Joel said what now?! After over a decade of “what ifs” and Reddit wars, The Last of Us finally dropped a straight-up heartbreaking answer in Season 2, Episode 6. And yes — it’s brutal. The Last of Us Season 2 Ending Explained- For anyone who thought Joel was just a grieving dad with a shotgun, think again. That man might’ve just killed the last hope of saving humanity… and admitted it.
The Big Reveal: “Yes.”
In a quiet but emotionally loaded moment on the front porch in Jackson, Ellie asks Joel the question fans have screamed since 2013: Would a cure have been possible if you hadn’t intervened?
Joel doesn’t hesitate.
“Yes,” he says.
Just like that, the biggest mystery of the franchise isn’t so mysterious anymore. No flashbacks. No lab notes. Just Joel’s voice. Shaky. Honest. Heartbreaking.
Wait… So Ellie Could’ve Been the Cure?
According to Joel? 100%. But let’s rewind.
Season 1 ended with Joel going full action-hero-dad mode, slaughtering the Fireflies to save Ellie from being dissected like a lab rat. He told her they gave up on the cure. He lied.
But here’s the tea: there was hope. The Fireflies were inches away from a breakthrough. One doctor even said they were about to make a discovery “equal to penicillin.” Bruh.
Then Joel wiped them all out — including Abby’s dad, the only surgeon who could pull it off.
Now What?
Well, it’s too late now. Season 2 confirmed what fans feared. The only person who could’ve made the cure? Dead. Ellie? Alive but guilt-ridden. Joel? A broken man carrying the weight of humanity’s extinction on his back.
And with Season 3 already greenlit, things are only gonna get darker from here.