"Joel was right": The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann defends his character's decision at the end of the first game

The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann and showrunner of the TV series Craig Mazin have weighed in on Joel’s decision at the end of the first game, with both agreeing they would’ve done the same thing.

In any piece of zombie-inspired fiction, you’ll be dealing with characters having to make horrible decisions, whether that be to steal food and supplies from other people trying to survive or to kill an infected companion in order to stop them from becoming a monster. The Last of Us is no different, with Joel and Ellie making a number of rough choices across both games. But one of the biggest is Joel’s choice at the end of the first game. As a heads up, we’ll be spoiling plot beats from both The Last of Us games here and, by extension, the TV series (including potentially spoiling Season 2 of the show ahead of time), so be aware.

At the end of The Last of Us, Ellie is taken in for a surgery that – if successful – could potentially lead to a cure for the cordyceps outbreak. Joel, upon learning that this surgery will result in Ellie’s death, goes on a murderous rampage and kills every person in the hospital. Fans have debated about Joel’s actions since the game released in 2013, and now the showrunners of the TV series, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (who also directed the games), have weighed in on it.

Speaking to IGN, Druckmann said, “I believe Joel was right… If I were in Joel’s position, I hope I would be able to do what he did to save my daughter.” Despite Druckmann saying he and Mazin had differing opinions on this, Mazin admitted, “I think that if I were in Joel’s position, I probably would have done what he did,” although he was a bit less committal than Druckmann, saying, “I’d like to think that I wouldn’t. That’s the interesting push and pull of the morality of it.”

However, it wasn’t until The Last of Us Part 2 released seven years later that we saw the full effects of what Joel did. The doctor whom Joel murdered to start his rampage was the father of the second game’s playable character, Abby, who then dedicated her life to learning how to play golf and getting revenge on Joel – setting the plot of the sequel into motion. So while Druckmann didn’t condemn Joel in his answer, it is clear that he somewhat agrees that his decision was questionable.

Druckmann recently talked about a potential The Last of Us Part 3, saying, “so many stars have to align, I can’t guarantee it.”

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