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Death threats against The Last of Us Part II voice actor reveal the worst of us

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The voice actor behind the character of Abby in The Last of Us Part II revealed on Twitter that she was getting death threats, further showcasing the toxicity surrounding Naughty Dog’s divisive game.

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Laura Bailey, who also voiced Mary Jane Watson in Marvel’s Spider-Man and will voice Black Widow in Marvel’s Avengers, posted screenshots of messages that she received for what Abby did in The Last of Us Part II.

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Man. I try to only post positive stuff on here… but sometimes this just gets a little overwhelming. I blacked out some of the words cuz, ya know, spoilers.

Side note. Thank you to all the people sending me positive messages to balance it out. It means more than I can say.❤️ pic.twitter.com/kGyULWPpNu

— Laura Bailey (@LauraBaileyVO) July 3, 2020

Without revealing any spoilers, The Last of Us Part II features a dark and controversial storyline that aims to leave a deep emotional impact to players. Integral to this goal is the character of Abby, who acts as the main antagonist to Ellie. Unfortunately, it appears that some people are not taking the story well, and have vented out their frustrations against Bailey.

The people behind the threats apparently think that Bailey is actually Abby, and that she herself was behind the actions of the character in a video game. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn summed up the confusing mindset that these people have against Bailey for simply doing her job as a voice actor.

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1279192752194871296

Among the other people who have expressed support for Bailey amid the abhorrent threats are Ashley Johnson, the voice actor of Ellie, and Neil Druckmann, Naughty Dog’s VP and creative director.

https://twitter.com/TheVulcanSalute/status/1279258760158961665

As the people that propagate this kind of hate would say, how stunning and brave! I hope these gamers get the mental help they so clearly need. Unfortunately this is now the cost of making popular entertainment that challenges conventions. Laura doesn’t deserve any of this. ❤️ https://t.co/kHzXddZzIB

— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) July 3, 2020

Meanwhile, amid all of the controversy, The Last of Us Part II has been a massive commercial success, setting a new launch sales record of 4 million units in its first three days. The game has claimed the title of fastest-selling first-party PlayStation 4 exclusive ever, taking the crown from Marvel’s Spider-Man.

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