The TV adaptation of The Last Of Us and its sequel will continue this April when season two of the show begins on Max. Those who have played The Last Of Us Part 2 will know a lot of what to expect, however, Naughty Dog boss Neil Druckmann has revealed something brutal in season two that was removed from the original cut of the game on which it was based.
Druckmann described the cut content that has made it into the show as "pretty brutal" but stopped short of saying anything more, likely to avoid giving away what it might be to those who know the games well. That hasn't stopped fans from trying to guess what the revived scene might be, and if one theory turns out to be correct, then pretty brutal doesn't begin to cover it.
Warning: There are spoilers for The Last Of Us Part 2 from this point on.
The theory began with a post on the r/ThelastofusHBOseries subreddit by u/foreignterritory37. Some content cut from the original version of The Last Of Us Part 2 was detailed via a Lost Levels update in the sequel's remaster. In that content is a description of a scene that didn't make it into the final game where Ellie briefly sees a Joel Clicker. Not actually Joel, but a Clicker she sees as Joel thanks to her PTSD.
The Last Of Us Fans Might Have Figured Out What Druckmann's Brutal Deleted Scene Will Be
I'm Not Sure My Heart Can Handle Ellie Taking Out A Joel Clicker
As would be the case for almost anyone, that image will stay with and haunt Ellie for the rest of her life. She's also likely plagued with the fear that her deceased father figure might become a Clicker and she'll have to watch him die all over again, perhaps being forced to kill Clicker Joel herself. That being a part of the show might be a way to trump Joel's death scene which remains one of the most brutal and heartbreaking scenes in video game history.
The first season the The Last Of Us but there were changes big and small made to the show that, in some ways, made it hit even harder than the game. Bill and Frank's story, for example, ran much deeper in the show than it did in the game. Ellie's PTSD from watching Joel die may well have a bigger role to play in season two than it did in Part 2, and that might mean having to see Pedro Pascal in Clicker makeup.