Warning - This article delves deep into some of the main plot points of The Last of Us.At its core, The Last of Us is a franchise in which characters are forced to make tough decisions. Set in the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world overrun by Infected and desperate humans, players are shown just how far people will go to survive. Joel and Ellie, the main protagonists of The Last of Us, are no exception. On their journey across America, the two are constantly besieged by the world and its inhabitants into situations that are morally ambiguous and taxing on the conscience.
Quite possibly the most taxing choice Joel has to make comes at the end of the first game. When faced with the possibility of a cure for the human-inflicting Cordyceps fungus, Joel instead turns his back on the world and decides to save Ellie. The young girl's immunity does in fact hold the key to a cure that can end the nightmare that has afflicted the world for 20 years, but just as Joel's decision to save Ellie has consequences, so too would a hypothetical alternate choice to save the world.
Ellie Would Die
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The first and most obvious outcome if Joel chose to save mankind would be that Ellie would die. As the Cordyceps fungus grows around the victim's brain, extracting it from Ellie would surely result in her death. It was because of the bond Joel shared with Ellie that the former decided to take on the daunting task of eliminating a vast majority of the Fireflies in St. Mary's Hospital. But should that bond not have proven strong enough to counteract Joel's conscience (or what little is left of it), Ellie may have well been dissected for study.
The people closest to Ellie would be most affected by her death. This includes Tommy and Maria (although at this point in time Ellie hasn't spent much time with them), Marlene, and of course Joel. Joel would take Ellie's death the hardest, as he was the one who went through the most experiences with her. Ellie's death would weigh on Joel so much that he might not be able to live with the guilt of handing her over to the Fireflies without a fight. Considering how grim the world of The Last of Us is, Joel might turn to vices such as alcohol or even contemplate suicide to cope with the pain and loss.
A Snake Oil Cure
Even if Ellie's sacrifice managed to produce a cure, not everyone would be willing to accept it. Humanity has been divided into different groups with different views for so long that no singular governing body can oversee everyone. Some groups would be skeptical of the existence of a cure simply due to the fact that it took so long to make. Other groups would shun the cure as they like how the world is in its current state (factions such as the hunters come to mind).
Both of these ideologies are confirmed by Joel in the first The Last of Us, as he tells Ellie to hide her immunity from others for fear that they might try to kill her or think she's crazy. Despite the skepticism, however, some would be ecstatic at the existence of a cure and gladly accept it. It just so happens that it will take a lot of effort to bring the world back to what it was prior to the spread of the Cordyceps fungus.
The Fireflies Are Not The Absolute Answer
Both The Last of Us and The Last of Us 2 show just how small the Fireflies are. The group's members are mostly comprised of people who revolted against numerous F.E.D.R.A. quarantine zones around the world. As the demand for a unified government and a cure for the Cordyceps fungus rose, so too did the number of people who joined the Fireflies. But by the time the events of The Last of Us, the numerous losses to F.E.D.R.A. soldiers coupled with the slow death of the group's dream for a government and a cure have dwindled the Fireflies down to a small militia group. With the prospect of a cure on the horizon, the Fireflies may finally deliver on one of their promised goals.
But the Fireflies are not the government. It would be hard to distribute a cure throughout the rest of the world with such a small number of people whose reputation has been sullied by years of failure and contempt. And not everyone is friends with the Fireflies, as the group has made its fair share of enemies throughout its existence. It's because of these factors that the Fireflies would no doubt be choosy about to whom they give the cure. They would try to prioritize those in need of the cure, but it also calls into question just what they would do if those in need were their former enemies. Just by looking at the questionable morals of their leader Marlene, who would sacrifice Ellie despite promising the girl's mother that she would take care of her, one can see how morally ambiguous the Fireflies can be.
Even with all that sacrifice and pain, Joel choosing to do the "right" thing may not end up making the world a better place. It would undoubtedly be a choice made for the good of mankind, but there are still multiple factors that are out of his control that have to be taken into consideration. While it looks like Joel saved Ellie out of his relationship with the girl, he must have also thought about what would have happened had he made a different choice.
The Last of Us Part 1 is available now for the PlayStation 5.