The Last of Us star Troy Baker is sure that we haven't seen the last of Joel

Troy Baker, who played Joel in Naughty Dog's The Last of Us and its sequel, told Eurogamer in a recent interview that we haven't seen the last of the character. Baker expects Joel to appear in future projects across "multiple mediums," though he didn't specify in what capacity.

Joel was the central figure of the Last of Us series, but the second game gives his story a definitive and brutal conclusion. Spoiler warning: Joel is killed by Abby, a consequence of his actions in the first game. His fate plays out similarly in HBO's The Last of Us Season Two, where the character is portrayed by Pedro Pascal.

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Baker admitted he didn't enjoy watching that moment any more the second time around, and said he hopes to see more performers take on Joel's role in the future. "I hope that Pedro is not the last person to play Joel," Baker said. "I want to see this character be proliferated and iterated on in multiple mediums, whether it be TV, film, more games, comic books. I see people that cosplay as [Joel] all the time. He made an impact."

"I definitely know we've not seen the last of Joel, whether that be Naughty Dog or somebody else," Baker added, a comment that hints he may be aware of a potential spin-off or something along those lines. Even without that, a potential third game could feature flashback sequences exploring Joel and Ellie's relationship, similar to how Part II handled their history. A Joel-centric TV series or other standalone material is also plausible, given the success of the HBO adaptation.

Baker's comments sit alongside franchise creator Neil Druckmann's previous hints about continuing the series. In Naughty Dog's official documentary, Druckmann stated he feels "there's one more chapter to this story" for the studio to tell. A former colleague recently suggested that one area worth exploring could be a story involving multiple immune characters. Whether Joel features in that chapter remains speculation.

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Baker went on to call The Last of Us one of the best stories in games, praising how deeply it allows players to feel what the character is experiencing. He added that the TV adaptation did a strong job of capturing the essence and spirit of the games for viewers who would never pick up a controller.

That said, these are Baker's personal beliefs rather than official announcements. Naughty Dog has not confirmed a third game, with the studio currently focused on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which Druckmann is directing. For now, fans can revisit Joel's story through the games or the TV series.