Troy Baker’s New Teases: “We’ve Not Seen the Last of Joel”
Troy Baker’s recent Troy Baker interview circuit has reignited debate about the future of Joel The Last of Us. Speaking with Eurogamer, the actor confidently stated, “I definitely know we’ve not seen the last of Joel, whether that be Naughty Dog or somebody else,” stressing that he wants the character to be “proliferated and iterated on in multiple mediums,” including TV, film, more games, and comic books. Baker also said he hopes Pedro Pascal is “not the last person to play Joel,” likening Joel to iconic roles that multiple performers inhabit over time. While an IGN Daily Fix segment underscored that Joel is currently dead in both the games and the HBO adaptation, Baker’s tone suggests either insider knowledge of spin-offs or a strong belief in Joel’s transmedia longevity. Crucially, his comments focus less on Last of Us Part 3 timing and more on Joel as a cultural figure too impactful to retire permanently.
Joel’s Status: Dead, But Far From Gone
Narratively, Joel’s arc has already reached a brutal conclusion. In The Last of Us Part II, Abby kills Joel as a consequence of his actions in the first game, and HBO’s Last of Us TV series mirrors that fate closely, with Pedro Pascal’s Joel meeting the same end. Baker has admitted he didn’t enjoy watching that scene any more the second time, but he accepts its importance in Ellie’s story and the franchise’s larger themes. Yet death in storytelling doesn’t always mean disappearance. Part II already showed how flashbacks can deepen Joel and Ellie’s relationship after the fact, suggesting that even if Last of Us Part 3 moves on with Ellie, Abby, or new immune characters, Joel can still appear in memory, dream, or previously unseen moments. This preserves the weight of his death while allowing the franchise to keep mining his emotional history instead of undoing it.
Beyond Part 3: Games, TV, and Cross-Media Joel
Baker’s emphasis on “multiple mediums” hints that Joel’s future may lie as much in transmedia as in a straight sequel. The Last of Us TV series has already proven that the story works beyond games, with Baker praising the show for keeping the “essence and spirit” of the original narrative. His desire for more actors to play Joel opens doors to spin-off shows, films, or even anthology-style stories revisiting Joel at different ages and angles. Articles speculating on Last of Us Part 3 suggest flashback-heavy structures or prequel material, but Baker also calls out comics and potentially other games as fertile ground. This aligns with Neil Druckmann’s comment that there is “one more chapter” left to tell, without implying it must be a single, traditional sequel. Joel’s return, then, could be fragmented: a scene in a new game, a limited TV prequel, or a comic that fills in early outbreak years.
Naughty Dog’s Future and the Long Road to Part 3
While fans obsess over Last of Us Part 3, Baker’s remarks indirectly highlight where Naughty Dog’s future focus currently lies. Reports note the studio is deep into Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, with at least one other unannounced project in the works. Commentary around these projects suggests that a full-fledged third game may be years away, potentially pushing any mainline continuation far down the roadmap. Baker’s insistence that Joel could return “whether that be Naughty Dog or somebody else” subtly points to a broader ecosystem: other Sony teams, external studios, or even Baker’s own projects might handle side stories while Naughty Dog experiments. For fans, this implies the next Joel appearance may not be in a big-numbered sequel at all, but in smaller, focused narratives across different media. Instead of rushing a Part 3, the franchise seems poised to explore parallel stories that keep Joel present without derailing the studio’s new ambitions.
Honoring Joel Without Cheap Resurrections
Baker’s confidence that we’ve not seen the last of Joel comes at a time when audiences are wary of constant character resurrections. One of The Last of Us’ defining choices was committing to Joel’s mortality and the consequences it unleashes for Ellie and Abby. Undoing that would undercut both games and the Last of Us TV series, risking fan backlash. Instead, the franchise has a chance to model a different approach: keep Joel dead in the present timeline, but alive in memory and context. Flashbacks, prequels, and alternate perspectives can show Joel at his most loving, monstrous, or vulnerable without rewriting canon. This allows Last of Us Part 3—whenever it arrives—to push forward with Ellie, Abby, and potentially other immune characters, while transmedia projects give Joel “one more chapter” in a more literal sense. If done carefully, Joel’s legacy can expand without becoming a gimmick, preserving the story’s emotional integrity.
