‘The Last Of Us’ Fans Are “Terrified” Kaitlyn Dever Will Receive Death Threats For Playing Abby In Season 2: “Prepare For Manbabies To Declare War”

The casting rumors are officially true: Kaitlyn Dever will star in The Last Of Us Season 2 as Abby, a highly controversial character who could change the show as we know it.

Variety reports that Dever has officially been cast as Abby, who is described as “a skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those she loved.”

As Decider’s Kayla Cobb put it in her explainer of Abby’s character, “If you want The Last of Us to have a happy ending, you should stop watching now.”

Series co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Drukmann praised Dever in a joint statement shared with Variety: “Our casting process for season two has been identical to season one: we look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material,” they said. “Nothing matters more than talent, and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn join Pedro, Bella and the rest of our family.”

But viewers at home have one piece of advice for Dever as she takes on this role: stay off of social media.

Fans of the original video games the show is based off of have debated Abby’s casting for some time, considering the significant role she plays in The Last of Us Part II. They’ve long predicted and feared that whichever actor lands the role could face severe harassment online for her character’s actions.

“Prepare for manbabies to declare war,” one fan wrote on X.

“She’s certainly brave! I really hope she doesn’t get much backlash for playing such an unjustifiably hated character. I’m sure she’ll smash it,” another user commented.

“I’m happy for her but I know she has socials so I’d get rid of those like NOW,” a fan said. “I’m truly terrified for how general audiences will react to season 2.”

At the time of publication, Dever’s social media accounts are still up and running.

However, many fans praised the casting decision. Dever has certainly established herself as a strong comedic and dramatic actress, nabbing Golden Globe nominations for her performances in Unbelievable and Dopesick.

Mazin has already confirmed that The Last of Us Part II will be stretched into multiple seasons, unlike Season 1, which covered the entire first entry of the video game series.

If you’re okay with spoilers, you can learn more about Abby’s possible role in Season 2 here.