Troy Baker, the voice actor of Joel in The Last of Us Part 2, addresses and supports Naughty Dog’s story choices regarding the character’s portrayal in the highly debated sequel.
During Grounded 2, The Last of Us Part 2's making-of documentary, actor Troy Baker defended the game's handling of the beloved Joel character. Baker, who played The Last of Us Part 2's Joel, shared how he deals with fans who say the character's storyshould have been written differently.
This article contains SPOILERS for The Last of Us 1 and 2
Joel's conclusion in The Last of Us Part 2 involved a brutal death at the hands of Abby, the daughter of a doctor that Joel killed at the end of the first game. Fans who had grown attached to Joel during The Last of Us Part 1 were surprised to see the former main character killed off in the opening hours of the anticipated sequel. While his death served an important purpose in moving the story forward, some fans were disappointed that they wouldn't get to play another Naughty Dog game centered around Joel and Ellie's desperate adventures together. Recently, Baker decided to reiterate his opinion on the matter.
Baker addressed fans' reactions to his character's death during Grounded 2 by saying, "There's not a single aspect of the game, Part 2, that I would change. Any time someone comes up to me and says, 'You know, I didn't really like what they did to Joel,' I was like 'Great. Awesome. Tell me a better version of the story.' And to this day they still can't." Baker made it clear that he supports The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann's decision to kill off Joel. Although the death significantly changed the course of The Last of Us' storyline, it served as a catalyst for the rest of Ellie's story and helped to tie the series' themes together once The Last of Us Part 2 concluded. The character's tragic ending also allowed for fan-favorite moments like The Last of Us Part 2's museum level, which saw Joel and Ellie reunited through a powerful flashback.
I was like 'Great. Awesome. Tell me a better version of the story.' And to this day they still can't."
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