What actually happened to Joel’s wife in the Last of Us? Lore Explained 

The Last of Us series is a captivating emotional rollercoaster ride revolving around the lives of Joel and Ellie that starts with establishing Joel as a single father to her daughter Sarah. 

Despite Joel being the main character, a crucial part of his background story remains unknown throughout the series. The entire narrative reveals no incident at all related to Joel’s wife or her identity. Luckily, there are some really subtle clues within the game that might help explain what actually happened to her. 

Joel’s wife is never seen and barely mentioned throughout the Last of Us story. A lack of her pictures in Joel’s home implies that she either died or abandoned her family long before the game’s events. 

Joel’s house has many family photos of Sarah, Tommy, and himself, but there is an apparent lack of any adult female in all of them. Additionally, Sarah’s lack of worry towards her mother during the chaos in the prologue implies that she is not present in the house or involved in family matters in any way. 

Later in the game, Joel also accepts that “he was married once”; however, he told Ellie it was “too much” when discussing their separation. It is also revealed that Joel and his wife had Sarah in their teens.  

These plot points heavily suggest that Joel’s wife abandoned him and Sarah soon after her birth due to the stress and relationship issues that might have occurred due to conceiving a child at such an early age. 

It is also possible that she might have died during the child birth, making it way more difficult for Joel to talk about her. However, both of these scenarios are merely theories, and none of them is backed by any official statement by Naughty Dog’s team. 

About The Last of Us Part 1

The Last of Us is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The Remake of the title was developed for the PlayStation 5.

Players control Joel, tasked with caring for Ellie and delivering her to a group called The Fireflies. In a world overrun by the cordyceps fungus, which has infected humanity, Joel must fight off those who have become a host to the fungus and survivors looking to harm them.

The Last of Us received overwhelming praise from both players and critics alike. A remaster was released in 2014 for the PlayStation 4.