Joel and Tommy Miller from The Last of Us franchise share an unwavering brotherly bond, even if they frequently argue, but their differing outlooks made them incompatible long-term travel companions. Joel raised his younger brother Tommy growing up in Texas, and Tommy helped Joel raise Sarah as a single father prior to her death at the beginning of the first game. Then, Joel and Tommy traveled together as smugglers before arguing and splitting up. Players can gain further insight into Joel and Tommy's relationship through Easter eggs, but it takes center stage towards the end of The Last of Us and Tommy's quest throughout The Last of Us Part 2.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2.]
Within the series, Tommy's The Last of Us character and backstory are still complex and tragic, even though Tommy's an NPC. During the second half of the first game, the brothers reunite, and Tommy offers Joel & Ellie sanctuary at one of his settlements. Having established a life with Ellie and Tommy, the second game shows Joel confiding in Tommy his actions at the end of the previous game that Tommy promises to keep a secret, loyal to his brother above anything else. Tommy remains the gentler of the two, though, and catalyzes the events of TLOU2 when he brings Abby and Joel together after saving her from a horde.
Both Joel and Tommy Have Tragic Backstories In The Last Of Us
Joel was notoriously apathetic to people outside his limited family, while Tommy's altruism compels him to save Abby in TLOU2, who knew Joel and ultimately killed him. Joel was less phased by their criminal lifestyle than Tommy, who is persuaded by the Fireflies' altruistic mission towards the renewed prosperity of humankind and a vague notion of working toward a greater good. At the beginning of The Last of Us Part 2, Tommy's community in Jackson is a visibly thriving safe haven that he actively leads and protects, and where Joel and Ellie have established their lives after the events of the first game. Tommy establishes a sustainable locus of security that he shares with the members he invites into his community, fighting infected and rescuing strangers.
Joel & Tommy Have Different Views Of The Future In TLOU
As the shocking ending of The Last of Us demonstrates, Joel will commit atrocities, thinking in the immediate and prioritizing his family while being skeptical of everyone else. Tommy gives strangers the benefit of the doubt, strives to build and protect his community, and is visibly upset by the manipulative, self-serving actions him and Joel had to commit in order to survive during the earlier days of the apocalypse, shown during his argument with Joel right before they split up. Tommy is still tough and willing to take extremely violent measures, given his bitter, unapologetically bloody revenge quest throughout TLOU2, but he chooses hope for a future that Joel's given up.
TLOU Part 3 doesn't need Ellie or Joel, but players are still asking for a prequel starring a younger Joel and Tommy. At his core, Tommy is a fiercely loyal, loving family man like his older brother, even when his quest for revenge leaves him injured and embittered, but he was too hopeful and trusting of others to continue traveling with Joel. Some could argue that Joel's cynicism and defensiveness kept him and Tommy safe, providing Tommy enough leeway and security to nurture his own hopeful tendencies. Tommy and Joel have different strengths and values, even if they usually align when it comes to familial love.
As a franchise, The Last of Us remains unafraid to delve into hard moral dilemmas and force players to make tough decisions. Tommy ends The Last of Us Part 2 embittered, angry, and unflinchingly loyal to Joel without the closure of killing Abby because TLOU Part 2's about obsession, not revenge. There are no heroes - all characters, protagonists and perceived villains alike, are complex, morally gray figures with their own motivations and priorities. Love and compassion aren't weaknesses, but they also aren't excuses - Naughty Dog reminds players that revenge is inherently unsatisfying and that the characters behind the carnage in The Last of Us are complex people with their own desires.
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