The Last of Us Series Creator Believes that “Joel Was Right”

In the course of more than a decade since its initial launch, the conclusion of the video game “The Last of Us” has remained a topic of frequent debate. Recently, though, Neil Druckmann, the series’ creator, shared his insights about the game’s ending with IGN. Proceed with caution, as this discussion contains significant spoilers for both the original The Last of Us and its first television series adaptation season.

A key debate surrounding the original “The Last of Us” centers around whether the main character, Joel, was justified in his final decision at the end of the game and the subsequent series. To provide some background, the plot of “The Last of Us” primarily revolves around Joel accompanying Ellie, a girl who is immune to the zombie outbreak caused by cordyceps, as they try to reach some doctors. The objective of these doctors was to perform surgery on Ellie in an attempt to discover a cure for the outbreak.

Joel, as he grew increasingly attached to Ellie while spending more time with her throughout the game (and the first season of the show), reaches a point where he finds it unbearable that Ellie won’t survive the surgery. Consequently, he resorts to violence, storming through the Firefly base and fatally striking the doctors who were preparing to operate on Ellie, preventing them from proceeding with the operation.

During a press tour prior to the release of the second season of “The Last of Us,” Druckmann expressed agreement with Joel’s actions, stating, “In Joel’s situation, I aspire to have the courage and resolve to protect my own daughter as he did.

Craig Mazin, the showrunner, responded, “I’d prefer to believe I wouldn’t,” he said. This moral dilemma makes the ending of the first game so intriguing and captivating because it leaves you questioning your actions as a player, refusing to offer an easy escape.

At the conclusion of this scenario, one is left pondering: If given the chance to rescue the entire world, but at the cost of your own child, what course of action would you choose? This question echoes back to the story of Abraham and Isaac, demonstrating a profound idea – the concept of self-sacrifice for the greater good.

Druckmann said, referring to Mazin, that it may seem reasonable to save many lives by killing a stranger, hypothetically speaking. However, if the person being considered for sacrifice is your own child, the answer changes drastically.

In the TV series, actors who portray characters have shared their personal views on whether Joel made the right choice in his actions. Notably, Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie, feels that while Joel may not have saved the entire world, he did save his own world. She stated, “Yes, he saved his world, but not the world as a whole.

The second season of “The Last of Us” is due to air on April 13th. This upcoming series will see Pedro Pascal returning as Joel, with Bella Ramsey playing Ellie, Gabriel Luna portraying Tommy, Rutina Wesley as Maria, and Kaitlyn Dever in the role of Abby. Meanwhile, “The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered” is expected to release on PC later this week as well.

2025-04-01 14:41

The Last of Us Series Creator Believes that “Joel Was Right”

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