Naughty Dog shook the audience when it unveiled its The Last of Us Part 2 teaser during its event at the PlayStation Experience last year. The brief teaser trailer seemingly only introduced us an older, angrier Ellie, but if you literally look at the writings on the wall, there are significant clues that may help us learn more about the plot of the new sequel.
To date, one of the more popular The Last of Us 2 theories suggest that Joel is dead. As Naughty Dogs creative director Neil Druckmann explained, if the Last of Us was told from the perspective of Joel and utilized story, music, interaction and gameplay to create a theme of love and of selflessness between Joel and Ellie, Part 2 will use the same tools to create a theme of hate told through the eyes of Ellie.
Fans were convinced only Joel's death could drive Ellie on a hell-bent rampage of revenge. Fans were also quick to identify any sort of symbolism, including Joel's emergence through a blinding light, his passive tone towards Ellie as well as the way his face is never fully shown in frame. However, if Joel is expected to take on a supporting role in Ellie's quest while players experience the game through the eyes of Ellie, how could he achieve that if he's dead?
An extremely intriguing theory, known as 'Theseus,' was posed by YouTuber Briana White on her channel Strange Rebel Gaming. The new theory suggests another plausible plot where Ellie's motivation comes elsewhere. In the trailer, Ellie plays a guitar across from a wall of random band posters, most of which are hardly clear enough to read. However, there is one poster that reads "Theseus," which is alone on the door to the right.
Buffs of Greek mythology will know the story of Theseus, the Greek son of Aethra, Aegeus and Poseidon. In the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, the death of King Minos of Crete's eldest son Androgeos has caused the wrath of the king. Minos demanded Athens to give up seven courageous men and seven beautiful women every seven years to be sacrificed by the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster that lies deep within the Labyrinth.
Theseus volunteered to be one of the seven men and vowed to slay the Minotaur to save his people. Theseus also told his father that he would sail away from Athens with black sails and should he overcome the Minotaur, he would return home with white sails to mark his victory. At Crete, Theseus met and fell in love with Princess Ariadne, daughter of Minos. In order to save Theseus, Ariadne hands him a big ball of string so that he could enter the Labyrinth without getting lost.
Theseus ultimately overpowered the Minotaur and saved Athens. The young prince intended to return to Athens with his people as well as his princess Ariadne. However, Athena told Theseus to leave Ariadne behind, which devastated him so much that he forgot to put up the white sails to give his father the good news. When King Aegeus saw the black sails return to Athens, he lept off the cliff to commit suicide.
So after that lesson in Greek Mythology, what does it have to do with The Last of Us 2? Strange Rebel Gaming's theory suggests Ellie's role could be very similar to Theseus. When she was brought to the Fireflies to become the "cure" for the infection, we learn she will have to be sacrificed for the cause. In that vein, the Fireflies may be the Minotaur and its web of networks may have captured other individuals with an immunity similar to hers. Could The Last of Us 2 follow Ellie and Joel as the duo takes down the Fireflies in an attempt to save people like her?
The theory also suggests that Part 2 will introduce a new LGBT character that will play as Ellie's new love interest. This character may also play the role of Ariadne, someone from within the Fireflies that ultimately helps Ellie bring them down.
A conflict between Joel and Ellie versus the Fireflies is inevitable and there could be more to their history than we know. YouTuber Strange Rebel Gaming gets into deeper detail about the Theseus theory as well as another Easter Egg found in a poster in Uncharted 4 that possibly sheds light on Ellie's mother. Watch Briana White's full video below:
