The sophomore season of HBO’s The Last of Us has dropped yet another familiar name for fans of the games: the WLF. The much-awaited second season of the show premiered on April 13, 2025. It has already laid the groundwork for the new conflicts that Ellie will face this season. Many fans who are not familiar with the games are now eager to know more about the WLF and other fresh faces that have appeared this season, including Abby.
Here’s everything to know about the WLF and its connection to Abby in The Last of Us Season 2.
The Last of Us Season 2’s WLF villains, explained
The first episode of Season 2 quickly establishes a new threat for Joel and Ellie with the introduction of Abby as a major villain. Both Abby and Owen set the stage for the introduction of the main antagonists in Part 2 of the story. We soon get to know that the pair fights for the Washington Liberation Front, also known as the WLF. It is a paramilitary organization based in Seattle.
The show has yet to explain the history of the WLF. In the game, however, the organization started off as a rival faction fighting against FEDRA. Shortly after the beginning of the Cordyceps pandemic, the people of Seattle grew weary of FEDRA’s despotic rule over the city. The WLF was thus born as a rebellious faction established by Emma and Jason Patterson. It eventually managed to overthrow the FEDRA garrison in the Seattle Quarantine Zone.
Isaac Dixon, played by Jeffrey Wright, is the current leader of the organization. Wright also voiced the character of Dixon in the video games. Other notable members of the WLF include former Fireflies Abby Anderson, Owen Moore, and Mel, along with Noah Harris, Manny Alvarez, and more.
In The Last of Us canon, Abby’s goal is to hunt and kill Joel for killing her father, who was a member of the Fireflies. She gets her revenge in the second episode when she brutally murders Joel right in front of Ellie. After helplessly watching him die, Ellie vows to seek revenge against Abby and kill her. The upcoming episodes will deal with the aftermath of this traumatic loss for Ellie.
