Who is Joel in The Last of Us?

Joel Miller is a fictitious character in Naughty Dog’s online games The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II. He is depicted in the games by Troy Baker using motion graphics and voice acting. Miller will be portrayed by the Game of Thrones actor, Pedro Pascal in the upcoming HBO television adaptation of the same name. 

The Last of Us will be featuring an ensemble of stellar Hollywood actors including Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett, Bella Ramsay, Anna Torv, Gabriel Luna, and Melanie Lynskey. The upcoming series will be released sometime in early 2023. 

Also Read: The Last Of Us: Release date, cast, plot, trailer

Who is Joel? 

Joel was born in Arlington, Texas, on September 26, 1981, and grew up there with his younger brother Tommy.

Joel developed a fascination for music as a child, learning to play electric guitar from an early age and aspiring to be a singer. Joel was briefly married to Sarah’s mother before she left him, soon after Sarah was born.  He never had the chance to go to college because he was saddled with the duties of single-parenthood at a young age.

Also Read: The Last Of Us: Confirmed actors for HBO’s upcoming show

Whatever happened between Joel and his ex-wife is too distressing for Joel to discuss. He spent the majority of his life raising their only child as a single father. The two shared a two-story single-family home in or near Austin, Texas, which is accessible from Travis County via Texas State Highway 71.

Joel was a survivor in a post-apocalyptic America devastated by Cordyceps brain infection. Joel became a vicious and belligerent smuggler after losing his only daughter Sarah in the initial stages of the epidemic. He was finally entrusted with contraband and safeguarding Ellie Williams, a young girl who was the key to humanity’s survival. Joel eventually developed a strong attachment to her.

Sarah had given him a new watch for his 32nd birthday, just hours before the outbreak, to substitute the one he had damaged months before. This became a treasured memento that he manages to keep in the tumultuous years ahead.