HBO’s The Last of Us (2023-Present) is heading into its second season. Season 1 of the critically acclaimed series mostly followed the events of Naughty Dog’s 2013 survival game, The Last of Us. Season 2 will kick-start the events of The Last of Us Part II (2020), a direct sequel to the original game. To prepare for the upcoming season, let’s take a look at every important piece of information about one of the show’s main characters, Ellie.
While The Last of Us has been praised for being one of the most faithful video game adaptations ever made, the series still made some changes here and there. This guide will cover Ellie Williams’ timeline based on HBO’s The Last of Us. For a complete timeline of Naughty Dog’s video games, please refer to this CBR resource instead.
Ellie’s Birth & Why She’s Immune to Cordyceps
Ellie’s Basic Information:
- Birthday: A specific day is never specified, but Ellie was born in 2009
- Age: Ellie is 14-years-old throughout Season 1
- Mother: Anna
- Father: Unknown
- Portrayed By: Bella Ramsey
The Last of Us video games don’t go into much detail about Ellie’s birth, her parents, or why she’s immune. The HBO series decided to address this by developing the events leading up to Ellie’s birth. Ellie Williams’ mother, Anna, gave birth to Ellie in 2009. The series never names or shows Ellie’s father, leading viewers to believe that he is no longer in the picture.
Anna is played by Ashley Johnson. Johnson is the voice and motion capture actress for Ellie Williams in the video games. Playing Ellie’s mother was a fantastic way to pay homage to such an important character in Johnson’s career.
The circumstances of Ellie’s birth were quite stressful. Anna left the Boston quarantine zone with Marlene to head for a Firefly safe house. During their trek through the woods, Anna was separated from Marlene and the rest of the patrol group. Alone and heavily pregnant, an Infected soon sensed Anna and chased her through the woods. Anna struggled to get to the safe house alone, but she managed. Anna took precautions to barricade the front door and then hide in one of the upstairs rooms, but that wasn’t enough to keep her safe from the Infected.
Eventually, the Infected perusing her broke into the house and tracked Anna upstairs. Anna, now in labor, manages to kill the Infected with a knife after a fierce struggle. Anna was so preoccupied with fending off the creature that she didn’t notice she’d given birth to Ellie during the confrontation. She also didn’t notice the fresh bite on her thigh. Panicking, Anna used the same knife she killed the Infected with to cut Ellie’s umbilical cord, which exposed her to the Cordyceps brain infection (CBI). Anna didn’t realize this action would expose Ellie to Cordyceps, but the exposure is ultimately what granted Ellie her immunity.
Anna held Ellie until Marlene finally arrived. The series emphasizes that Anna and Marlene have been life-long friends, so Anna convinces Marlene to take Ellie and look after her as a way to honor their friendship. She also requests that Marlene give Ellie her knife as a gift, one of the only things Anna could pass on to her daughter. Ellie still has this knife and is seen using it or fidgeting with it multiple times throughout the series. Before Marlene left with Ellie, she shot Anna to spare her friend from the miserable fate of turning.
Ellie Grows Up in a Quarantine Zone
«No matter what anyone out there says or thinks… we’re the only thing holding this all together.» ―Captain Kwong about FEDRA
Despite Anna’s dying wish for Marlene to look after her daughter, Marlene inevitably took Ellie to the Boston quarantine zone. Ellie was declared an orphan and spent most of her childhood in the FEDRA military preparatory school. Marlene was the leader of the Fireflies (and maintained that position until her death in Season 1, Episode 9 — «Look for the Light»), so she couldn’t be responsible for looking after such a young child. Despite leaving Ellie at military school, Marlene still checked in on Ellie from time to time and kept an eye on her to make sure that she was alright.
Ellie’s time at the FEDRA military preparatory school is pretty self-explanatory. These military boarding schools essentially taught kids how to become soldiers. This makes sense. In the world of The Last of Us, quarantine zones are some of the only safe places left. While many groups, like the Fireflies, oppose FEDRA’s control, they do keep the people inside these zones safe from Infected and raiders alike. To maintain that level of safety, FEDRA needs a constant supply of decently trained soldiers who can kill Infected, do perimeter sweeps, and intercept anyone trying to sneak in or out of the quarantine zone.
The military schools were glorified orphanages. Children who lost their parts during or after the outbreak were sent to these boarding schools, where they would share dorm rooms with at least one other student. While at school, Ellie was subject to strict discipline, curfews, and intense physical training. She also learned how to shoot a pistol and even went out on patrol. The show emphasizes that the schools were attempting to create the next generation of soldiers. Ideally, they needed two types of soldiers, the grunts who would take orders and the leaders who took charge of their fellow soldiers.
