What Happened to Joel in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 1? His 8 Most Important Moments (PHOTOS)

The popular HBO series The Last of Us is nearly back. The second season is set to premiere Sunday, April 13, on HBO (streaming on Max), following a two-year wait since its January 2023 series premiere.

The show is set 20 years after a fungal pandemic took over the world. Main characters Joel and Ellie, played by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, are brought together by fate and try to survive this post-apocalyptic world full of fungal zombies called the infected. There are different levels to being an infected. There’s Runners, Stalkers, Clickers, and Bloaters, the former two being the most advanced stages of the fungal takeover of the human brain.

Joel is a ruthless survivor who is willing to do whatever it takes to live. The loss of his daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker), shown in the first episode’s flashback to the pandemic’s first day full of carnage, made Joel a merciless, cold, emotionally-closed off man who has a hard time opening up to people in fear he will lose them. This affects his relationship with Ellie, who is a resilient, strong 14-year-old girl just trying to get by after she learns she’s immune to the fungal infection, making her blood highly valuable to the quest of finding a cure. Joel is tasked with helping Ellie get to the remaining Fireflies, the forces of rebellion against the fascist FEDRA that’s been in control of the U.S. since the pandemic’s onset, in hopes to find a cure.

Season 1 of the video game adaptation depicts the crucial development of Joel and Ellie’s relationship as found father and daughter. Here, we recap Joel’s pivotal Season 1 moments and analyze his character development to refresh your memory before the show returns.

The Last of Us, Season 2 Premiere, Sunday, April 13, 9/8c, HBO, Streaming on Max