The Last Of Us 2: 11 Perfect Theories That'll Blow Your Mind

3. Joel Killing The Fireflies Is What Allowed The Cult To Find Ellie

the last of us ending
Naughty Dog

With the theory that Marlene spent her time in the Fireflies using her resources to keep Ellie out of the cult's clutches in mind, it's been theorised that Joel murdering them all at the end of the first game could have opened the floodgates for the religious fanatics to catch up to her.

There's no way Naughty Dog is going to let Joel get off scott-free with his actions from the end of the previous game, and if he inadvertently put Ellie in danger because of his own selfish desire to not lose her, it would have huge ramifications on their relationship going forward.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.