The Last of Us is now one of the most critically lauded games of all time. Developer Naughty Dog languished for a while about how to approach a sequel to the much-loved original. The Last of Us 2 may have left a bad taste in some fans' mouths, but other fans have grown forever endeared to one of the main characters in the game: Abby Anderson.
Super swole and not here to take any lip, Abby carves her path through the game like Kratos would through a battlefield in God of War. She is unrelenting, powerful, and willing to do whatever it takes to avenge her father. Naturally, fans created fan art that showcased this tenacity but also gave glimpses into her softer side (which yes - she totally has).
This post contains MAJOR spoilers for The Last of Us 2.
10 Abby Fan Art Outside Of A Gym
Though some fans of the series are split on Abby's impressive physique, many fans are also in awe of it, as well. So it comes as no surprise that one artist put a mural of her up right outside of a gym.
The artist David Müller, known as Kopfstoff on Twitter, works at Deck13 Interactive as a full-time Concept Artist for Character Design. The piece took him a full five and a half hours to complete between two separate instances. If nearby, fans can find the mural in person located in Wiesbaden, Germany in Schlacthof.
9 Abby And Lev
Many in The Last of Us 2 fandom grew quite attached to both Abby and Lev as characters. With their two stories so inextricably linked, that comes as no surprise.
Both Lev and Abby have had to learn very difficult lessons very early in life - ones that have steeled them to the world and people in it. With such a harsh world around them, the two seemed to bring out the more joyful parts of each other.
This fan art from Tumblr user canyouwalk showcases a brief moment of levity between the two in recreating the stock photo on the right.
8 Portrait Of A Girl On Fire
Abby's story is very different from the movie quoted above, but she is no less fiery and tenacious. Her pursuit of her father's killer is almost always the driving force behind any choice that she makes over the course of The Last of Us 2.
DeviantArt user yuujow captures that smolder in what seems to be a charcoal and canvas medium with loads of muted colors and play against light and shadow. The eyes also convey Abby's deep conviction and unyielding resolve. This portrait does leave out her insanely buff arms, unfortunately.
7 Giraffe Vs. Zebra
Animals play an important role regarding motifs in both The Last of Us games. In the first game, fans will remember how awe-inspired Ellie got when she and Joel stumbled upon a live giraffe.
But giraffes are also connected with Joel's real daughter Sarah and they can be found throughout the game, typically in proximity to children, which may mean that giraffes convey the concept of innocence in the game.
In stark contrast, Abby's encounter with a zebra she and her father were tracking shows the key difference between Ellie's vs. Abby's world views. The zebra ends up giving birth, but loses a foal and wouldn't have survived if not for the intervention of Abby, her father, and Owen Moore. DeviantArt user p1xer perfectly displays this in the above fan art.
6 Soft Abby
Throughout the majority of The Last of Us 2, Abby becomes more and more hardened to the trials of others in the world. This is partially reflected in how buff and intimidating she becomes, but there was a time when Abby was softer.
After all, she was willing to sacrifice herself had she been in Ellie's place. That means that Abby definitely cared enough about other people (even ones she had never met) to get a cure. But then life became cruel for Abby and there was no going back.
DeviantArt user AloisMorgan captures the sorrow Abby must have felt before it was transmuted into a vengeful rage.
5 This Time She's Really On Fire
So many fans were shocked to see Abby like this at the end of The Last of Us 2. After starvation, dehydration, and lots of pain, we find a burned, injured, scrawny-by-comparison Abby who declares that she won't fight Ellie.
Tumblr user ropesandrocks captures the resigned determination we see in Abby at the end of the game. She can't walk away when Ellie threatens Lev, so she resolves to fight (again). The nuance of Abby's decision making here is what makes the climax of this game so compelling.
4 Abby in Pain
Seeing a hero (or anti-hero) express an intense display of emotion in a video game is always a welcome surprise. Seeing Abby, a tough as nails (literally and figuratively) character break down is akin to Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road.
DeviantArt user DeLullu captures that pain so well, along with the scenery of the rain and the shadows from the lights. Like most facial expressions from Abby, there is also the ever-present anger here, too.
3 Abby Never Skips...Any Day
Some fans still can't get over just how incredibly and unbelievably buff Abby is as a character. Of course, when you consider the nomadic and stressful lifestyle one must lead in The Last of Us 2, her physique begins to make a lot more sense.
Twitter user @Azuza__ shows off a softer take on Abby's muscular frame. Though still furrowed, her brow is a bit softer here with a more relaxed jaw though, as fans can see, she's still in a similar pose to some of the promotional art released for the game.
2 Abby's Transformation
The events of The Last of Us already directly and forever change Abby as a person. But over the course of the events of The Last of Us 2, Abby continues down the road to revenge she started on. But Lev helps her find a new path - one that eventually leads her away from revenge and anger.
DeviantArt user morkeerie shows off some digital art skills with her take on Abby fan art in the image above on the right. Though her arms are missing, Abby's signature freckles are front and center along with her scars and ready-to-cut-anyone-who-hurts-Lev brows.
1 Eat Your Heart Out Lara Croft
Tumblr user thervssian shows a different side of Abby here - literally, with this over-the-shoulder angle, where many fan art submissions focus on her face, her arms, or her upper body. She's also deadly with any weapon and rocks that fishtail braid no matter the weather.
As with previous fan art submissions, this one also plays with light and shadow. Whether that's due to the incredible graphics of the game or the simple nuance of the character of Abby. Fans can only wait with bated breath to see what Naughty Dog will do next.