With each passing episode, HBO’s The Last of Us continued to defy expectations. And the season finale was no different. But it left some fans asking one question in particular – why did Joel kill Marlene?
The TV show has remained incredibly true to the 2013 video game. It even went as far as to feature near-identical scenes and dialogue. This was also the case in season one’s last episode “Look for the Light”.
Ellie and Joel finally arrive in Salt Lake City. After being mistaken for intruders by the Fireflies, they are captured. When Joel awakens, he finds himself in a hospital where Marlene – commander of the Fireflies – informs him that Ellie is being prepped for surgery.
Confused by this, Joel asks why. Marlene informs him the only way to create a cure for the Cordyceps brain infection is for Ellie’s brain to be operated on but she will not survive.
Marlene then orders her soldiers to escort Joel from the hospital, giving him only his pack and a knife. Incensed by the prospect of Ellie’s death at the hands of the Fireflies, Joel kills the soldiers and goes on a rampage throughout the hospital.
He kills all the soldiers he encounters before arriving at the operating room. The lead surgeon tries to stop Joel, but Joel quickly kills him.
He orders the remaining surgeons to unhook Ellie from the machines and he leaves with her in his arms. When he reaches the parking lot, he is confronted by Marlene. What Joel did next shocked TLOU first-timers and re-traumatised longtime fans.
Why did Joel kill Marlene in The Last of Us?
Despite Marlene’s pleas for Joel to do the right thing, it is soon revealed that Joel shot and killed her. But what were his reasons for doing it?
This is why Joel killed Marlene in The Last of Us season finale. Joel killed Marlene so he could escape the Fireflies and face no repercussions for his actions. His final words to Marlene were “You’d just come after her”, suggesting that he believed Marlene and any remaining Fireflies would continue to pursue Ellie if they were left alive.
Therefore, Joel’s only guaranteed way of leaving Salt Lake City safely with Ellie was to kill all the soldiers at the hospital and Marlene.
**Possible spoilers for The Last of Us season two ahead**
As anyone who has played The Last of Us Part II will know, Joel’s decision to save Ellie and kill the Fireflies does come back to haunt him.
However, it remains to be seen if season two of the HBO show will follow the exact same plot as Part II. Whatever happens, it’s bound to be controversial.
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