Ellie, Joel, Tommy, Henry, Tess, Marlene… here is an article, updated over the course of the series, to find you there in all the characters of The Last of Us, the adaptation of HBO.
The adaptation of The Last of Us follows the same thread as the PlayStation game, with some variations. The characters experience sometimes slightly different destinies, even if they generally keep the same identity. Whether or not you played the game The Last of Us Part I, this character guide will help you navigate through all of the show’s post-apocalyptic America protagonists. We update it over the episodesthe guide therefore contains spoilers about previous episodes (but not about upcoming events).
Ellie & Joel
Ellie Williams was 13 when she was bitten by an infected. Week after week, she realizes that she is not transforming: the teenager is immune. As she is the only person known to exhibit this immunity, the Fireflies seek to take her to their research facility. She is an orphan; we only know the first name of his mother, Anna.
Former carpenter, Joel Miller lost his daughter, Sarah, whom he was raising alone, on the evening of the apocalypse when the infected invaded the streets in less than 24 hours. With his brother Tommy, they survive as best they can for a few months, even if it means using violent strategies and killing. Then Tommy decides to join the Fireflies faction. So alone, Joel meets Tess, with whom he carries out smuggling missions. Then Marlene, leader of the Fireflies, entrusts them with the task of leading Ellie to the faction’s hospital. When Tess dies, he becomes Ellie’s only protector.
Sarah
Sarah is Joel’s daughter. She was 12 when she died of a bullet fired by a soldier on the evening of the apocalypse. In the game as in the series, she gives him a watch, broken the evening of the sad event and which Joel treasures.
tommy
Joel’s brother, Tommy joined the Fireflies because he wanted to find meaning in his life, rather than survive. The two men left on bad terms. But it is him that Joel seeks to find, at the same time as he escorts Ellie to the Fireflies hospital.
Marlene
There are two key points to remember about Marlene:
- She is the leader of the Fireflies. This armed group formed a rebellion against the quarantine zones set up by the military. They form a clandestine network throughout the region. They also have a research network aimed at finding drugs or a vaccine against Cordyceps.
- She is a friend of Anna, the mother of Ellie (deceased).
She also knows very well Tommy, Joel’s brother, the latter having joined the Fireflies. In the series, she is played by Merle Dandridge, who also voiced the character in the game.
Tess
Not much is known about Tess, other than that she is Joel’s associate. The romantic feelings they have for each other are never fully addressed.
Tess dies differently in the game and on the show, but in both cases she is first bitten by an infected and then sacrifices herself. In the game, she is executed by “feds”, the military originally from the Quarantine Zones, as she seeks to buy Ellie and Joel time. In the series, she blows up the hall as the infected enter it in droves.
Bill & Frank
Bill is a survivalist who barricades the entire neighborhood in which he previously lived (barbed wire, traps, mines, video surveillance), in order to live there independently after the apocalypse. A few years later, Frank finds himself trapped in a crevasse: Bill rescues him and welcomes him to his home.
It is during a sequence at the piano that the two men make it clear that they like each other. It is then the first time that Bill is with a man. The couple lives in seclusion, but meets Joel and Tess, with whom they proceed to exchanges, in particular via a radio code based on the year of the song they broadcast. The double duo becomes friends. Bill and Frank die by mutual suicide, with Frank suffering from an incurable disease.
In the game, Frank is already dead—he hanged himself after being infected—when Joel and Ellie arrive in Bill’s area, who is alive. Their relationship is never developed there, although Bill calls Frank his “partner”.
Kathleen & Perry
Kathleen was written entirely for the HBO series, she does not exist in the game. She is the leader of a community that has rebelled against a quarantine zone. His brother was the previous leader, but, denounced, he was executed. She leads a vendetta to find Henry, who would have provided information leading to this execution. They both hide a heavy secret about what is happening under the city.
Perry is his right-hand man, also invented from scratch for the series, but interpreted by Jeffrey Pierce, who doubled Tommy in the game.
Henry & Sam
Henry is chased by Kathleen and the group she leads, but he is also accompanied by his little brother. Both are introduced at the end of Episode 4, and will play a major role in Episode 5 as they are such a defining part of the game.
Updated article from episode 4, aired Monday, February 6, 2023 on Prime Video In France.
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