Diehard players of "The Last of Us" video game have been anticipating a certain plot turn ever since news hit that the action-adventure game was getting the HBO series treatment: the death of one of the franchise's most beloved characters.
(Warning: spoilers for the game are very much ahead!)
Yes, in the video game's sequel "The Last of Us Part II," our post-apocalyptic hero Joel Miller is shockingly beaten to death by Abby in revenge for him murdering her father, the Firefly surgeon who was about to perform an operation on Ellie.
(In case you need an extra refresher, the surgery was to remove a part of Ellie's infected brain to help develop a vaccine against the Cordyceps fungus, a procedure that very likely would kill the girl.)
Joel's tragic murder sets up much of the action of the rest of the game, as Ellie not only vows to seek revenge against Abby but also must deal with the overwhelming grief of losing her father figure.
Given that the upcoming second season of HBO's "The Last of Us" will largely stick to the game script of "The Last of Us" Part II video game, fans have been wondering — and no doubt dreading — exactly when they'll have to say farewell to Joel, who is excellently portrayed in the drama series by Pedro Pascal.
And though "TLOU" fans have previously been warned that deviations of both plot and timeline are to be expected in the new episodes, which will hit HBO and Max on Sunday, April 13, it does seem like the powers that be have a plan in place for how they will execute — no pun intended — Joel's unfortunate fate.
During a June 2023 appearance on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, showrunner Craig Mazin would "neither confirm nor deny anything" regarding Joel's death, yet did assure viewers: "We know exactly what we're gonna do."
"Anytime you're adapting something where there's source material, there's certainly an expectation that the adaptation will hit the main source material points and that is mostly what happens," Mazin told podcast host Josh Horowitz.
"But the way they happen, I think, is what matters: how they happen, when they happen ... so look, when it comes to the fate of characters, no matter who they are, all I can say is, we will do what we want to do in a way that is best for the show that we're making.
"And we will always be thinking about the two perspectives that we have, which is [co-creator Neil Druckmann's] perspective as a creator and my perspective as a fan."
And what does Pascal have to say about the fate of his character? “It wouldn’t make sense to follow the first game so faithfully only to stray severely from the path,” Pascal told Esquire. “So, yeah, that’s my honest answer.”
We'll see exactly if and when Pascal's Joel Miller does meet his demise when "The Last of Us" season 2 premieres on HBO and Max next month. Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all things "TLOU" related, from plot points to actor insights to new teaser trailers.
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