Does Joel die in The Last of Us?

Does Joel die in The Last of Us? As the HBO show heads into its finale, new fans of the franchise are already struggling to resist asking a huge question: will Joel die?

Tonight, The Last of Us Season 1 comes to an end. Episode 9 will follow Joel and Ellie on the final steps of their journey as they reach Salt Lake City.

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.

Naturally, huge spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2 ahead…

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Does Joel die in The Last of Us?

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.

During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Bella Ramsey confessed that she’s already “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.

The Last of Us Episode 7 will be available to stream on February 26 in the US and February 27 in the UK. Check out the rest of our coverage here, and coverage of the newest episode below:

Episode 6 review | Ending explained | Did Joel die? | What song plays at the end? | Tommy and Maria explained | Monkeys at the university explained | Can dogs smell Cordyceps?