The Last of Us was groundbreaking in many ways, but perhaps none more so than how it explored the decisions of complex characters and the very concept of morality. Ravaged by the Cordyceps virus, the post-apocalyptic game's world is a bleak and hostile place where survivors must constantly fight to keep living. In it, the lines between right and wrong are often blurred, and nowhere is this struggle clearer than with the protagonist of The Last of Us, Joel Miller.

The Last of Us follows Joel's journey as he smuggles a young girl, Ellie, across America, culminating in a decision that impacts the rest of the world. However, while he has been lauded as a hero by many fans, Joel's actions also make him a monster.

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Joel's Choice in The Last of Us Doesn't Make Him a Good Guy

Joel holding his dead daughter's body in The Last of Us

When referring to Joel as a monster, the word "also" is important here; in The Last of Us, there are no absolutes. The game roots itself in a morally gray area, its characters masterfully fleshed out with elements of good and bad. At the end of the first game, Joel murders dozens of members of the Fireflies and destroys their attempts to fatally extract a potential cure from Ellie, who is the only person in the game who is known to be immune to the virus.

After spending hours with these two characters and sharing touching moments with them, most players understood Joel's decision as a righteous one. After all, Joel lost his biological daughter in the game's prologue, so players understood why he would stop at nothing to save Ellie, who had become his surrogate daughter. After learning that the operation would kill Ellie, Joel realized he could not live without her. He didn't think of the wider ramifications; he simply acted on emotion and a fatherly instinct.

However, his actions are complicated, and they definitely don't make him a hero. Within the story, Ellie is humanity's only hope for finding a cure, meaning Joel potentially condemned every uninfected person still alive. He spared one life at the cost of countless others, and it was for selfish reasons. Plus, Joel stormed through the Firefly hospital murdering scientists left and right to save Ellie. He even killed the head surgeon, a man he just as easily could have disarmed. He steals Ellie away and lies to her, claiming that the Fireflies would not have been able to find a cure and that she is not the only person with immunity.

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The Last of Us Part II Wrestles With Joel's Morality

Joel and Ellie standing on the porch at the end of The Last of Us Part II

Still, while what Joel did was monstrous, few could definitively say that they would not do the same thing in his position. Joel is the monster in the mirror, but those who describe his actions as heroic need to realize the moral cost of his actions. This is one of the reasons why the game's sequel caused so much controversy. Through Abby and her allies, the story forced players to reckon with what Joel did and the irreversible damage it caused -- something many were not prepared for.

The Last of Us Part II also highlights Ellie's reaction to what Joel did. She is devastated to learn that he robbed her of the chance to make a difference with her immunity. Joel made that decision for her, despite Ellie making it clear in the first game that she was willing to lay down her own life to find a cure.

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This is not to say Joel is evil or vindictive. He's shown to be utterly ruthless over the course of The Last of Us, but it's also clear he's acting out of necessity. Joel takes no pleasure in the killing and destruction; he is just doing what it takes to survive and protect Ellie. In a world full of monsters, Joel becomes one to survive. This is what makes The Last of Us games so powerful. Joel forces players to wrestle with difficult moral questions, eliciting strong reactions from fans and detractors alike.

Like most of the characters in The Last of Us, Joel's emotional journey is vital. He starts out as a cold and brutal smuggler who has no real interest in the welfare of others following the tragic loss of his daughter years earlier. As the game progresses, his time with Ellie melts away the jagged exterior and nurtures Joel's heart as he allows love to come back into his life. He saves Ellie and condemns humanity because he refuses to let that love go again. Ultimately, Joel may be a monster, but he's only human.