Pascal's performance in the television series was similarly praised. Baker's performance in both games was highly praised and received numerous awards and nominations. The likability and complexity of the character has also been commended. The character has been well-received by critics his chemistry with Ellie is a frequent subject of praise. For Part II, Druckmann felt that Joel's character arc was complete after the original, and his death was a core part of the game's development.

He considered the character morally complex. Druckmann wanted players, especially parents, to relate to Joel through his bonding with Ellie. Baker inspired aspects of Joel's personality, making the character more emotional than initially pitched. The character's casting was extensive, as his relationship with Ellie was imperative to the game it was the central focus of the first game's development, with all other elements developed around it. Joel was created by Neil Druckmann, the creative director and writer of The Last of Us. Joel is killed in The Last of Us Part II (2020) by a woman named Abby, whose father he had killed in the first game, prompting Ellie to seek revenge. He also appears briefly in the downloadable content campaign The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014). In the first game, The Last of Us (2013), Joel serves as the main protagonist and is tasked with escorting the young Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States in an attempt to create a potential cure for an infection to which Ellie is immune.

In the games, he is portrayed by Troy Baker through motion capture and voice acting in the television adaptation, he is portrayed by Pedro Pascal. Joel Miller is a character in the video game series The Last of Us by Naughty Dog.

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