{"id":163407,"date":"2025-04-21T09:13:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T09:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/21\/the-last-of-us-creators-explain-major-death-why-joel-had-to-die\/"},"modified":"2025-04-21T09:13:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T09:13:54","slug":"the-last-of-us-creators-explain-major-death-why-joel-had-to-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/21\/the-last-of-us-creators-explain-major-death-why-joel-had-to-die\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last of Us Creators Explain Major Death: Why Joel Had to Die"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Last of Us<\/em><\/a> will never be the same again.<\/p>\n

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us<\/em> season 2, episode 2, which aired Sunday, April 20, on HBO.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After managing to protect Ellie (Bella Ramsey<\/strong>) from the Infected for a whole season, fans witnessed Joel\u2019s (Pedro Pascal<\/strong><\/a>) tragic demise in the second episode of season 2<\/a> on Sunday, April 20.<\/p>\n

During the episode, Abby \u2014 played by Kaitlyn Dever<\/strong> \u2014 got revenge on our hero for killing her father, a doctor at the Salt Lake City hospital that he saved Ellie from in the season 1 finale, by exacting her own brand of justice. After beating Joel with a golf club, she delivered the final blow, stabbing Joel in the neck, all while Ellie helplessly watched on.<\/p>\n

While viewers of the show who might not be familiar with The Last of Us<\/em> video games<\/a> were shocked, the series pulled directly from The Last of Us Part II<\/em>, which was released in 2020.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, show creators Craig Mazin<\/strong> and Neil Druckmann<\/strong> (who also created the video game series) feel your pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI experienced the worst of the negative reaction to it already five years ago. So in that respect, I haven\u2019t been nervous,\u201d Druckmann told Deadline<\/a>, referring to the backlash to Joel\u2019s death in the video game, however, noting that it serves as an \u201cimportant beat\u201d in the wider story.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does hurt tremendously when it happens. It hurts, of course it does, because we love Joel, and more importantly, because Ellie loves Joel, and we\u2019re experiencing her heartbreak, and we\u2019re all going to grieve the loss of this person that we\u2019ve come to love,\u201d said Mazin.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Fans React to That Shocking ‘Last of Us’ Season 2 Death<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tThe Last of Us fans are collectively mourning after a major death on the latest episode. Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us season 2, episode 2, which aired Sunday, April 20, on HBO. During Sunday\u2019s episode of the hit zombie drama, lead character Joel Miller, played by Pedro Pascal, was shockingly killed off [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mazin continued, \u201cBut in terms of the narrative, yes, it felt like an inevitability, because this isn\u2019t a show that goes on and on. This is a show that has an ending. We are a show that confronts people dealing with the hardest emotions. Watching Bella in that moment was heart-wrenching. It really was. There were a lot of tears that day from all of us. It was tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the end of the episode, Ellie vows revenge on Abby and her allies, which sets up the arc for the rest of season 2.<\/p>\n

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