why did they kill joel in last of us

Joel was killed in The Last of Us because Abby wanted revenge for her father, a Firefly surgeon Joel had killed to save Ellie. Abby brutally murdered Joel with a golf club after he saved her from infected, as an act of retribution for her father's death. This event sets up the central conflict of the story, motivating Ellie to seek vengeance after losing Joel, her surrogate father. Joel's death was a pivotal and preordained moment in the narrative, representing loss and driving the plot forward in season 2 of the show, paralleling key themes from the original video game.