The Last of Us: Why Does Abby Kill Joel?

Few video game series pack as much emotion and tragedy as The Last of Us. And while it was incredibly divisive, The Last of Us Part II upped the ante with the horrifying death of main character Joel Miller. But why does Abby kill Joel in The Last of Us?

The hugely successful HBO TV version of The Last of Us has fuelled significant renewed interest in the video games it’s based on. And, naturally, The Last of Us Part II and its most dramatic and shocking moment is once again a popular talking point.

It will likely be some time before The Last of Us TV series catches up with the events of the games. It’s currently unknown where season one will finish. That means it may not reach the events of The Last of Us Part II until season three.

But that hasn’t stopped fans from discussing Joel’s untimely death at the hands of Abby Anderson. The controversial decision to kill Joel off still doesn’t sit right with many gamers.

Others consider it an essential part of Ellie’s development as a character. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, it’s safe to say Joel’s death will be just as divisive in the TV show.

Of course, many fans of the TV show haven’t played the games. Some will be trying to avoid spoilers like the plague, while others will no doubt be curious about how the story played out on PlayStation.

So, if you aren’t worried about spoilers, you will know that eventually Joel is murdered by a character called Abby. But what you probably don’t know is why she did it. Why does Abby kill Joel in The Last of Us?

Why Does Abby Kill Joel in The Last of Us?

At the beginning of The Last of Us Part II, Joel and Ellie are living in Jackson. Jackson is a developing city in Wyoming which is slowly becoming a flourishing community in the devastated post-apocalyptic United States.

The player soon learns that a woman named Abby and her group are searching for an unidentified individual residing in Jackson.

Abby decides to break off from her group to search for this individual alone. She encounters Joel and Tommy when they save her from infected.

They take her to her group and it is revealed they have come to Jackson to kill Joel. Abby shoots him in the leg with a shotgun and bludgeons him to death with a golf club. But her motive for killing Joel is one of the game’s big mysteries.

This is why Abby kills Joel in The Last of Us Part II. Abby killed Joel out of revenge for him killing her father. At the end of The Last of Us, Abby’s father – Jerry Anderson – is the surgeon who is about to operate on Ellie. Joel killed him before the operation could begin as it would’ve resulted in Ellie’s death.

Abby’s father was desperate to develop a cure for the Cordyceps brain infection. As a surgeon, he was the only member of the Fireflies capable of operating on the immune Ellie. He hoped this would enable them to create the cure.

With Jerry dead, hope of finding a vaccine was almost entirely destroyed. The Fireflies disbanded and this is what leads to the events of The Last of Us Part II.

Were you shocked by Joel’s death? Did you agree with Abby’s quest for revenge? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other Film & TV articles…