You know that moment in a big-budget game where the music swells, the characters look devastated, and you’re just sitting there on your couch squinting at the screen thinking, "Wait, who is that?"
That is the entire legacy of last of us 2 danny.
If you played through Naughty Dog’s divisive masterpiece, you probably remember the scene. Abby walks into the FOB (Forward Operating Base). Nora, looking like she’s just lost her best friend, solemnly unzips a body bag. The camera lingers on a pale, dead face. Manny gasps. Abby looks shaken.
And the players? We were all collectively confused.
The Mystery of the Man in the Bag
Let’s get the facts straight. In the world of The Last of Us Part II, Danny was a soldier for the Washington Liberation Front (WLF). He wasn't a general. He wasn't a main boss. He was basically a "grunt" who happened to have a name.
His only real job in the story was to be the catalyst for Abby’s hunt for Owen. See, Owen Moore—Abby’s ex and the guy everyone was actually worried about—had gone missing after a patrol. Danny was his partner. When Danny showed up at the gates with a bullet in his gut and Owen nowhere to be found, it set off alarm bells for Isaac and the rest of the WLF leadership.
What actually happened to Danny?
Actually, the story is kinda tragic in a very "Last of Us" way.
Owen and Danny were sweeping a marina for Seraphites (Scars). They found an old man. He was tired, unarmed, and basically waiting for death. Owen, who was already starting to feel the soul-crushing weight of the endless war in Seattle, couldn't bring himself to execute the guy. He was just... done.
Danny, however, was a "loyal" soldier. Or an asshole, depending on who you ask in the game. He saw Owen's mercy as a betrayal. He pulled his gun on Owen. They wrestled. A shot went off.
Danny got hit in the stomach.
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Instead of dying right there, the guy managed to crawl or limp all the way back to the WLF base. Before he bled out, he told Isaac that Owen had turned traitor and shot him to protect a "Scar."
Why the Internet Turned Danny Into a Legend
The reason you see so many posts about last of us 2 danny isn't because he’s a deep character. It's because he's the ultimate "Who?"
The game treats his death like a major emotional beat. The "Salt Lake Crew" (Abby’s friends) act like a pillar of their community has fallen. But since the player has never seen this guy alive, never talked to him, and never even heard his name before that moment, the scene feels completely unearned.
It’s unintentionally hilarious.
The fan community on Reddit and Twitter quickly picked up on this. They started making memes claiming Danny was the "real" protagonist of the series. You'll find "tributes" to him with sarcastically sad music, or people arguing that he's a more complex character than Joel or Ellie.
Honestly, it’s one of the few things the entire fanbase—both the people who loved the game and the people who hated it—can agree on. We all love to make fun of Danny.
Is He the Same Danny from the First Game?
This is a theory that pops up a lot. Hardcore fans remember a "Danny" mentioned in the notes found in the sewers in the first game. That Danny was part of Ish’s group.
Is it the same guy?
Almost certainly not. The timelines don't really line up, and Naughty Dog has a habit of using common names. Besides, the "Sewer Danny" was part of a small, desperate group in Pittsburgh. For him to survive that, travel across the country, and join a militarized faction in Seattle just to die in a body bag without a single line of dialogue?
That would be a weird choice, even for Neil Druckmann.
The Practical Side of Danny's Death
If you’re looking for the "meta" reason Danny exists, it’s purely for the plot.
- Conflict: It creates a reason for Isaac to want Owen dead.
- Characterization: It shows how far Owen has drifted from the WLF ideology.
- Pacing: It gives Abby a ticking clock. She has to find Owen before the WLF "hit squads" do.
Without Danny, Owen is just a guy who went AWOL. With Danny, Owen is a "murderer" and a "traitor" in the eyes of the law.
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What This Means for Your Next Playthrough
When you get to that scene in the morgue, don't feel bad if you don't feel anything. You aren't "missing" a secret cutscene where Abby and Danny go get drinks. You didn't skip a side quest.
Danny is a plot device. A meat-filled plot device.
If you want to get the most out of the last of us 2 danny experience, the best thing you can do is listen to the ambient dialogue in the stadium. You’ll hear a few NPCs mention him. They don't say much—just enough to confirm that he was kind of a jerk and nobody really liked him that much anyway.
Manny even makes a joke about it later, basically saying he wasn't sad Danny died, just mad he didn't get to do it himself.
Actionable Takeaways for TLOU2 Fans
- Listen to the Stadium Dialogue: Pay attention to the NPCs near the cafeteria; they give the only "backstory" Danny ever gets.
- Check the Remastered Commentary: The Last of Us Part II Remastered features director's commentary where they briefly touch on the WLF dynamics and characters like Danny.
- Don't Overthink It: If you're looking for deep lore, you won't find it here. Danny's job was to die so the story could live.
The legend of Danny lives on not because of what he did, but because of how much the game wanted us to care about a guy we didn't know. In a game full of heavy themes like revenge and trauma, Danny remains a weird, funny little footnote that keeps the community laughing years later.
Keep an eye out for mentions of "Danny" in the upcoming Season 2 of the HBO show. It’ll be interesting to see if they actually give him a face before they put him in the bag.