Joel Miller ²

FULL NAME: Joel Miller

ALIAS: Texas, the old man, the crazy man

AGE: ~50 (the events take place in 2035 it's been 22 years since the outbreak began)

In the prologue of The Last of Us, Joel is portrayed as a sensitive single father who is emotionally involved with his daughter. After her death and the following 20 years, during which Joel witnessed more horrific events, he changed significantly, using violence to solve problems and showing reluctance when asked to accompany Ellie. Joel is often described as an antihero. He's a seasoned survivalist whose obsession with survival is fueled by his desensitization over his daughter's death. Joel's years of survival have led to him becoming resourceful, practical, and emotionally impenetrable, even though he is still traumatized and vulnerable. He tries not to get attached to others, as he is afraid of losing them. His every move shows his age and experience, bearing the weight of lost lives. As the game progresses, Joel becomes more sensitive to Ellie and talks to her in a manner previously reserved only for his daughter. Joel's act of saving Ellie in the finale of the first game shows that he has become too sentimental and attached to Ellie to "do the right thing", which is often demonstrated in male characters. Some consider his act to be atonement, while others consider it to be a manifestation of selfishness. Joel is a physically and mentally strong man capable of surviving a monstrous epidemic. Many hardships have made him rude and seemingly insensitive, but he is capable of loving his loved ones dearly. There is an assumption that Joel or someone he knew is familiar with the desire for suicide. When Ellie makes a comment about the "easy way" after discovering the bodies of suicides, he says with a heavy sigh: "Believe me, it's not easy." Based on the fact that Joel lost his daughter, as well as the struggles of life with the onset of the epidemic, it can be concluded that Joel could have contemplated suicide himself.

Originally from Texas, Joel was a single father in his 20s and 30s when the first outbreak of cordyceps occurred. Burdened with a lot of responsibility, he did not have the opportunity to go to college. There is no mention of the fate and whereabouts of Sarah's mother. However, in a conversation with Ellie, Joel revealed that Sarah's mother left him shortly after the birth of her daughter and he, being a single father, raised and raised Sarah alone. They lived in a two-story house somewhere in Austin County, Texas. Joel worked in the construction industry, probably as a carpenter. In the prologue, during a conversation with Tommy, he talks about the importance of keeping the contract with the contractor. In the house, playing as Sarah, you can find building plans on the bedside table. While fleeing their home near Austin with their brother Tommy and 12-year-old daughter Sarah, they got into a shootout with a soldier; Sarah was fatally wounded and died in his arms, leaving him traumatized. For the next 20 years, Joel did everything that was required of him to survive. During his time in a violent post-apocalyptic world, still feeling the bitterness of his daughter's death, Joel became a seasoned survivalist who was physically and mentally resilient. He has a fierce fighting style and is capable of defeating much younger men in hand-to-hand combat. 20 years after Sarah's death, Joel works as a smuggler in the Boston quarantine zone, where a military dictatorship rules, along with his girlfriend and partner Tess. While searching for a former accomplice who stole some of their goods, Joel and Tess are assigned by Marlene, an acquaintance and leader of a rebel militia called the Cicadas, to secretly deliver 14-year-old Ellie to a meeting place. Making his way there, Joel discovers that Ellie is immune to infection.

Upon arrival, Tess reveals that she has become infected and insists that Joel find Tommy, a former member of the Cicadas, to continue the mission. Joel is initially sullen and taciturn towards Ellie, although as their journey continues, he begins to treat her more warmly. Things get complicated when Joel, who originally asked Tommy to continue in his place after meeting him at Tommy's settlement in Jackson, changes his mind and continues as planned. Their bond deepens when Ellie nearly loses Joel to a severe injury, and when he comes to her rescue after she is nearly killed by a gang of cannibals in Colorado. Ultimately, Joel demonstrates his devotion to Ellie when he decides to save her and not let her die at the hands of the Cicada doctors, who plan to remove and examine her brain. To make sure they are not being followed, Joel kills Marlene. While driving away, Ellie wakes up, and Joel tells her that the doctors have given up on finding a cure. Soon, Ellie questions him about these events, and Joel swears to her that he is telling the truth. Joel and Ellie are building a life in Jackson with Tommy. In the prologue of The Last of Us Part II, Joel confesses to Tommy his guilt for lying to Ellie. Flashbacks in the game show Joel taking Ellie to the museum for her birthday, and later finally admitting the truth to her after she returns to the hospital to find out for herself, and then quarreling with Joel.

Joel's occupation before the epidemic allowed him to stay in good physical shape, as evidenced by the treadmill in the room. In addition, he tells Ellie that he went hiking with his daughter, and this fact is confirmed by their photos together in the house against the backdrop of mountain landscapes. Despite the constant delays at work, Joel still found time for Sarah, as can be seen from other photos of them together on a cruise, at a carnival and at one of the football matches. A few hours before the epidemic, the daughter gives her father a watch to replace the ones he broke a few months ago, in honor of his 32nd birthday, and Joel, subsequently, will never part with them in memory of her - this is one of the notable moments during the first acquaintance with Ellie.

In the game, Joel says that he has never liked video games, but he loves music. He claims that, as a child, he dreamed of becoming a singer. He also played guitar before the epidemic and intended to teach Ellie when he returned from a trip. Perhaps, before the epidemic, Joel loved hunting as a hobby, judging by the relevant paintings and photos of a deer above his bed. Joel prefers a revolver as a weapon. He keeps it on two promo posters, in trailers, and stores it in his house directly in the game. It's obvious that Joel loves coffee very much, judging by his reaction to the coffee machine at the hotel. He loves old school films from 80s and 90s

Joel's appearance indicates that he was in his late 40s. He had a heavy, muscular build, with dark, graying hair and a beard. According to sewage's water level ruler, he appears to be between 5 feet 10 inches (177.8cm) and 5 feet 11 inches (180.3cm) tall. Joel has many cuts and scars, which can be seen on his face and arms if Joel wore a t-shirt.

Joel wore a watch that was a gifted to him by Sarah for his birthday the day before the outbreak; twenty years later, it had broken, likely from two decades of surviving in a post-outbreak world. He kept the watch in remembrance of Sarah. Joel seemed to sigh sadly when Ellie mentioned that it is broken in the early chapters of The Last of Us. Joel also looked down at the watch when Ellie was mentioning how beautiful the view of Boston was to Joel as they were about to leave. The ending scene also showed Joel slightly rubbing his watch after he said he "struggled for a long time with survivin'" as he encountered major difficulties in accepting Sarah's death and sympathizes with Ellie's survivor's guilt.

He is most notably shown in a green checkered collared shirt, which is rolled up to his elbows, and jeans. He carried an old, worn canvas backpack that holds a gas mask and a flashlight attached to the strap.