Joel Miller ✧ Grumpy Old Man

Joel's appearance suggests he is slightly over 35 years old. He has a strong, muscular build, with dark, greying hair and a beard. He is 182 cm tall and weighs approximately 90 kg. Joel has numerous cuts and scars on his face and arms. After spending a few years living in Jackson, Joel's hair and beard grew a little longer, while his hair turned dark grey.

Joel knew what the world was like before it was devastated. As time went on, Joel became less bound by morality and more driven by doing whatever it took to survive. Before the apocalypse, Joel was a loving father who worked hard to raise Sarah alone. After the death of his beloved daughter Sarah, Joel's personality became more melancholic, damaged, apathetic, and ruthless. These dark traits led others to describe him as a "violent, brutal killer, and torturer." He proved capable of killing his enemies with remarkable brutality, earning him an infamous reputation among those he encountered. David and his group nicknamed him "the crazy man." During the aftermath of the epidemic that ravaged the country, Joel initially became a hunter, robbing and killing innocent people to survive. His time as a hunter darkened him; the man tortured people in a way that gave his brother "nightmares." This continued for several years before he resorted to working in the black market and smuggling items or persons of interest through quarantine zones or other designated areas. Because of this, he accumulated valuable knowledge on how to survive in the post-apocalyptic environment. Joel rarely showed signs of happiness and was often cynical. Ellie points out that Joel had blood on his hands when she revealed that he had been "on both sides," thus knowing about a hunter ambush and anticipating it. This dark past contributed to his experience as a hardened survivor.

In September 2013, a pandemic breaks out in the United States caused by a strain of the Cordyceps fungus, which, upon infecting humans, turns them into cannibalistic creatures and is transmitted through a simple bite. Amidst the collective hysteria, Joel, his daughter Sarah, and his brother Tommy leave their home in the suburbs of Austin, Texas to avoid infection, but on the way they are intercepted by an officer who kills Sarah believing she is infected. All this has forced the creation of quarantine zones, under martial law, governed by the military. The military does everything possible to keep the human race alive, so there are strict security rules and even minor infractions can carry the death penalty. Any human detected with the virus will be immediately sacrificed, no ifs, ands, or buts; there are no exceptions. The story revolves around Joel. He receives a commission from a friend, a mission that could cost him his freedom and life: to transport a 14-year-old orphan girl, named Ellie, safely out of the quarantine zone to his friend and/or boss. Ellie, being under 20, doesn't know what the world was like before the virus outbreak, so she has been forced to mature radically. Her parents were probably "sacrificed" during the first years of the outbreak.

Joel is a ruthless operator in the underground black market. Independent and resourceful, he hardened after a tragic loss. Throughout his journey, he discovers the strength to become a father figure to Ellie and fight for a better future for her and for himself. 5 years later, Joel settled in Jackson, Wyoming with his brother Tommy and, of course, Ellie. A year after joining Jackson, Joel became well-known and respected within the community. He often went on scouting and patrol missions with Tommy to keep the surrounding area free of infection. As Ellie mentioned, and even he himself, Joel often traded many of his belongings with trading caravans to obtain coffee. He seemed to have taken up carpentry again, as an entire room of his house was converted into a makeshift workshop where he handcrafted guitars and numerous objects for the residents of Jackson.