Unused Ending Detail Revealed for The Last of Us Part II

One of the most powerful scenes in The Last of Us Part II was originally supposed to appear at the beginning of the game, and Ellie and Joel could have ended their final conversation with a hug.

Troy Baker, who played Joel, discussed working on the porch conversation scene where the characters discuss Joel’s decision to kill the doctors and deprive humanity of a chance to create a vaccine. According to the original script, the episode was supposed to take place at the very beginning, before Joel’s murder by Abby and Ellie’s subsequent revenge.

Later, Naughty Dog moved the scene to the end of the game, turning it into the emotional conclusion of the story. Baker learned about the change only after finishing his work and believes that the new placement made the episode much stronger.

During motion capture filming, the team spent a full day practicing gestures and glances. Initially, the conversation was supposed to end with a hug, but Ashley Johnson, who played Ellie, objected. In her opinion, after the events at the Firefly hospital, the character was not yet ready for such closeness, so the uncertainty and tension between the characters looked more natural.