The Last of Us Season 2 composer reveals measures he took to make Abby not look like a villain 

Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann produced The Last of Us and it is one of the most popular television series. The unique show is based on the blockbuster video game and is set 20 years after a fungal plague decimates humanity.

According to the main plot, the show follows Joel and Ellie and this is done while they navigate a perilous world and the show stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie.

It premiered on HBO in January 2023 and the unique show gained significant acclaim for its storyline, acting, and cinematography. The series was a smash hit, and the second season premiered in 2025 and this helped in continuing the emotional and exhilarating adventure.

Instead of portraying Abby as a villain, composer David Fleming took a careful approach. This was mainly for Abby's moments in the show and he focused more on her anguish and rage and in an interview with Variety that took place on April 22, 2025, he said:

"I love that I’m not asked to play Abby as if she’s just a baddie. Of course, she’s the antagonist, but not everything is so simple in this world.”

Abby's unique role in The Last of Us Season 2

As The Last of Us progressed into Season 2, a new character named Abby was added. In the video game, Abby's persona elicited conflicting reactions - some fans perceived her as the villain, while others recognized her complex past.

In season 2, composer David Fleming worked carefully to make sure Abby didn’t sound like a typical villain. When scoring the scene where Abby kills Joel, he focused on her anger and pain rather than making her seem evil. Fleming said in an interview with Variety:

“I wanted to capture this force of anger and pain and it’s interesting how it will affect Ellie musically later in the show now that she’s had this horrible trauma.”

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Through music and stories, the series continues to investigate what it actually means to live, forgive, and feel empathy for individuals we may not completely comprehend at first.

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