Troy Baker's Perspective on The Last of Us Ending Changed After Having a Child

Troy Baker has revealed how the birth of his son helped him understand Joel’s controversial decision at the climax of The Last of Us Part 1, and talked about his ongoing wish to play Daredevil during an at times emotional appearance at the Milan Games Week in Italy.

In a recording of the interview, Baker — who voiced protagonist Joel Miller in The Last of Us Part 1 – explained that he was at a “disadvantage” to the game’s writer and creative director Neil Druckmann when it came to relating to Joel’s decisions.

Warning: This section contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part 1

Upon being asked if Baker would have made the same decisions as Joel, the actor replied that, “When we were making part one I was at a disadvantage to Neil, because Neil was a father. I was acting. This was a very real possibility for him — what do I look like in the event that I lose my daughter.”

Specifically, Baker was referring to Joel’s decision to save Ellie at the climax of the game, by preventing Firefly scientists from performing a fatal operation on her that could have led to a cure for the cordyceps infection that was destroying mankind. In the time since making the game, Baker became a father.

“And I have a son, and I don’t know what I would look like if I lost him," explained Baker. "But I do know that if I had the opportunity to save him I would do anything. I would do anything to save him. So people have asked me, why would Joel do that when he could have saved the world, and my answer to them is always this — he did, he did save the world. It’s just that the world was that girl, and that’s it.”

In the same interview, the voice actor revealed that certain elements of the game, such as Joel’s wish to be a singer and Ellie’s longing to be an astronaut, came from conversations that he and Ashley Johnson had with Druckman on set.

Baker also spoke more about his wish to work on a Daredevil game in the future.

“I’ve said this a lot, I am a huge Daredevil fan," said Baker. "What Charlie Cox did for the show was amazing, and I had the opportunity to talk to him about it, and I told him what his performance of Daredevil meant. I want to either A — play Matt Murdock in a game, or I want to direct the game.”

According to Baker, Batman and Daredevil are his longtime comic book loves, and his wish to be involved in a Daredevil game is based at least partly on the hero’s blindness.

“Either way, because, the reason why we play games is because that character can do something that I can’t. What does that game look like when I can do something that the character can’t? That is what really intrigues me about making that game, and it would be a big challenge for me as an actor, to be able to play someone who was not sighted.”

“I’ve already played Batman, now I just need to play Daredevil, we’ll see.”

A live-action adaptation of The Last of Us is set to air on January 15 2023 on HBO, and will see Pedro Pascal step into the role of Joel Miller, while the Game of Thrones actress Bella Ramsey will play Ellie. Check out IGN's coverage for trailer breakdowns, and to find out why Ramsey was encouraged not to play The Last of Us Part 1 before filming the adaptation.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer