How Old Is Joel in ‘The Last of Us’? TV Show vs. Game Timeline, Explained
The age of Pedro Pascal’s character gets a single mention in The Last of Us’ ongoing second season, and it might be hard to believe Abby’s phrase was actually true. We’re breaking down how old Joel is throughout The Last of Us’ timeline.
The Last of Us’ sophomore season has had a hard time while saying goodbye to Pedro Pascal’s Joel after spending a pretty decent amount of time alongside him.
Introduced in the very beginning of the first season’s episode 1, the character is seen dealing with the heartbreaking repercussions of the virus outbreak when his teenage daughter Sarah gets fatally shot amid the ongoing chaos.
Since then, both the original video game and the TV show have faithfully followed Joel on his adventure with Ellie, though still making a significant time jump just before.
Joel’s age, however, isn’t brought up at all except in both seasons’ premiere episodes, and the gap in between might have shocked some of the fans.
How Old Is Joel in ‘The Last of Us’ TV Series?
Just a day before the Cordyceps virus outbreak changes his life forever, the show’s first ever episode finds Joel celebrating his 36th birthday alongside his daughter Sarah on September 26, 2003.
The next day, when the world collapses amidst the outbreak, Joel has to live through the biggest tragedy of his life when Sarah is accidentally killed by a police officer.
Since then, The Last of Us time-jumps 20 years ahead, which means the first season continues with Joel now being around 56 years old.
Nothing changes until the series’ second season makes another time jump of 5 years and then finds Joel not long before his tragic death at the age of 61.
Does Joel Have the Same Age in ‘The Last of Us’ Video Game?
Here comes another difference between the game and the show, though it’s not that big.
Unlike Pedro Pascal’s character in the HBO series, in The Last of Us game Joel is introduced as a 32-year-old man, just 4 years younger than his TV counterpart.
The game then follows the same scheme of time-jumping, moving forward with 20 and 5 years in the first and the second seasons respectively, which means Joel by that time is 52 and then 57 years old.
Is Pedro Pascal of the Same Age as Joel?
Not quite, since the actor is more than a decade younger than his character by the time Joel dies in the second season.
When the shooting for The Last of Us’ season 2 started back in 2024, Pascal was 48 years old, which means there are 13 years of difference between him and Joel, with the show’s creators having to age Pascal up specifically because of that.
When Is The Last of Us Next Episode Being Released?
The show’s season 2 episode 6 will air on Max on May 18. The second season’s finale will arrive on the platform on May 25.
