No, Joel doesn’t die in The Last of Us but he does die in Naughty Dog's sequel to The Last of Us, The Last of Us Part II.
The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series that is based on Naughty Dog’s video game franchise. Created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO, the series follows Joel and Ellie as they attempt to survive in a world set twenty years in the future, where a mass fungal infection causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures. This causes the collapse of society which brings about its own share of dangers over the course of Ellie and Joel’s journey. The series premiered on January 2023 and was an instant hit, as critics and fans alike fell in love with the show. So much so, that The Last of Us earned 24 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning eight awards.
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.
Does Joel die in The Last of Us?
No, Joel doesn’t die at the end of the events in HBO’s The Last of Us but he does die in The Last of Us Part II, the sequel to Naughty Dog’s original The Last of Us video game. The sequel starts around five years after the events of The Last of Us, in 2038, where Joel and Ellie have made a life for themselves in Jackson alongside Tommy, his wife, Dina, and the rest of the colony. However, when on patrol with Tommy, Joel and his brother save Abby Anderson from a horde of infected.
She takes him back to her hideout, where her group is staying and the two brothers introduce themselves only for Joel to realize that the group already knows who they are. Abby confirms that and then shoots Joel’s leg with a shotgun, incapacitating him. The group then knocks out Tommy, restrains Joel to a wall and Abby begins to question him after she wraps his leg in a tourniquet.
However, after that, she takes a golf club and begins to beat him with it, with Joel half dead by the time Ellie arrives on the scene. She arrives to find Abby beating Joel and tries to stop her but is restrained by Abby’s team. As Ellie watches on, Abby continues to beat Joel with him unable to move and eventually bashes his head in with the golf club, killing him.
Who portrays Joel in The Last of Us show?
José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal, better known as Pedro Pascal, portrays Joel Miller in HBO’s The Last of Us. A Chilean and American actor, Pascal is best known for his roles across stage and television with his breakthrough role coming in the series Game of Thrones. However, Pascal made his acting debut in 1996 and spent the next two decades taking small roles across the stage and television before making his breakthrough.
He is also well known for his role in Narcos, The Mandalorian, The Great Wall, and several other productions over the years. Not only that, Pascal was nominated for several awards for his role in HBO’s The Last of Us, winning the People’s Choice Awards for “The Male TV Star of The Year” and MTV Movie and TV Awards for “Best Duo” alongside Bella Ramsey.
FAQs on The Last Of Us
A. As of March 2025, it has not been revealed what route HBO plans to take with Joel Miller’s death in The Last of Us season 2, which covers the Naughty Dog game The Last of Us Part II.
A. Abby Anderson kills Joel Miller in The Last of Us Part II.
A. Bella Ramsey is set to reprise her role as Ellie in season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us.
