why do they kill joel in the last of us

Joel is killed in The Last of Us as an act of revenge by Abby Anderson. Abby kills Joel because he previously killed her father, who was a Firefly surgeon trying to find a cure for the fungal outbreak by using Ellie’s immune brain. Joel had saved Ellie by preventing the Fireflies from sacrificing her to create the cure, and Abby and her group seek vengeance for that. Joel’s death is a pivotal, brutal moment that sets the revenge-driven story in motion for the second season. This moment was always intended as a dramatic turning point reflecting loss and the harsh consequences of Joel’s earlier actions.