Anna

This article is about the character from the HBO series. For her appearance in the video game series, see Anna.

Anna
Biographical information
Status	Deceased
Gender	Female
Affiliation(s)	Fireflies Marlene
Relationships	Ellie Williams (daughter)
Hair color	Auburn
Eye color	Blue
Behind the scenes
Appears in	HBO's The Last of Us (season 1)
Portrayed by	Ashley Johnson

“

How long have we known each other? ―Anna, speaking to Marlene.

”

Anna is a supporting character in the first season of HBO's The Last of Us. She is the mother of Ellie Williams, and a member of the Fireflies.

Quick Answers

Who is Anna in the HBO series 'The Last of Us'?

In the HBO series 'The Last of Us', Anna, portrayed by Ashley Johnson, is a supporting character and the mother of Ellie Williams. Following the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak, Anna was a close friend of Marlene and later joined her militia group, the Fireflies.

Provided by: Community

What is the relationship between Anna and Ellie in 'The Last of Us'?

In 'The Last of Us', Anna is Ellie's mother, but they couldn't connect personally due to Anna's early demise. Ellie, however, is perpetually intrigued about her mother, cherishing a switchblade and letter from her. Anna's narrative, significant to the storyline, is incorporated into the HBO series, with Ashley Johnson portraying her.

Provided by: Fandom

What role does Anna play in the Fireflies group in 'The Last of Us'?

Anna is Ellie's mother and a member of the Fireflies, a militia group led by her close friend Marlene. After surviving the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak in 2003, she joined the Fireflies and was stationed at a safe house outside the Boston quarantine zone.

Provided by: Community

What is the significance of Anna's switchblade?

The switchblade that Ellie frequently uses was originally owned by her mother, Anna. The weapon was passed on to Ellie by Marlene, a friend of Anna's, as a keepsake of her mother. This small folding pocket knife becomes a signature weapon for Ellie, aiding her in numerous encounters, from combating infected to safeguarding others.

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What is the significance of Anna's friendship with Marlene in 'The Last of Us'?

Anna and Marlene were best friends before the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak. They both joined the Fireflies militia group post-outbreak. Despite their frequent disagreements, they maintained a deep bond. Marlene promised Anna to care for Ellie.

Provided by: Community

Biography

Background

Anna was Marlene's best friend during her childhood before the outbreak of the Cordyceps brain infection. After the outbreak in 2003, Anna survived and joined Marlene's militia group, the Fireflies, eventually being stationed at one of their safe houses outside the Boston quarantine zone. She also came into possession of a switchblade at some point. In 2008, Anna became pregnant with Ellie.

Events of HBO's The Last of Us

In March of 2009, Anna was separated from Marlene and her patrol group while moving from the Boston quarantine zone to their safehouse. An infected sensed her and began chasing her through the woods. By now close to labor, Anna struggled back to the Firefly safehouse and barricaded the door. She fled upstairs, taking shelter in a bedroom. The infected broke in and attacked her. Anna managed to fight it off, killing it with her switchblade. After the fight, she realized she had given birth to Ellie. She also noticed the infected bit her thigh. Panicking, Anna used the tainted switchblade to cut the umbilical cord connecting her and Ellie, unaware that she had exposed her to Cordyceps. She held Ellie in her arms, comforting her daughter.

By nightfall, Anna feared she would turn into an infected and began considering using her switchblade to kill herself. Marlene made it to the safehouse with her patrol group. When they entered the room, Anna lied that she cut Ellie from her umbilical cord before she was bitten and asked Marlene to gift Ellie her switchblade when she was old enough. She insisted Marlene take care of Ellie, making her promise to honor their life-long friendship. Though devastated at seeing her best friend infected, Marlene granted her wish, taking Ellie away to raise her and then shot Anna to spare her turning into an infected.

Legacy

Fourteen years later, Marlene finally gifted Ellie Anna's switchblade to her as a memento of her lost mother. This switchblade would serve Ellie well, helping her kill infected on her journey and protect others, notably Riley and Sam. She also gave her the same jacket Anna had on her person when she died. After Ellie reached the Fireflies base in Saint Mary's Hospital, Marlene took Anna's switchblade back but this time gave it to Joel, passing on her memory of Anna instead as a memento of Ellie to Joel. However, Joel proceeded to use the switchblade instead to kill Fireflies in his efforts to save Ellie, much as Anna had used it to save Ellie many years earlier.

Physical appearance

Anna was a young woman with red hair and blue eyes. She wore a camouflage green jacket and a bright yellow summer dress.

Behind the scenes

• Anna is portrayed by American actress Ashley Johnson, best known for providing the voice and motion capture for Ellie Williams in the video game series.
• Co-creator Neil Druckmann was unable to explore Anna's story in the video games but considered it personally important to include in the television series.

Gallery

Official stills

Anna holding the newborn Ellie.

Appearances

• HBO's The Last of Us
  • Season 1
    • Episode 2: "Infected" (mentioned only)
    • Episode 9: "Look for the Light" (first appearance; flashback)