HBO Max's The Last of Us series has the opportunity to fix one of the game's biggest mistakes involving Nick Offerman's character, Bill. Based on the hit 2013 Naughty Dog game, HBO Max's The Last of Us will follow a smuggler named Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) as he takes a young girl named Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) who is the key to stopping a fungal virus across the post-apocalyptic United States. The HBO Max series will feature many of characters from The Last of Us game, giving the show the opportunity to expand on some of the game's less prominent characters.
Notably, Nick Offerman will play Bill, a lone survivor who has booby-trapped the town of Lincoln to keep out the infected. Although Bill is only briefly in the first game, he has become a fan-favorite character due to what the game implies about the character. About halfway through the game, Joel and Ellie get through Bill's traps, and ask for help finding a working car. Once the two find a truck, they leave Lincoln and never see Bill again, leaving many questions about the character's past and future unanswered. Now that the character will appear again in the HBO Max adaptation, The Last of Us can finally correct one of the game's biggest missed opportunities with Bill.
Although Bill's past remains relatively mysterious, The Last of Us implies that Bill is gay, with the player being able to discover notes referring to Bill's former partner, Frank. This interesting element of Bill's character is never confirmed by the game, but the HBO Max series can finally confirm it. With a high-profile actor like Nick Offerman playing Bill, alongside his prevalence in the marketing, it is safe to assume that the show will expand on the character. Delving into Bill's loving relationship with Frank would be the perfect way to add depth to the character, making him more than just a plot device that helps Joel and Ellie. The Last of Us Part II touches on discrimination against the queer community, and the show could use Bill to expand on this theme, possibly explaining why he chooses to live away from the survivor-built towns. For whatever reason, the game only chose to hint at Bill's sexuality, but HBO Max's The Last of Us can finally do the character justice by confirming it.
Why HBO Max's The Last Of Us Needs Good LGBTQ+ Representation
The Last of Us is one of the first major game series to feature positive LGBTQ+ representation, with the game's 2014 DLC confirming that Ellie is a lesbian. HBO Max has already said that their adaptation of The Last of Us will keep Ellie's lesbian identity, but for a game series that has possibly the highest-profile queer playable character, the show should go even further. While the first game only hinted at the sexuality of some characters, The Last of Us Part II doubled down, introducing several LGBTQ+ characters (including Ellie's girlfriend Dina), as well as touching on themes of discrimination and diversity. HBO Max's The Last of Us series needs to continue the franchise's trend of good LGBTQ+ representation, and having Bill be openly gay is the perfect way to do it.
In order to work as a TV show, The Last of Us has to add more to its story, and Bill's sexuality would be a fantastic addition. For a series that has championed LGBTQ+ representation, the HBO Max series needs to continue this staple of the franchise. However, HBO Max's The Last of Us needs to change how the game handled Bill's sexuality in order to properly fix one of the game's biggest mistakes.