While a majority of The Last of Us 2 art is centered on Abby and Ellie, the game’s two protagonists, Joel still gets some dedicated pieces from time to time. This is the case with Reddit user tomorrowandy’s post, as it sees Ellie’s surrogate father becoming the focus of some The Last of Us 2 fan art.
While Joel may be in less scenes than the original game, his impact on Ellie is felt during every step of her journey. His flashback scenes serve as some particularly strong moments of the story, though in the present-day sections of the game, Joel’s appearance is a bit different. Rocking longer, greyed hair along with an equally grey beard, Joel’s model does a great job of indicating that years have passed since the original game.
In the art piece, Joel can be seen wearing the jacket that he had on during what was arguably the most important flashback in the game. When Ellie finally uncovers the truth about the Fireflies and snaps at Joel, he is wearing the outfit seen in this art piece. The artist makes this connection clearer with the bright Firefly insignia above Joel’s head.
In the art, Joel can be seen looking down and to the side, similar to how he reacts when he is first called out by Ellie. Likely ashamed of lying to her and feeling guilty for taking her choice away, the scene feels incredibly real. Still, Joel stands by his decision, as it gave him more time with the girl he grew to love. If this was not enough, though, this is the same outfit and hairstyle that Joel is seen with in his final conversation with Ellie. With The Last of Us 2’s ending and most important flashback showing him in this outfit, and both cutscenes having mentions of the fireflies, this piece of art has plenty of meaning.
The final appearance of Joel’s jacket is seen when Ellie is going through his house near the start of the game. While there are plenty of heartbreaking things to see in the house, like Joel reading a “Space for Dummies” book so that he can be closer to Ellie, Ellie sniffing his jacket is as sad as it gets. Trying to get one last reminder of her father figure, the jacket smelling like him surely would have done just that. While Joel’s green shirt from the original The Last of Us will always be his most iconic look, this outfit from the sequel cannot be topped in terms of its importance to the story.
While The Last of Us 2 fans continue to focus on the game’s protagonists, seeing some love for Joel is always nice. Without him being such a great character, the series would not be what it is today.
The Last of Us 2 is available now on PS4.
