It’s been years. Honestly, the gaming world still hasn't moved on from that cold morning in Jackson. You know the one. The wind is howling, the snow is thick, and suddenly, the most beloved surrogate father in digital history is staring down the business end of a Titleist.
When people talk about the last of us joel death game, they aren't just discussing a plot point. They’re talking about a collective trauma that split the internet in half. Some saw it as a masterpiece of "consequences." Others felt like they’d been slapped in the face by a developer they trusted.
Let’s be real: Joel Miller wasn't a hero. He was a survivor who did something unforgivable to save someone he loved. But did he deserve that?
The moment that changed everything
The setup was brutal. It wasn't some grand, heroic sacrifice where he went out in a blaze of glory saving Ellie from a collapsing building. Nope. It was messy. It was "unceremonious," as Neil Druckmann later described it. Joel saves a stranger named Abby from a horde of infected, brings her back to her group to keep her safe, and gets rewarded with a shotgun blast to the leg.
The room goes quiet. That’s the part that gets me—the silence.
Abby’s friends stand around, looking almost bored or sick, while she methodically uses a golf club to settle a score from the first game. You’re forced to watch through Ellie’s eyes. She’s pinned to the floor, screaming, begging. It’s a sensory overload of wet thuds and desperate gasps. Then, the final blow.
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Why did Naughty Dog do it?
Narratively, Joel’s death was the engine for the entire sequel. Without it, you don't have a story about the "cycle of violence." You just have another road trip.
Lead editor Joe Pettinati once explained that they needed the player to feel the same blinding, irrational hate that Ellie felt. They wanted you to be "on the stick," pulling the trigger in Seattle because you were just as pissed off as she was. It worked. Maybe it worked too well.
- The Firefly Connection: Abby is the daughter of Jerry Anderson, the surgeon Joel killed at the end of the first game.
- The Mirror: Ellie’s journey for revenge becomes a mirror of Abby’s, showing how vengeance leaves everyone empty.
- No Plot Armor: In the world of The Last of Us, nobody is safe. Not even the guy on the cover of the box.
What people get wrong about Joel's "stupidity"
A huge segment of the fanbase still argues that Joel acted "out of character." The argument goes that the hardened smuggler from the first game would never have walked into a room of armed strangers and given his real name.
But look at the context.
Joel had been living in Jackson for four years. He was soft—or rather, he was human again. He was trading coffee, playing guitar, and helping people join the community. He wasn't the paranoid man sleeping with one eye open in a Boston QZ anymore. He was a guy who thought he’d finally found peace.
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Also, they were being chased by a massive horde. Logic goes out the window when a hundred "clickers" are trying to eat your face. You take the first open door you find.
The fallout and the "leaks"
The last of us joel death game controversy was made ten times worse by the leaks. Months before release, major plot points were dumped onto the internet without context. People saw a grainy clip of a new character killing Joel and they lost their minds.
It started a firestorm of "review bombing" on Metacritic before the game even launched. It got ugly. Laura Bailey, the actress who played Abby, actually received death threats. Imagine that. Getting threats for playing a fictional character in a story about how hate is bad. The irony is thick enough to choke on.
The awards vs. the fans
Despite the backlash, The Last of Us Part II went on to win over 320 Game of the Year awards. It’s one of the most decorated pieces of media ever made.
- Critics loved it: They praised the "boldness" and the "unflinching" look at grief.
- Fans were split: Even today, you can find subreddits dedicated entirely to hating the game.
- Sales were huge: It sold over 4 million copies in its first weekend, though sales slowed down faster than the first game as the word-of-mouth spread.
How the TV show handled the heat
By the time the HBO show reached Season 2 in 2025, the creators knew exactly what was coming. They didn't blink. Pedro Pascal’s Joel met the same fate, though the show tweaked things to make Abby’s motivations a bit clearer earlier on.
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Interestingly, the show version felt even more intimate. Because we spent more time seeing Joel try to mend his relationship with Ellie in the episodes leading up to it, the "golf club moment" felt like a physical weight on the audience.
Moving forward: The legacy of a golf club
If you’re still reeling from Joel’s death, you aren't alone. It was designed to hurt. But if you look past the anger, there’s a lot of nuance there. The game asks if you can forgive someone who did the unthinkable. It asks if "eye for an eye" actually makes the world better or just leaves everyone blind.
If you haven't played the Remastered version or the No Return roguelike mode, that’s actually a great way to re-engage with the mechanics without the heavy emotional baggage of the main story. It lets you appreciate the sheer technical brilliance Naughty Dog put into the combat and gore systems, which—honestly—are still industry-leading in 2026.
Actionable next steps for fans:
Check out the Grounded II documentary. It’s a raw look at the development process where Troy Baker (Joel) and Ashley Johnson (Ellie) talk about how hard it was to film those scenes. It might give you the closure the game’s ending intentionally withheld. Also, if you’re looking for a different perspective, try playing through Abby’s chapters again with the "Director’s Commentary" turned on. Hearing the "why" behind the "what" changes the experience entirely.