Joel Miller

Joel Miller, also known as Texas and Old Timer, is one of the main protagonists from The Last of Us series.
== Charactah Account ==
A man in his late 40s/early 50s, hardened by the atrocities and devastation left by the fungal infection, Joel works as a black market dealer within the quarantine zone, selling drugs and weapons of all sorts. He's given the job to smuggle Ellie out of Boston to the Fireflies.
Joel has been described as a "violent thug, a brutal killer, and a torturer." He is shown to be able to kill his enemies with noteworthy brutality, earning his infamous reputation to those he encounters. David calls him a "crazy man." During the aftermath of the epidemic that struck the country, he has resorted to working in black-market dealings and smuggling items or people of interest through quarantine zones or other designated areas. Because of this, he has accumulated valuable knowledge in regards to surviving the post-apocalyptic environment. After the death of his beloved daughter Sarah, Joel has become more broody and damaged. His personality becomes darker and apathetic. Joel rarely shows signs of happiness and often cynical. Ellie notes that Joel has stained his hands with innocent blood when he reveals to her that he has been "on both sides", thus having the knowledge about a hunters' ambush and anticipating it. This dark past likely contributed to his experience as a hardened survivalist.
== Appearance ==
=== Video Games ===
* The Last of Us
* The Last of Us Part I
* The Last of Us Part II
* The Last of Us: Left Behind
== Trivia ==
* The Japanese version of The Last of Us manual lists Joel's last name as "Miller".
** In Sarah's room above her computer is a certificate. The last name is blocked by an award, however the first letter was identified as "M". Since the release of The Last of Us Remastered and its Photo Mode, the whole award can now be seen and displays the last name of "Miller" as well, further confirming the name listing. His last name was removed by Naughty Dog early in development and is not considered canon.
* During the design development of Joel's physical appearance, the developers worked to make him look "flexible enough" to appear as both a "ruthless operator in the underground of a quarantined city" as well as a "caring father figure to Ellie". His appearance was intended to evoke "rural American", referencing values of self-reliance and ingenuity when facing hardship and deprivation.
* Upon writing Joel's character, Druckmann initially took inspiration from Josh Brolin's portrayal of Llewelyn Moss in No Country for Old Men (2007), whom he noted for being "very quiet, very cool under pressure". However Troy Baker's interpretation of Joel as a more emotional person who evolved the character in a different way. Ultimately, the narrative became an exploration of how willing a father is to save a child; initially, Joel is willing to sacrifice himself, before evolving to where he is willing to sacrifice his friends, until finally feeling that he would sacrifice all of humanity in order to save Ellie.
* During an optional conversation with Ellie, when a banner about the football team Bighorns is examined, she'll ask if people were like idol worshipers. Joel replies, "when it comes to sports? Hell yeah."
** He also may or may not have been a fan of the UEC football team, as he somewhat dryly remarked "Go Bighorns." at Tommy's mention of the campus.
* It is suggested that either Joel or someone he knew has struggled with suicide. After Ellie comments about the "easy way out" when finding the corpses of two suicide victims, Joel heavily says "Trust me, it ain't easy." Based on the loss of his daughter and him saying that he struggled with staying alive, it is quite possible that Joel considered suicide after Sarah's death.
* Joel says that he was never fond of video games before the outbreak, although his house had a PlayStation 3 in the family room. This suggests that this PS3 belonged to Sarah and she used to play with Joel.
* Joel is a fan of music, and stated that as a kid he wanted to become a singer. He owned a six string guitar as well as an extensive music collection (including CD & Vinyl). Additionally he personally intended to teach Ellie to play after their journey was over.
** Joel stating he wanted to be a singer as a kid and his ability to play the guitar are likely a reference to his voice actor, Troy Baker, who is a singer and guitar player in real life.
** By The Last of Us Part II, Ellie can play the guitar and sings in the reveal trailer.
* Joel appears to have been very fond of coffee before the infection left the world in ruins, as he mentions to Ellie that he always went to coffee shops and purchased coffee.
** He even laments on the lack of the beverage while in Pittsburgh.
* Before the outbreak, Joel possibly enjoyed hunting as a hobby, seeing that there was a framed painting or photograph of a deer above his bed.
** It also foreshadows Ellie's encounter with one in the winter chapter.
* Joel's birth date was first speculated to be September 26, as it was the date seen in the Texas Herald newspaper at the beginning of the game.
** A tweet by Naughty Dog developer Mark Richard Davies confirms this date.[52]
* Joel's weapon of choice seems to be a revolver. He is seen holding it in both promotional pictures, and trailers. He also kept one in his house, before the outbreak.
** He also uses one again in the reveal trailer for The Last of Us II.
* Though it is never explained where Joel was born, he was most likely born in Austin, Texas or somewhere in Travis County. This is also hinted at when Tommy says that he "went to Texas, back home" shortly before he attempts to give Joel a picture of him and Sarah.
* Joel was named after Joel Coen, who directed No Country for Old Men and True Grit.
* The Winter chapter is the only section of The Last of Us in which Joel never encounters any Infected.
** He also doesn't meet the primary antagonist of that section, David.
* Joel is officially ranked as the sixth sexiest male video game character of all time.
* Joel was possibly a Bandit or Hunter before he became a smuggler, since he told Ellie he has "been on both sides". An audio file unused in the game also has Joel blatantly state he was a Hunter.
** Further evidence to this would be when Joel reminded Tommy of the things he did to keep them alive, and how Tommy said the years after the outbreak gave him nightmares.
** Bill also makes a remark that suggests Joel was once a Hunter, saying "It's the normal people that scare me. You of all people should understand that."
** Expanding on this, Joel demonstrated knowledge of the Hunters' tactics, knowing beforehand that a Hunter was feigning injury when he remarked "He ain't even hurt!" shortly before running him over. He was also experienced in interrogating and torturing people, such as Robert, the Cannibals he captured, and the Firefly Ethan.
== Gallery ==
File:Joel Miller Render 01.png
File:Joel Miller Render 02.png
File:Joel Miller Render 03.png
File:Joel Miller 01.png
File:Joel Miller 02.png
File:Joel Miller Fan Art 01.png
== External Links ==
* Joel Miller at The Last of Us Wiki
Category:Characters
Category:Males
Category:The Last of Us