dog, Gaming News, Neil Druckmann, PlayStation
Original article: IGN South Africa