The Last of Us fans are divided over who should be the lead character in Part III

The Last of Us Part III hasn't even been announced yet, but fans are already discussing who should be the lead character in the next entry in the popular Naughty Dog series.

Just a heads up, I will be venturing into spoilers for the first two games in the series, so you have been warned.

After the events of the first game, fans were left wanting more from the tale of Joel and Ellie as they traversed a post-apocalyptic United States. During the early moments of The Last of Us Part II, as well as the second episode of season two in the HBO series, Joel is brutally murdered by Abby in an act of revenge for when Joel killed her father while saving Ellie in the first game.

Now, no matter what you may or not think of the Ellie and Abby dynamic in The Last of Us Part II, it's fair to say that they gave us a variety of emotions from start to finish, for better or worse. This is what all well-told stories should do. We may not agree with all moments and decisions, but it's all part of the ride that leads to the inevitable conclusion. Like many, I hated what Abby did to Joel, and unlike the HBO series, Abby's motivations for what she did were not revealed until much later on.

As a father, I absolutely understand why Joel took Ellie from the operating table (and I would do the same), but I also understand why Abby sought her revenge in such a brutal way. In The Last of Us Part II, we explore both sides of the coin, and by the time we arrive at its conclusion, not only did it become clear that Ellie and Abby are two sides of the same coin, but I desperately wanted them to realise that and come to some sort of truce.

So, where would that leave The Last of Us Part III? Fans on Reddit have been discussing that prospect.

"I think The Last of Us Part III should be about Ellie learning that her life is more than just a cure. I see some people saying Ellie shouldn't be in Part III, and I couldn't disagree more," said yyyyyl5. "Calling the game Part III without Ellie is just pointless; at this point, call it something else. Also, I hope we don't see Abby. I like how her story ended in Part II, and I don't think we need another conflict with her and Ellie."

"Agree with you 100%, Abby and Lev’s story was wrapped up nicely. It’d be unnecessary to show anymore," replied SupaColdBrew.

"If you think that Ellie's story should be about learning her life is more than finding a cure, the same could be applied to Abby and Lev. Abby learns her purpose after revenge, maybe after Lev no longer needs her, and Lev learns what his life is like outside the cult," explained rbwildcard in response.

"That's the problem with including Abby in III. You'd need to have her and Ellie meet up again because you can't have two entirely different stories without them connecting. I don't know if I want that. There's just so much pain between these two, I think it's best if they never see each other again. However, I would love to see Abby in a solo game," said GabrielTorres674.

Hopefully, Naughty Dog will announce The Last of Us Part III. We'll let you know if or when that happens.