The Last of Us Season 2 Ending, Explained: What Happened Between Ellie and Abby?

After seven episodes of twists and turns, The Last of Us season 2 may have just ended with its most jaw-dropping cliffhanger of all.

The second installment of HBO’s hit post-apocalyptic series wrapped up with a shocking finale on May 25. Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann had previously warned audiences that the events of The Last of Us: Part II would span more than one season, with the show getting renewed for a third iteration in April.

Season 2 ended with Ellie (Bella Ramsey) finally coming face-to-face with Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) killer, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). This was after a long and harrowing search for her in Seattle alongside Dina (Isabela Merced), and eventually, Tommy Miller (Gabriel Luna) and Jesse (Young Mazino), who came to their rescue.

Ultimately, Ellie’s desperate quest to avenge Joel led to another shocking death and no clear resolution heading into season 3.

Here’s everything to know about the ending of The Last of Us season 2, including who dies in the finale’s final minutes.

Warning: The Last of Us season 2 spoilers ahead!

How did The Last of Us season 2 end? 

The Last of Us season 2 finale unfolded over the course of 50 minutes, opening with Jesse trying to save Dina’s life after she’d been shot in the leg with a Seraphite arrow.

With Dina patched up and on the mend, Ellie and Jesse set out to meet up with Tommy — but something is nagging at Jesse, who presses Ellie to spill the news that Dina is pregnant.

The pair arrives at the rendezvous point, only to discover that Tommy isn’t there. While waiting for him to return, they hear commotion on the radio about a sniper — who they assume is Tommy — and head out to find him.

After hearing chatter on the radio about the Seattle aquarium, Ellie realizes that Nora (Tati Gabrielle) hinted that Abby was hiding out there. With Jesse wanting to find Tommy, and Ellie hellbent on hunting down Abby, the two go their separate ways.

Ellie finds a small fishing boat to take her across the water to the aquarium. However, her plan is derailed when she gets tossed off her boat by a storm surge and washes up on a shore guarded by Seraphites. Members of the religious cult nearly kill her — but are derailed by the Washington Liberation Front (W.L.F.)’s siege on their village. Ellie escapes on her boat.

When Ellie finally reaches the aquarium, she finds Abby’s friends, Mel (Ariela Barer) and Owen (Spencer Lord). Ellie demands to know where Abby is, then kills Owen when he pulls a gun on her. Mel, who is pregnant, gets hurt in the crossfire and asks Ellie to save her baby. Ellie can’t perform a C-section in time, and that’s when Tommy and Jesse arrive.

The trio returns to the theater, where Dina is hiding out. Ellie, traumatized from the events of that night, agrees to call off her revenge quest and return to Jackson with the group. While Tommy packs the gear, Jesse and Ellie have a heart-to-heart conversation before they hear the muffled sounds of Tommy being attacked.

They run to his rescue, and Abby shoots Jesse in the head before he can defend himself. Ellie quickly hides and pleads for Abby to let Tommy go. After tossing her gun, Ellie admits to killing Mel and Owen.

“I let you live and you wasted it,” Abby says, before pointing her gun at Ellie and firing.

The screen cuts to black — then fades into Abby waking up days prior. It’s revealed that she’s in a football arena that has been converted into W.L.F. barracks.

After a season of ups and downs, ending on this particular cliffhanger felt “natural,” Druckmann said in a finale press conference.

“We entertain everything, but no [other endings are] coming to mind, because whatever we entertained didn’t stick for very long,” he said. “This always felt like the natural end point for the season.”

Does Abby or Ellie die in The Last of Us season 2 finale? 

It’s unclear if Abby or Ellie dies in The Last of Us season 2 finale. In the final seconds of the episode, Abby raises her gun to shoot Ellie, but then the screen cuts to black. Only the sound of a gun firing can be heard.

Viewers are left to wonder if Abby kills Ellie — or if Dina, who isn’t present in the final scene, comes to Ellie and Tommy’s rescue and kills Abby.

Where do Ellie and Dina stand at the end of The Last of Us season 2? 

In the season 2 finale, Ellie tells Dina the truth about what happened to her and Joel in Salt Lake City. She explains that Joel killed the Fireflies after he learned of their plan to operate on Ellie to find a cure — a surgery that she wouldn’t have survived.

Ellie goes on to reveal that Abby’s father was the surgeon who Joel shot in the head. Dina is betrayed by the news and demands to return home to Jackson.

Moments later, Dina gives Ellie a bracelet for good luck before she and Jesse leave to find Tommy. This gesture seems to suggest that she still has hope for her relationship with Ellie.

What happens to Tommy and Jesse at the end of The Last of Us season 2? 

Abby shoots Jesse in the head at the end of season 2. He’s the only character viewers know for certain is dead before the episode cuts to black.

Tommy is injured but still alive at the end of season 2.

Jesse dies this way in the game — and according to Druckmann, his “fate was always sealed.”

But now, Dina and Ellie’s relationship will become a whole lot more complicated.

“Jesse dies in part because of Ellie — but Ellie doesn’t pull the trigger, Abby does,” Mazin added. “[Dina] has gone in pursuit of Abby, out of a sense of justice. So now the question is: Who does she blame?”

Will there be a season 3 of The Last of Us? 

HBO renewed The Last of Us for a third season in April 2025 — just days before season 2 premiered, per Variety.

In May 2025, Catherine O’Hara — who plays therapist Gail Lynden in the series — told Variety that the season 3 plot will largely follow “the Abby story” as she navigates life in the W.L.F.

The third installment does not yet have a premiere date.