Why did HBO kill Joel in Season 2 of The Last of Us?
27 april 2025 в 20:13
The game The Last of Us spares no one. As most of the world already knows, the second season of the second series killed off one of the main characters: Joel Miller (played by Pedro Pascal). The heartbreaking scene shows Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) crying as she watches her adoptive father die at the hands of Abby (played by Caitlin Dever). Although fans of the original video game knew that his death was inevitable, they did not expect it to happen so soon. So why did HBO kill off Joel in the second season?
Below, Hollywood Life breaks down everything we know about Joel’s death on screen.
Yes, Joel is beaten and fatally stabbed in the second season, second episode, by Abby. His body is then returned to the city with Ellie and Tommy (played by Gabriel Luna).
The answer is simple: The Last of Us kills off Joel because the video game does the same, and the HBO adaptation follows the storyline. Fans always knew that Joel would die, just like Pedro, as the actor told Entertainment Weekly after this shocking episode aired in April 2025.
«It's not like they said, 'Hey, we’re going to kill you off in the beginning of the second season,' but there was always an understanding that it would remain true to the source material to a certain extent, and that, let’s say, a practical and contractual commitment was made for the first season», - Pedro told the publication. «It was just a matter of how and when».
In the second season, second episode, Abby and the Last Fireflies pursue Joel to avenge the deaths of the people he killed: soldiers and a doctor who was going to dissect Ellie, who turned out to be Abby’s father. Abby accidentally stumbles upon Joel in a blizzard, while a fierce herd of Cordyceps monsters is on the hunt. She lures Joel and Dina (played by Isabela Merced) back to the house where other Fireflies are hiding, where they subdue Dina, and Abby beats Joel. Ellie finds them and tries to shoot Abby, but one of the Fireflies holds her back as she watches Joel die a bloody death. Leaving the room, Ellie vows to kill them.
All episodes of The Last of Us are available for viewing on HBO and streaming on Max.
Each new episode of The Last of Us airs on HBO and Max at 9pm Eastern Time / 6pm Pacific Time on Sundays.
Yes, HBO has renewed The Last of Us for a third season
Below, Hollywood Life breaks down everything we know about Joel’s death on screen.
Yes, Joel is beaten and fatally stabbed in the second season, second episode, by Abby. His body is then returned to the city with Ellie and Tommy (played by Gabriel Luna).
The answer is simple: The Last of Us kills off Joel because the video game does the same, and the HBO adaptation follows the storyline. Fans always knew that Joel would die, just like Pedro, as the actor told Entertainment Weekly after this shocking episode aired in April 2025.
«It's not like they said, 'Hey, we’re going to kill you off in the beginning of the second season,' but there was always an understanding that it would remain true to the source material to a certain extent, and that, let’s say, a practical and contractual commitment was made for the first season», - Pedro told the publication. «It was just a matter of how and when».
In the second season, second episode, Abby and the Last Fireflies pursue Joel to avenge the deaths of the people he killed: soldiers and a doctor who was going to dissect Ellie, who turned out to be Abby’s father. Abby accidentally stumbles upon Joel in a blizzard, while a fierce herd of Cordyceps monsters is on the hunt. She lures Joel and Dina (played by Isabela Merced) back to the house where other Fireflies are hiding, where they subdue Dina, and Abby beats Joel. Ellie finds them and tries to shoot Abby, but one of the Fireflies holds her back as she watches Joel die a bloody death. Leaving the room, Ellie vows to kill them.
All episodes of The Last of Us are available for viewing on HBO and streaming on Max.
Each new episode of The Last of Us airs on HBO and Max at 9pm Eastern Time / 6pm Pacific Time on Sundays.
Yes, HBO has renewed The Last of Us for a third season
© Kolganov Andrey
