5 The Last of Us video game characters we’d bring back from the dead (and 3 we wouldn’t)

1. Would bring back: Joel

Let’s set a few things straight. Joel wasn’t a “hero” nor a completely good person. His selfishness might have doomed the entire world and prevented scientists from discovering a cure for the cordyceps infection. The Last of Us Part ll showed us how he was a straight-up villain from Abby’s perspective since he killed her father, and he was a smuggler long before his adventure Ellie.

However, with all of that being said: How could we make a list of The Last of Us characters we’d bring back from the dead and not mention the man himself?

It might be a controversial choice since his death was what set the events of The Last of Us Part ll in motion, but he’s definitely missed by fans worldwide. He was, after all, the protagonist during most of the first game, and it was through him that players were introduced to the post-apocalyptic world that Naughty Dog meticulously crafted.

We got to feel his pain when he lost his daughter, and we watched how he became Ellie’s parental figure after treating her like a cargo in the beginning. We understood why he wanted to save her even if it wasn’t the right thing to do, and we ultimately got to see his demise at the hands of Abby in what might be the most crushing moment across both The Last of Us games released so far.

Don’t get us wrong, we never expected Joel to have a happy ending. This list alone is an indication of how no one has been safe ever since the cordyceps outbreak. However, his death came way sooner than expected and it caught everyone off-guard. Maybe one more adventure with Ellie would’ve been great before his eventual demise (and even then his time might’ve still felt too short). One thing is for sure, though: We would definitely bring him back to life even with all his faults and errors if given the chance to do so.