Ellie & Riley are Infected Together
Ellie is infected shortly before she meets Joel Miller. At the time of her infection, Ellie had no idea that she was immune. She fully expected to die or turn that night, but what happened was far worse. In Season 1, Episode 7 — «Left Behind,» viewers see the story of how Ellie was bitten. «Left Behind» was inspired by the Left Behind DLC that came out shortly after the release of the first game.
In «Left Behind,» we see Ellie’s relationship with her roommate and best friend, Riley. Riley planned to run away from the FEDRA boarding school to join the Fireflies, a decision that deeply troubled Ellie. Ellie didn’t trust the Fireflies at the time due to some of their extreme anti-FEDRA propaganda, but she also didn’t want to lose her best friend. Riley wants to spend one last night with Ellie before leaving for the Fireflies, so she convinces Ellie to sneak out with her.
They manage to sneak out to an abandoned mall filled with tons of shopping, an arcade, and a few carnival-style rides like a merry-go-round. While there, the girls play video games, ride the carousel, and take photos in a photo booth. They even share their first kiss, revealing that Riley and Ellie wanted to be so much more than friends. Their mall outing-turned date allowed both girls to be honest about their feelings and spend some much-needed quality time together. Unfortunately, their happiness was short-lived.
All the noise the girls made eventually caught the attention of some Infected lurking in the dark recesses of the mall. Thanks to their military training, they were able to fight the Infected off, but both girls were bitten in the fight. Realizing they were both infected and going to turn, Riley suggested that they spend their last hours together so they could «lose their minds together.» Riley eventually turned, but Ellie never did. Due to Ellie’s exposure to Cordyceps as a newborn, her body developed a natural chemical messenger that made the infection believe Ellie already had Cordyceps, therefore not infecting her. Ellie was forced to kill Riley after she turned, making Riley the first person she had ever killed.
After killing Riley, Ellie slowly made her way back to Boston. Before she could reach the quarantine zone, Marlene intercepted her. Marlene and a group of Fireflies locked Ellie up in a Firefly safe house, where they kept her chained in a room. The goal was to monitor Ellie’s progress to see if she ever turned after being infected. The chains were a safety precaution, in case Ellie turned and tried to attack someone. Eventually, Marlene deduced that Ellie was immune to Cordyceps, and saw hope for a cure.
Ellie & Joel Head West to Find the Fireflies
Ellie Meets Joel Miller
Once Marlene is convinced of Ellie’s immunity, she devises a plan to sneak Ellie out of Boston so she can take her to a Firefly hospital stationed in Seattle. While trying to secure a car battery to make the trip easier, Marlene was injured in a shootout. Eventually, Joel and his partner, Tess, come across an injured Marlene, who convinces them to smuggle Ellie out of the city. With the injury she sustained, she’s no longer able to smuggle Ellie out herself, so she entrusts the task to Joel and Tess to get her out of Boston and deliver her to a group of Fireflies waiting outside the city.
Joel and Tess are smugglers who often slip out of the quarantine zone for a variety of reasons. While the pair sneak Ellie out of Boston, they’re intercepted by a few soldiers. One of the soldiers has a scanner that identifies CBI, and it beeps when placed near Ellie, revealing to Joel and Tess that she’s infected. Ellie convinces them that her bite has healed because it happened three weeks ago, proving that she’s immune to Cordyceps.
Tess' Death
Ellie reveals that Marlene plans to use her as a way to research a cure for Cordyceps. After some convincing, Joel and Tess believe her and agree to get her to Marlene, whatever it takes. The trio has a few close calls with some Infected, including a couple of Clickers. Tess is bitten during the altercation but decides to keep it to herself for a while. Tess has to be sure Joel will commit to getting Ellie to the Fireflies before she dies. Tess sacrifices herself to a hoard of Infected to give Joel and Ellie time to escape, leaving the iconic duo on their own to make it to Seattle by themselves.
At first, Ellie and Joel’s relationship is strained. Joel lost his daughter, Sarah, when the outbreak happened, so being responsible for another child leaves him uneasy. He tries to keep Ellie at arm’s length, treating her more like a job than a person. Ellie makes it pretty easy to dislike her at first because she asks so many questions about life outside the quarantine zones, life before the outbreak, and so on. She’s excited to learn and travel, but her giddiness can be grating. She also loves bad puns, which doesn’t help.
Kansas City
After Tess’ death, the duo face many perils during their trip across the country. The first major roadblock happens in Kansas City, where a group of survivors ambush them, intending to kill them and steal all their supplies. This is the first time Ellie sees just how dangerous survivors are. They don’t just need to be afraid of Infected. After Joel kills several survivors, the pair are forced to make their way through Kansas City on foot.
