impressed by how Bailey had played into Abby's vulnerability, whereas other actors emphasized her anger. Bailey considers the game important to her personally, as she gave birth to her first son during production. Prior to her pregnancy, Bailey was working out in preparation for the role. She also prepared by researching people involved in wars and their coping mechanisms. An early iteration of the story had a young Abby witnessing an attack on her group by Joel and Tommy, who were hunters at the time (in the unseen 20 years of the first game), and vowing revenge. As the story and its theme of violence developed, the writers found it more interesting for Abby's father to have been killed by the player in the first game and directly tie into Joel's actions. Druckmann wanted players to hate Abby early in the game, but later empathize with her; he avoided writing her as a "perfect" character, instead prompting empathy through her flaws and redemptive actions. Some of the game's flashback scenes with Abby initially depicted her joining the WLF, though it was an unconscious decision on her behalf, as the leader of the WLF was a fellow member of her former group and acted as a father figure for her. Abby's goal to kill Joel was fueled by her desire to return to a world before her father's death, but she discovers it impossible. After witnessing Owen's battle for light, she finds her own purpose in protecting Yara and Lev, which Druckmann felt mirrored Joel's redemption arc from the first game. The obstacles she overcomes when gathering medical supplies demonstrates the lengths to which she will go to help the children and redeem herself. Margenau felt that Abby was inspired to abandon her alliances after witnessing Lev's rebellious nature. Abby's plea to the Santa Barbara Rattlers to leave Lev alone is an intentional parallel with Ellie's plea to spare Joel earlier in the game. When Ellie holds Abby underwater in their final fight, Bailey held her breath while recording; she recalled that Johnson let her go when she saw Bailey's lips turning blue. Bailey felt that, in the game's conclusion, Abby understands Ellie's emotions, having dealt with her own father's death. Gross connected actress Shannon Woodward, with whom she had worked on Westworld, with Druckmann. A fan of Westworld, Druckmann spoke with Woodward for several months before offering her an audition