Joel isn’t dead in The Last of Us HBO series yet, but he’s far from safe. Joel’s death in The Last of Us Part 2 was the catalyst that set the events in that game into motion. So, if the series plans to adapt TLOU 2, Joel will alwmost certainly die.
Will Joel die in The Last of Us TV show?
Joel will almost certainly die in The Last of Us TV show if there’s a second season. Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have hinted that season 2 will adapt the events seen in The Last of Us Part 2. Joel’s death is the most pivotal point in that game, and it would be nearly impossible to write around it.
However, Joel is almost definitely not going to die in the first season of The Last of Us HBO series. Pedro Pascal, Joel’s actor, is credited on all nine episodes of season one on IMDB, and the character is essential to the show. So, unless it drastically departs from the game’s story, Joel will get bruised, battered, and broken, but he won’t go down for the count.
Of course, there’s always the chance our expectations might be subverted. Some characters, like Marlene, Tess, Tommy, Bill, and Frank, have bigger parts in the show, so things might change a lot before we reach the finale.