They could in the sense that a girl could get roided in the fucking apocalypse, that a girl could randomly also have immunity and just happens to be Ellie's love interest, that a synagogue could randomly spawn in Seattle, that some doctor could change races, that Joel's actions have the same weight as the ones of a cannibal pdf, etc. That is to Say, because Druckmann owns the rights to the franchise.

It must eat him inside that he was unable to convey such moral ambiguity and that's why people side with Joel in the first place