Joel was killed off in The Last of Us as a pivotal and unavoidable moment to set the direction for the new season's story. He was brutally murdered by Abby, the daughter of a Firefly surgeon Joel had killed in order to save Ellie from being sacrificed for a potential cure. This act of revenge by Abby is the inciting incident that drives much of the narrative tension in season 2, highlighting the harsh moral complexities and consequences of Joel's earlier choices. The show's creators chose to kill Joel early in the season to spare fans prolonged torment and to establish the new stakes and motivations for the characters, particularly Ellie witnessing the loss of her father figure firsthand. Joel's death is meant to be strikingly brutal and emotionally devastating, underscoring themes of loss, vengeance, and the cost of survival in a post-apocalyptic world.
