'The Last Of Us 2' theory: Joel killed himself and Ellie is compensating for her loss

Naughty Dog has not released anything definitive about the plot of “The Last Of Us 2” yet, which has pushed fans of the game to become really creative in thinking up their own theories about what could happen in the highly anticipated sequel. And while some theories are more popular than others, almost all are equally possible -- even the idea that Joel took his own life.

The most popular theory at this point is arguably that Joel is dead and that Ellie is seeking revenge for his murder. A handful of players believe this is so, and they have gathered evidence from the reveal trailer of “The Last Of Us 2” to support their claims. In the clip, which can be watched below, it is clear that Ellie is angry at a group of individuals and she says that she will “kill every last one of them.”

Joel’s death, on the other hand, has been deduced from the argument that his appearance was a rather eerie one. Moreover, his question -- “You really gonna go through with this?” -- makes it seem like he will not be joining Ellie on her quest for revenge. And as those who played “The Last Of Us” have argued, Joel would never let Ellie do anything dangerous on her own.

Another theory, as discussed by Games Radar, is that Joel was not actually murdered. Instead, it is believed that he committed suicide somewhere between the original game and “The Last Of Us 2.” Furthermore, the publication noted that the gun Joel is holding in the reveal trailer is the one he used to kill himself. Which is why, as the theory explains, he is always holding it in Ellie’s thoughts.

But the question with this is why he would have killed himself and why Ellie would be so adamant to kill an entire group of individuals for it. In “The Last Of Us,” it was implied that Joel tried to kill himself before in the scene where he and Ellie saw two people kill themselves. Ellie then commented that they took the “easy” way out. “Trust me, it ain’t easy,” Joel replied.

Whatever the reason for his choice, it could answer who Ellie is after in “The Last Of Us 2.” However, the actual answers are unlikely to be revealed until the sequel hits the market. At this point, Naughty Dog has not confirmed when the launch will be, but creative director Neil Druckmann has confirmed that more videos will be revealed in the months leading up to it.