The Last of Us Part II introduces new love and loss for LGBTQ protagonist, Ellie

“It’s so damn sweet,” says Woodward. “I mean it’s so sweet.”

This section of the trailer, before the cutaway to Ellie’s graphic fight for survival, represents Ellie’s starting point in TLOU Part II. Ellie, now 19, has been living in Jackson for four years since the ending of The Last of Us, and those intervening years have been largely peaceful. “She’s had an opportunity to invest more in her relationships and to not spend every day worrying about her own survival,” says TLOU Part II co-writer Halley Gross (Westworld). “She’s gotten an opportunity to have friends, to have crushes.”

Dina, whom Ellie has had a crush on for years, is sarcastic and confident, balancing out Ellie’s self-consciousness. “She’s very funny and charming,” Woodward says of Dina, “or she certainly thinks she’s funny. Ellie thinks so, which is lucky for her.”

The Last of Us was laser-focused on the father-daughter relationship between Ellie and Joel, who is referenced in the E3 trailer but not seen, but TLOU Part II seems like it could be introducing another central relationship for Ellie. However, Gross promises that Joel will still play a vital role in Ellie’s arc in one way or another, and the secret that Joel kept from Ellie regarding the Fireflies and a potential cure for the infection will factor into the story. “To shy away from where The Last of Us 1 ended would be to avoid some truth to their relationship, and we want to explore all parts of who Ellie is.”

Based on Ellie’s vengeful attitude in the initial announcement trailer for TLOU Part II, it seems likely that something bad is going to happen to someone Ellie cares about. Gross hints that just as Ellie has built up a sense of stability and security, her world is “upended by a large event that happens in Jackson that changes her and sends her on this journey of vengeance, or justice.” Whatever this event is, Gross says, “It’s a moment in Ellie’s life that will irreparably change her and devastate her soul.”

The inclusion of Dina as a love interest could signal an impending heartbreak, but that would be a shame, as it would feed into the narrative trope of killing off LGBTQ characters. Still, the next logical option would be something souring her relationship with Joel, which would also be devastating for players who’ve become invested in his character.

So far, response to Ellie and Dina’s budding romance has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Woodward and Ashley Johnson, who plays Ellie. There were no overt references to Ellie’s sexual orientation in the main game of The Last of Us, but Johnson has already had a chance to get some feedback on the issue from fans who played the first game’s prequel DLC, Left Behind.

Whatever happens, The Last of Us Part II will surely be devastatingly emotional, but for now, based on what little glimpse of happiness has been shown, it seems like it’s one of the few games from major studios that’s making an effort to represent inclusive love in a real, respectful way.