Troy Baker Defends The Last of Us Part 2: "Tell Me a Better Version of the Story"

Year later, the Joel actor stands by the events in the PlayStation game.

By Marc Deschamps

Months before The Last of Us Part II's release, major details leaked online, most notably about the game's handling of the character Joel. The leaks resulted in a lot of controversy ahead of launch, as many people weren't happy with what they saw splashed across social media. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. The leaks revealed that Joel would be brutally killed off in the game. While some fans have come around on the events over the last four years, others still gripe about how things played out. 

In a new documentary titled Grounded II: The Making of The Last of Us Part II, several creators involved with the PlayStation 4 game discussed these leaks and the impact of the controversy. In the documentary, Joel actor Troy Baker defended the game, and talked about the interactions he's had with fans since The Last of Us Part II's release. 

"There's not a single aspect of the game, Part II, 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 says in the documentary. 

Extreme Reactions to The Last of Us Part II

In the documentary, Baker isn't the only one to address how fans reacted to Joel's death. Actress Laura Bailey played the role of Abby Anderson in the game. Abby is the character that kills Joel in The Last of Us Part II, beating him with a golf club in retribution for the murder of her father. Bailey notes that she received death threats from people over the game, and there were even threats directed toward her son, who was born during development. 

These types of extreme reactions have become unfortunately common. Threats are frequently sent to women that work in roles in the video game industry, from actresses like Bailey, to developers, and even social media managers. The leaks were also a source of frustration for writer and director Neil Druckmann, who says in the documentary that he wanted the leaker "punished in every sort of way." 

Related:

The Last of Us Season 2

The second season of HBO's The Last of Us TV series will begin to adapt the events of The Last of Us Part II. It has already been confirmed that the events of the game will play out across multiple seasons, but we don't know how many. Given the reaction to Joel's death in the game, hopefully things will be a lot less extreme if that particular scene plays out in the show. In a recent interview with Deadline, Joel actor Pedro Pascal hinted that the show could deviate from the source material in that regard, but whether that will actually happen remains to be seen. 

How did you feel about Joel's death in The Last of Us Part II? Do you think there's a way it could have been handled better? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

Trending Now: