[WARNING: Spoilers for The Last of Us Parts 1 & 2 below]
After the mixed reception of The Last of Us 2, it may seem counter-intuitive to think about making another installment, but there’s one character that provides a perfect opportunity for the franchise to properly move forward — baby JJ. By opting to explore the perspective of a character that was present yet also removed from much of the events of the second game, a The Last of Us: Part 3 could offer the fresh story upgrade the franchise needs.
Ellie to the Firefly’s hospital. Ellie is seemingly immune from the infection that has overtaken the world, and many people seem to think she could be the key to finding a cure. However, at the end of The Last of Us, Joel makes the harrowing decision to save Ellie’s life in lieu of creating a vaccine, killing the doctors in the process.
The second game in the series, The Last of Us: Part 2, explores the consequences of Joel’s actions. Players see the events of the first game's conclusion from the eyes of one of the doctor's children, and then have to watch as that child takes out her revenge on Joel. By the end of The Last of Us: Part 2, although Ellie finally has a family of her own, she gives it up to avenge Joel’s death and find the person who killed him, a decision which left many players feeling even more angry when she ends up letting that person go.
Why The Last of Us: Part 3 Should Focus On Baby JJ
Many characters in The Last of Us: Part 2 weren't particularly loved by players, and after being forced to fight both for and against her for so long, people are likely not as interested in being Ellie again as they were before the game came out. However, choosing to focus on a character close to Ellie would still allow her to be incorporated into a new game, alongside other beloved characters such as Tommy, Dina, and other familiar faces at Jackson County. That’s why the perfect protagonist for another The Last of Us game is baby JJ, the son of Dina and Jesse.
Once Dina takes baby JJ and leaves Ellie, it’s unclear where the mother and son go. Following the adventures of JJ would be an opportunity for Naughty Dog to answer questions players had at the end of the second game. The Last of Us: Part 3 could explore JJ helping lead and operate Jackson County as an adult, and could hopefully answer if Dina and Ellie ever reconciled, or if Tommy and his wife made things work.
If The Last of Us: Part 3 was set a couple of decades into the future, it could provide an opportunity to see Jackson County expand into something even bigger. Similarly, the game could address what happened to the Fireflies, such as if they ever reunited or ever came close again to creating a cure. Even better, a third game set twenty years into the future could explore what’s going on outside of America. Perhaps JJ could make with foreigners that have better resources to fight off the infected. Either way, focusing on baby JJ gives The Last of Us franchise an opportunity for a fresh face-lift without completely veering away from the characters and elements that have made the franchise so popular.
