When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The Last of Us Season 2: Will Ellie kill Abby?

Published
Written by:
Ishita Chatterjee
Ishita Chatterjee
Streaming Staff Editor
Abby in The Last of Us Season 2 (Credit- HBO) and in The Last of Us Part II game (Credit- Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us Season 2 episode 2 has shocked viewers with what happened. While many viewers were anticipating the moment that changed the course of Ellie’s life, many didn’t expect it to come so soon. However, now that Joel Miller’s time has come to an end- one question remains: will Abby die? 

Does Abby die in The Last of Us?

Abby brutally killed Pedro Pascal’s Joel Miller in The Last of Us season 2 episode 2. She wanted revenge for her father’s death and got it. But will Ellie kill her in return for her father-figure’s death? The Last of Us: Part II game explores Ellie embarking on a path of vengeance fueled by grief and loss. But ultimately, she doesn’t kill Abby in The Last of Us Part II game. 

Abby kills Joel in The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2
Abby kills Joel in The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 (Credit- HBO)

Why Doesn’t Ellie kill Abby in The Last of Us: Part II Video game?

Initially, Ellie goes to Seattle where she finds Abby and after killing two of her friends, she confronts her. However, Abby gets the upper hand during the fight and almost kills her and Dina. But Lev, a Seraphite, manages to calm her down and she lets them both leave. 

This incident makes Ellie take a breath and start living a normal life with Dina at their farm. One day, Tommy reveals to her that he has managed to track down Abby. Hearing this, Ellie leaves the happy family she has built with Dina to have the chance to take revenge for Joel’s death. 

After taking down hordes of infected and battling other enemies, she manages to track down Abby in Santa Barbara, where she was being held by the Rattlers (a violent group). Ellie does get captured too, but manages to escape after killing a few of the Rattlers. 

She frees Abby and Lev, and the three go to two boats so that they can escape. However, Ellie wants to fight her even though Abby is initially reluctant. Ellie holds a knife to Lev’s throat to force her hand, and they fight. But just when Ellie is about to end Abby by drowning her, she sees Joel’s serene figure on the porch in her head. This makes her break and she lets Abby and Lev go. 

Abby in The Last of Us Part II game
Abby in The Last of Us Part II game (Credit- Naughty Dog)

The Original plan was to kill Abby

In an interview with IndieWire, Neil Druckmann revealed that the original plan was for Ellie to kill Abby. He said: “For more than 50% of the production, Ellie used to kill Abby at the end. Which gave a whole different kind of feel to the ending, and then another character would have to stop the cycle of violence.”

So, what changed? He explained, “At some point, through our conversations about Yara and Lev, we came to the realization that it wasn’t as honest to Ellie’s character that way. Deep down inside there’s goodness there. Hopefully, she can go forward and build her life.”

So, will the show decide to follow the original plan? Or will it adapt what happened in the game? That remains to be seen. 

Where can you Stream The Last of Us Season 2?

The Last of Us season two is now streaming on HBO and Max. New episodes air weekly on Sundays. The third episode will premiere on Apr. 27, 2025. If you want to refresh your memory, recaps of Episode 1 and Episode 2 are available.

Read More: The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2: Ashley Johnson's Through the Valley Cameo Explained


For a better user experience we recommend using a more modern browser. We support the latest version of the following browsers: For a better user experience we recommend using the latest version of the following browsers: