Joel was killed off early in season 2 of HBO's "The Last of Us" because his death serves as the inciting incident that drives the entire story forward. The showrunners decided to stick closely to the timeline of the original video game, where Joel's death happens early and sets Ellie on a path of vengeance. They wanted to avoid tormenting fans by delaying the event, as many already anticipated it, and felt that killing Joel early made the story feel natural and focused on its core themes

. In the show, Joel is killed by Abby, the daughter of a Firefly surgeon Joel had killed in the first season. This act of revenge is central to the narrative, highlighting the consequences of Joel's earlier choices- particularly his decision to save Ellie at the cost of a potential cure, which led to the death of Abby's father. Joel's brutal death-shot in the leg, beaten with a golf club, then stabbed-occurs in front of Ellie, intensifying the emotional impact and setting the stage for the conflict in season 2

. Although Joel dies, Pedro Pascal's character will still appear in flashbacks, exploring the relationship between Joel and Ellie during the five- year gap between seasons 1 and 2. This death marks a pivotal shift in the story, emphasizing that the narrative now focuses on the fallout and Ellie's quest for revenge