
As The Last of Us Season 2 draws near, fans will be asking one question: does Joel die?
It’s a huge, spoiler-y question that may seem preposterous if you have no knowledge of the games. After all, the first season followed Joel and Ellie, and by the end – even after Joel massacred a hospital full of Fireflies – they were positioned to start a new life together.
The second season of The Last of Us takes place five years later, with Joel and Ellie living in Jackson. However, as per the synopsis, they’re “drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”
Season 2 will begin adapting Part 2’s epic half-and-half story, one that carries a formidable reputation – so, if you really want to know if anything bad happens to Joel, we can put you out of your misery.
Does Joel die in The Last of Us games?

Yes, Joel dies in The Last of Us Part 2. He’s brutally murdered by Abby, the daughter of one of the Firefly doctors Joel killed in his slaughter to rescue Ellie from the hospital at the end of the first game.
The sequel often revolves around Ellie’s resentment of Joel for stopping the operation that would have created a vaccine for Cordyceps. It takes place four years after the first game, with Joel and Ellie struggling to make amends for the past.
One blustery, snowy day, Joel and Tommy are on patrol when they rescue a girl from an infected horde. When they reach an outpost, they’re ambushed by Abby’s group, revealed to be part of the Washington Liberation Front.
When they don’t return to Jackson, Ellie and Dina head out to find them. When Ellie reaches the same outpost, she’s forced to watch as Abby beats Joel to death with a golf club.
If you want to watch Joel’s death (or relive it, if you’re a masochist), here you go.
Will Joel die in The Last of Us Season 2?
It’s unclear if Joel will die in The Last of Us Season 2, but it seems likely, given it’s the inciting incident for Ellie’s pursuit of revenge and the majority of the sequel’s story.
In an interview with Esquire, Pascal was asked about his fate in the new season. “It wouldn’t make sense to follow the first game so faithfully only to stray severely from the path… so, yeah, that’s my honest answer,” he said.
“This should be fairly obvious to anyone by now, but I don’t fear killing characters,” co-showrunner Craig Mazin said.
“But the important thing to note is that neither Neil [Druckmann] nor I feel constrained by the source material.”
During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Bella Ramsey confessed she was “nervous” about Joel’s death and how it’ll affect her experience on the show.
“I’m nervous about it… I know what happens in the second game. I’m nervous about being potentially without Pedro for a while. It’s going to be really sad,” she said.
There you go – do you feel better? Are you happy that you know what happened and will happen? No, of course you aren’t.
Make sure you know exactly what time The Last of Us Season 2 premieres on HBO, and check out our breakdowns on when The Last of Us takes place, the show’s soundtrack, and the differences between HBO’s series and the game.