The internet is, once again, in shambles. Season 2 of The Last of Us hasn’t even aired yet, and fans are already sharpening their pitchforks over the casting of Kaitlyn Dever as Abby. Why? Because, in their eyes, she simply doesn’t have the same physique as her video game counterpart.
Now, if you’ve spent any time in the depths of gaming forums or X, you’ve probably seen the complaints that Abby is supposed to be jacked and Kaitlyn Dever isn’t buff enough. Some fans are so distraught, you’d think HBO just announced The Last of Us Season 2 would be a musical. But Dever is taking it all in stride.
So, how does she handle it? By focusing on the real challenge, bringing Abby to life in a way that respects the story, rather than trying to match a video game model’s biceps. Let’s dive into Dever’s response to the backlash, the creative choices behind her casting, and why maybe, just maybe, we should all calm down and wait to actually watch the show.
Fans vs. HBO on Kaitlyn Dever as Abby
Since HBO announced Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, a loud faction of The Last of Us fandom has been in full meltdown mode. They wanted someone who looked like they could deadlift a giraffe. Instead, they got Dever, an incredibly talented actress but not exactly a walking protein shake.
The issue? Fans feel Abby’s physicality is a huge part of her character. In the game, she’s built like an absolute tank, the result of years of military-style training with the Washington Liberation Front. She’s a force of nature, able to snap infected and people in half like they’re made of Play-Doh.
So naturally, when Dever, who is on the leaner side, was announced, a subset of fans lost their minds. But HBO and the showrunners, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, have defended their choice. Their argument is simple, this is a TV show, not a video game. They’re leaning into the emotional depth of the character rather than focusing on whether she can squat 300 pounds.
You won’t see Dever running around with a backpack full of bricks and crafting Molotovs mid-fight. While she might not be as physically imposing as Game Abby, Dever brings the raw emotion, trauma, and complexity that made Abby such a compelling character in the first place.
Kaitlyn Dever is just out here trying to survive the internet
So, how does Kaitlyn Dever feel about all this? Well, she’s not completely ignoring the chaos. In an interview with Screen Rant, she admitted,
Well, it’s hard not to see those things on the internet. It’s hard not to stop myself from looking at it every once in a while, especially going into this, for sure. And I want to do this character justice and make the fans proud by bringing her to life in this kind of way.
Instead of getting caught up in the online drama, she’s been focusing on what really matters, delivering an emotionally powerful performance. And here’s something a lot of people might not know, Dever is actually a huge fan of The Last of Us games. In an interview with Collider, she revealed,
I am a huge fan of that video game. It is a beautiful story. It’s just a wonderful narrative and I fell in love with that game when it came out. I played it with my dad and we just had the best time. I’m not very good at it I’m not. My aim is really bad.
Now, let’s take a second to appreciate this. Here we have an actress who not only respects the source material but actually played the game herself. Sure, she might not be landing perfect headshots, but she understands the emotional weight of the story. And isn’t that the whole point?
While some fans are still stuck on the “but she’s not buff enough” argument, others are reminding people that HBO hasn’t steered us wrong yet. Pedro Pascal as Joel? People doubted that too. Bella Ramsey as Ellie? Same story. And yet, both actors absolutely crushed their performances. Maybe, we should let Dever do her thing before writing off the entire season.
In the end, The Last of Us is about storytelling, grief, revenge, and the messy human emotions that come with all of that. Whether Dever’s Abby can bench press a Clicker or not seems like the least important part of the equation. So let’s all take a deep breath, put down our internet torches, and see what she brings to the role. Who knows? She might just surprise us all.
The Last of Us Season 2 will be available to stream on Max on April 13, 2025.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
