The Last of Us Show: What Would Have Happened if Ellie Went With Tommy?

Episode 6 of the Last of Us presented our young heroine with two choices: either continue with Joel, whose age is creeping up on him or join his younger and much more physically able brother, Tommy, to escort her to her destination. In the show and the game, Ellie went with the former choice.

But what would have happened if she had chosen Tommy? The rational choice clearly indicates that to safely reach the Fireflies’ outpost, Ellie should have gone with Tommy. But life is not always rational. By this point, Ellie and Joel both had spent months on the road together. Their bond was far too strong to just leave each other like that. 

However, there have been some in-depth discussions among fans who have devised a lot of speculations and theories that ponder the question, What would have happened in the story if it followed Tommy and Ellie instead of Joel and Ellie? Below, we discuss some of the more appealing theories, which offer very feasible outcomes. Spoiler warning!

What would have happened if Ellie joined Tommy in the Last of Us crusade?

The biggest and most talked about concern for Tommy’s path is Ellie’s humanity. While being with Joel, Ellie sees a lot of harshness and suffering, but Joel always keeps her at a distance and confides with her, to make sure she doesn’t get affected by the venom of this cruel and terrifying world.

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For Joel, Ellie is the daughter that he had lost. In Ellie, Joel saw Sarah. Which gave him strength and also a lot of fear. Fear that made him desperate. So much so that he had to ask his brother to complete the job. On the other side, for Tommy, Ellie is a cargo. A thing that he has to deliver to its destination. Just like in his old days, when he used to smuggle high-profile cargo from one place to another. 

He may have been successful in escorting Ellie to the FireFlies faster than Joel, however, with him, Ellie would have had a completely different outcome, worse than the ones she fights. And considering the game’s ending, where Ellie’s life was about to be sacrificed in order to complete the vaccine, Joel stepped in and broke Ellie out of the facility, killing the scientist as well as the fireflies. Consequently, setting up the sequel.   

In Tommy’s path, Ellie would most probably have to face her tragic fate. However, the world would have gotten the vaccine for the infection. So in the end, we could say that both endings would have been beneficial in their own way. The ‘happy ending’ in Joel’s path would see Ellie live her life, but the world remains doomed. Whereas the ‘good ending’ in Tommy’s path would give the world hope for revival, but at the cost of Ellie’s life.

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