5 The Last of Us video game characters we’d bring back from the dead (and 3 we wouldn’t)
2. Wouldn’t bring back: Marlene
Let’s start by clarifying that Marlene’s character wasn’t a “villain” even if she ended up acting as an antagonist to Joel’s story. She promised Ellie’s mother, Anna, to take care of her child and she did so for many years. Marlene was also the commander of the Fireflies, a group that stood up against FEDRA and looked to re-instantiate some form of government for all the survivors. Finally, she had hoped to find a cure for the cordyceps infection and perhaps save the entire world in the process.
However, creating a cure came at the cost of Ellie’s life, and it was a price Marlene was more than willing to pay. At that point, she found herself in opposition to Joel, a man who had already lost a daughter and wasn’t willing to let history repeat itself.
As a result, Joel took down many of the Fireflies, dragged Ellie out of the operating room, and even killed a doctor in the process (something that would come to haunt him later). To top things off Marlene interfered before Joel could escape and tried to talk some sense into him… but we all know how that story ended.
Joel shot Marlene, and after she pleaded for her life Joel simply said: “You’d just come after her” and shot her again, finally ending her life. While that certainly wasn’t the right thing to do, players understood where Joel was coming from. And let’s face it… he was right. If Marlene had lived she would’ve sent the Fireflies on a hunt for Ellie. If it was bad enough to lose Joel in The Last of Us Part ll, just imagine losing Ellie as well. While neither of them was a hero, we certainly couldn’t help but grow fond of them.
The Last of Us games operate in a morally gray area. Sometimes it’s hard to know who is in the right, and others we empathize with those who are definitely in the wrong. But one thing is for certain: we’d rather have Marlene stay dead than have her hunting for Ellie eventually pay off. That’s just a definite no.