As The Last of Us Season 2 finale streams, fans want to know what happens to Abby and Ellie in the game. The Last of Us Part II has an emotionally complex ending, leaving players to grapple with the consequences of revenge. The final scenes between Ellie and Abby are intense and ultimately heartbreaking, but do either of them die? And why does Ellie make the choice she does?
Do Ellie or Abby die in The Last of Us 2?
No, neither Ellie nor Abby dies by the end of The Last of Us 2. Despite the cycle of violence that consumes them both, the game chooses to let them live with the consequences of their actions rather than ending their stories in death.
Abby, who becomes one of the most controversial characters in video game history after killing Joel, survives to the end. After avenging her father’s death by killing Joel, she’s forced to confront the fallout, not just from Ellie, but from her own conscience. Over time, Abby begins to shift. She meets Lev and Yara, two runaway kids from a cult, and decides to help them. Through them, she starts to see a different way to live.
Meanwhile, Ellie becomes consumed by grief and anger. She promises to get revenge for Joel, and she stops at nothing. She kills Abby’s friends, lies to her loved ones, and even risks her relationship with Dina. But when Abby spares Ellie once, after nearly killing her, it plants a seed. That moment shows there might be a way out.
Still, Ellie can’t let go. She tracks Abby down again, and it’s in the ocean, violent and desperate, and Ellie nearly kills her. But then she remembers Joel, not the angry, broken man, but a quiet moment they shared. And she stops. She lets Abby live.
Why Ellie does not kill Abby in The Last of Us 2
At the end of The Last of Us 2, Ellie doesn’t kill Abby because she realizes it won’t bring her peace. All the pain, the losses, the violence, it hasn’t healed her. And killing Abby won’t either. Ellie finally understands that revenge has taken too much from her already. She’s lost friends, love, and even part of herself. The vision of Joel is what grounds her.
With The Last of Us series adaptation moving into its Season 3, this complex ending sets up even more emotional ground to cover.
