Fans are apprehensive about one character's fate in The Last of Us Season 2 after its first episode titles were revealed.
HBO's The Last of Us is an adaptation of Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic video game series of the same name which stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie.
The new season which is set to debut on April 13 will adapt the controversial second game, The Last of Us Part II.
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.
The Last of Us Season 2 Episode Titles Hint at a Controversial Scene
An HBO listing, (shared by @TheLastofUsNews on X) revealed the episode titles for the first two chapters in The Last of Us Season 2.
The first episode of Season 2 is reportedly an hour long and is titled "Future Days." Fans familiar with the games will know this is a reference to the Pearl Jam song that Joel sings for Ellie in the opening of The Last of Us Part 2, and it becomes a recurring motif throughout the story.
Another thing those who have played the second game will know is that Joel is brutally murdered early on in the story, leaving Ellie to go on a quest for vengeance.
With the first episode of The Last of Us Season 2 labeled "Future Days," it has fans worried that Joel's death scene may appear as early as the first episode.
In particular, the lines from "Future Days," "If I ever were to lose you, I'd surely lose myself," are particularly relevant to Joel and Ellie's relationship in The Last of Us Part 2, so naming the episode after the song could be a sign that the brutal event will happen up front in Season 2.
The scene is pivotal to the story of the second game, so it makes sense that it would occur early on in the second season as well. However, given Pedro Pascal's prevalence in marketing materials so far, and the news that Season 2 of The Last of Us will include new content not seen in the games, some were hopeful that he may stick around longer.
Even if Joel's death does occur early in the season, Pascal will likely still be seen in other episodes as Joel appears in the games via Ellie's memories, and he will probably do so in the show as well.
Ellie's Dark Path Ahead In The Last of Us Season 2
Adding to this theory about Joel's early demise is the title of The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2, which is reportedly "Through the Valley."
Once again, this is a reference to a song with significant importance to The Last of Us. Ashley Johnson's cover of "Through the Valley" was used in the announcement trailer for The Last of Us Part 2 in 2016.
While Joel was present in this trailer (and at the time was thought to have a large part in the sequel) in retrospect the song can be seen as a metaphor for Ellie's revenge journey.
In the trailer, Joel asks whether Ellie is really going to "go through with this?" to which she vows to find and kill "every last one of them."
At the time in 2016, it was not clear that Ellie's desire was vengeance for Joel's death, but the song and its lyrics are another motif in the music of The Last of Us that signals Ellie's dark path in the second game.
If "Through the Valley" is also meant to signify this for the second episode of The Last of Us Season 2, it could mean that Joel's death will happen in Episode 1 and then Episode 2 sees Ellie reckoning with these events and making the decision to walk that darker path and seek revenge on Abby.
The Last of Us Season 2 will be shorter than the initial season, comprising only seven episodes, and while it's unclear exactly how the HBO show will adapt the complex narrative of The Last of Us Part 2, this timeline of events in the show would line up with that of the story of the game and makes sense given the shorter season.
The Last of Us Season 2 kicks off Sunday, April 13.
