HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 premiere spotlights the Abby-Joel conflict. While her teammates mourn the Firefly massacre, Abby harbors a deeply personal vendetta against Ellie’s guardian. She’s hunting Joel specifically, setting up a dangerous collision course with Pedro Pascal’s character. This is to avenge the death of her family member.
Here’s why Abby wants to kill Joel in The Last of Us Season 2
In Last of Us Season 2, Abby, portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever, sets out on a personal mission to find and kill Joel. Her hatred isn’t random—it’s rooted in trauma. Abby’s father, Dr. Jerry Anderson, was the Firefly surgeon. He was the one who had prepared to operate on Ellie to create a potential cure for humanity.
While Abby’s character did not appear at the end of season 1 of The Last of Us, the flashback in The Last of Us Part II reveals something else. It showcases that Abby was with her father before he was called off to check on the immune girl (Ellie) who has finally arrived at the Firefly station.
Joel, however, couldn’t accept losing Ellie to the procedure and took matters into his own hands. Before killing Anderson, Joel killed the rest of the Firefly squad who were at the building. However, the gaming narrative suggests Abby was coming behind Joel to prevent him from killing the unit members.
Despite her best efforts, she did not reach the surgery room in time and could not save his father. The flashback scenes of Abby and Joel inside the Firefly building could be in season 2.
The first episode of The Last of Us season 2 has revealed Abby’s continuous quest to hunt down Joel has crossed the five-year mark. At the end of the episode, it seems like Abby and her team have reached Wyoming. But Wyoming is not just Joel’s shelter; it is the safe community space of his brother Tommy and others.
Abby’s arrival in Wyoming also poses a threat to Joel and Ellie’s relationship, which is already falling apart. Joel’s therapy session with Gail reveals that Ellie is still in the dark about what happened to Marlene and other Firefly members. So, when Abby confronts Joel, Ellie might get to know the actual truth about her brain surgery.
