The Last Of Us showrunner calls Joel a 'hero'

Season one of The Last of Us has finally drawn to a close but that epic season finale certainly gave us a lot to talk about, proven by the fact that it aired three days ago and here we are, still talking about it.

It goes without saying that I will be addressing episode nine spoilers ahead so beware. Fans are in agreement that Ashley Johnson absolutely nailed it as Anna Williams in The Last of Us’ season finale. If you’re a fan of The Last of Us Part II, you may have spotted a nice tease during the Firefly hospital scene. Viewers noticed a woman with her hair in a braid fleeing the scene successfully. The show’s creators are too clever for this not to be an Abby cameo, surely? The main discussion surrounding the episode concerned whether Joel’s actions were right or unjust. Now, the series’ showrunner has deemed Joel to be a hero, albeit an unconventional one.

The Last of Us Part I lands on PC on 28 March.

As we know, Joel kills countless Fireflies - and destroys humanity's chance at finding a cure - to save Ellie and while it is a selfish decision of sorts, most viewers are on Joel’s side. In an interview with Vulture (via The Gamer), co-showrunner Craig Mazin explained that he believes Joel to be a hero but not in a “positive sense”.

When asked if Joel was a hero, he explained, “Yes, but I don't look at the word 'hero' in the positive sense any more than I necessarily look at 'villain' in the pejorative sense. 'Protagonist' would be just as good of a word. The protagonist has goals, and the protagonist ultimately does or doesn't achieve them. Joel achieves his goal — it's just that we might not be onboard with it anymore, and that's the discussion I think people are going to have."

I agree that the series paints a complex picture where there are no heroes and villains, which I think is what Mazin is trying to get at here. Joel is undoubtedly the hero of his own story. He succeeds in saving Ellie which could technically be described as heroic. When you take the context surrounding his actions into account though, that sense of heroism is much muddier. It’s an interesting debate.