Based on how successful the first Death Stranding eventually grew to be, it’s not too surprising that Kojima Productions and Sony are apparently keen to keep exploring its post-apocalyptic universe. What has come out of left field, though, is Elle Fanning’s potential role as a grown-up version of the BB Sam Porter Bridges named Lou. If the theory that several fans are currently weighing up turns out to be true, the significant time jump it’d infer could have a big impact on the franchise’s characters.
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Sam and Lou
It goes without saying, but a lot can happen to a person over the course of 20 years. Provided that Elle Fanning is eventually revealed to be playing an aged-up version of Lou in Death Stranding 2, it’s easy to imagine this being especially true for that character. Lou’s personality, dreams, and motivations, weren’t really highlighted in the first game on account of her being stuck in a jar. Wherever her story picks up, those characteristics will have already been established away from the player’s eyes. In some ways, she’ll be a completely different person.
Based on the story of the first Death Stranding, it would make sense for Lou to still be with Sam, though. After all, the bond they forged in that game was arguably the biggest part of both of their character arcs. The latter was also notably disturbed by the revelations he uncovered during its ending. That means there’s a decent chance that his desire to raise the child could have prompted both to move away from the UCA’s capital city and into isolation.
Death Stranding’s Survivors
Due to the experimental nature of Death Stranding, its sequel’s story could go in an endless number of directions. That means the characters that survived Kojima Productions’ game could be in dramatically different places after a 20-year time jump. While clues on the subject are scarce, the sequel’s rumored “Ocean” codename could be a significant hint. That phrase suggests that the UCA’s rebuilding mission has expanded beyond its borders to other parts of the world.
That could have significant ramifications for the cast members who survived the first Death Stranding. People like Deadman, Fragile, and Margaret Qualley’s Lockne, were all left with degrees of unfinished business. Their quests for clarity, alongside their desires to rebuild, could have prompted them to set out for answers away from the locations that players have already explored.
Provided that the Death Stranding’s UCA operates like its real-world inspiration, Die-Hardman is one character that will likely have moved on as well. During the closing moments of the first game, Die-Hardman was still the President of the nation. Even if he won his next electoral campaign, though, a 20-year time jump would legally put his time in office far behind him. His need for redemption could have therefore prompted him to set out into the wasteland to rebuild somewhere else.
Death Stranding’s Departed
Thanks to the thriller themes that run through most of Hideo Kojima’s projects, it’s sometimes easy to forget about the other narrative beats that his games contain. Death Stranding’s story, for example, is a tale that’s partly about the dead returning to torment the living. On paper, at least, that means any character that died during the events of the original game could also come back in the rumored Death Stranding 2. Although Sam managed to stop the Last Stranding, the Extinction Entities behind it are still seemingly active. It stands to reason that they’ll rebuild their BT forces and try again, potentially with a few familiar faces in tow.
Death Stranding 2 is rumored to be in development.
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