They eventually take refuge in a high rise, where they plan to rest and stay hidden from the hostile group occupying Kansas City. It becomes clear to Ellie and Joel that their attackers were part of a resistance group that helped overthrow FEDRA’s control of Kansas City, proving that they are extremely dangerous people. While hiding, a pair of brothers sneak up on them. Henry Burrell is a young adult taking care of his younger brother, Sam. Sam is deaf, which keeps Henry on edge because he has to be Sam’s ears. Henry is also wanted by the group occupying Kansas City, so he’s looking for a way to get himself and his brother out.
Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam join forces to escape the city. Ellie and Sam form a sweet friendship, but it doesn’t last long. Not only is the group pursued by the Kansas City survivors, but they also come face-to-face with another Infected hoard. This time, the show includes a few more variant monsters, including a child Clicker and a terrifyingly powerful Bloater. All Hell breaks loose as the Infected overwhelm Ellie’s group and the resistance group. Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam manage to escape, but Sam is infected. Unable to save him from turning, Henry eventually kills Sam and then himself, leaving Ellie devastated and heartbroken.
Meeting Up With Tommy in Jackson
Ellie and Joel’s next major stop is Jackson, where Joel’s brother, Tommy, has managed to help build a peaceful town for survivors. While there, Joel asks Tommy to take Ellie the rest of the way to Seattle. It’s a selfish request, one born out of fear that he’s grown too close to Ellie and fears the day he’ll see her die like Sam or Sarah. Ellie overhears this conversation and feels betrayed like Joel is throwing her away. After an intense fight, Joel eventually decides to continue his journey with Ellie, accepting his place as an important figure in her life.
Ellie is Forced to Kill David
After leaving Jackson on horseback, Ellie and Joel eventually find themselves in Colorado. They’ve spent most of their travel time bonding, sharing stories, and, on Ellie’s part, asking a never-ending flow of questions. They eventually come across a college campus that was once a Firefly base, but no longer has any Fireflies. They decide to investigate the campus for signs of life, where the Fireflies might have gone, and to gather any remaining supplies.
While scavenging, a group of raiders shows up. Joel and Ellie try to make a run for it, but Joel sustains a stab wound during the confrontation. Joel loses a lot of blood and eventually succumbs to his injury, slipping into a coma. Ellie manages to get Joel into an abandoned house, where she hides him in the basement and tries to look after him. She even goes out to hunt for food for them. On one of her hunting trips, she crosses paths with a small group of hunters led by a man named David. Allegedly, they were also out hunting for food, but Ellie doesn’t trust their intentions.
After killing a deer, David attempts to bargain with Ellie to get some of the deer meat. While Ellie doesn’t trust the group, she sees it as an opportunity to get medicine for Joel. David agrees and even delivers the medication to her. Ellie takes it to Joel and injects him with a large dose of penicillin. The following day, David and a scouting party follow Ellie to the house. Realizing they are in danger, Ellie decides to lead the group away from Joel by taking the horse. Eventually, David succeeds in abducting Ellie and takes her back to his settlement, where he locks her up and offers her a new life with him.
In addition to David kidnapping her and his incredibly inappropriate offer, Ellie also realizes the group may be cannibals. Eventually, Ellie manages to kill one of David’s men and make a run for it. David follows her and stalks her around a dining hall. Ellie throws a simmering piece of firewood at David, which ignites some fabric. The flames slowly engulf the building as David attempts to pin Ellie down. Both the game and the HBO series suggest that David plans to sexually assault Ellie, but she manages to grab hold of a meat cleaver and slams it into David’s face repeatedly. Only after David is dead does Joel finally catch up with her. Joel finds a traumatized Ellie and all he can do is hold her as she cries.
Ellie & Joel Make it to the Fireflies
Joel and Ellie finally make it to Seattle, where they both believe the Fireflies will run some tests and use Ellie’s immunity to find a cure for CBI. What they don’t know is that the Firefly doctors plan to kill Ellie to get what they need. Cordyceps grows in the brain, so they need to harvest samples from her brain. The only way to do that is to kill her.
Ellie doesn’t remember anything that happened at the Firefly hospital. She is knocked out and prepped for surgery almost immediately. When Joel learns the truth about what Marlene and the Fireflies plan to do with her, he goes on a rampage through the hospital to save her. Joel kills everyone in his way, including the doctors, who are, potentially, the last chance humanity has at creating a cure.
Before Ellie wakes up, Joel takes her to a working car and begins driving back to Jackson. When Ellie wakes up, he lies to her to cover up what happened. Joel tells her that the Fireflies stopped looking for a cure after more immunity cases came forward, and they weren’t able to do anything with them. He also says that the hospital was overrun by raiders that killed most of the Fireflies. According to his story, he barely got them out in time. Choosing to believe Joel’s story, Ellie agrees to go back to Jackson with him, where they take up a permanent residence. Joel and Ellie are still in Jackson at the start of The Last of Us Season 2.
