'The Last Of Us 2': The case of Joel's death & how Naughty Dog will present it

Almost three months ago, Naughty Dog confirmed that it was releasing “The Last Of Us 2,” but failed to announce when the highly anticipated sequel would be available in the market and what it would be about. Since then, fans have come up with their own theories about how the lives of Joel and Ellie will unfold.

In the reveal trailer, which can be watched below, Ellie is evidently older and stronger and arguably far less optimistic. She is in a house surrounded by dead bodies and she picks up a guitar and sings a melancholy song. Joel then enters without any noticeable battle wounds and asks Ellie if she’s sure. Ellie turns to him with determination in her eyes and confirms she will kill “each and every one of them.”

It is unclear whom Ellie is talking about and why she is so hell bent on getting her revenge, but a popular theory is that Joel is dead and that Ellie is seeking to avenge his death. As the theory explained, the Joel that audiences see in the trailer is actually just a figment of Ellie’s imagination, which is her way of dealing with the loss of her father-figure. It has been generally regarded as a strong case, but other fans of the franchise have weighed in on the same.

In “The Last Of Us 2” Reddit page, various commenters have given way to the idea that Joel is dead. However, these individuals were also quick to say that Naughty Dog would not handle Joel’s death lightly and that it is unlikely to be the plot twist in the sequel. User Flabby-Nonsense made the argument that the game publisher would make it clear from the beginning that Joel was murdered and that Ellie is just imagining him.

After the reveal trailer was released at the last PlayStation Experience event, creative director and writer Neil Druckmann went on the record regarding a few things. He wrote in an official PlayStation Blog entry that Naughty Dog was close to giving up on a sequel altogether. “We knew that it needed to be a story worth telling and, perhaps more importantly, a story worthy of Joel and Ellie.”

Druckmann has been a force to reckon with in the video game world, and fans of his work know not to take his words lightly. So if Joel will be dead in “The Last Of Us 2,” it is unlikely that it will be made into a farce. It is possible that a large part of the sequel will showcase how Ellie gets over the loss instead of keeping that detail of the game hidden until the last minute, if the theory proves to be true.