A new Tomb Raider animation canonically explains how Lara Croft survived the events between Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation and those of the series’ sixth instalment, Angel of Darkness.
The Myth of El Hawa is written by Angel of Darkness scribe Murti Schofield, directed by veteran Tomb Raider fan Ash Kaprielov, and stars voice actress Jonell Elliott (who voiced Lara in several Tomb Raider games including Angel of Darkness and The Last Revelation).
As for The Myth of El Hawa itself, this is told through Lara’s diary entries. These reveal how, following her fall into the collapsing temple of Horus at The Last Revelation’s close, Lara struggled to make her way out alive. However, make her way out she did, and on the brink of death she was found by a shaman named Putai.
After reviving her with water and oils, Lara recalls how Putai brought her to the Bantiwa tribe – a group that Lara describes as her “desert family”. This tribe was made up of mostly women who were skilled in combat, and as Lara continued her recovery, she was gradually accepted into the tribe as one of them. She learned to fight alongside them and acknowledges that the love and support she found with the tribe left her hesitant to return to her original life. Her diary states she needed time to “get perspective on what happened at the tombs and why no one had come searching for [her]”, which her stay with the tribe allowed her to do.