The Last Of Us Players Can't Unsee Joel Without A Beard
Some things just aren't meant to be. Pineapple on pizza, Jared Leto playing the Joker, and the time McDonald's Australia tried to create a themed PS5 controller. Adding to the long list of things that were never meant to see the light of day, one The Last of Us fan has given Joel a shave.
First appearing in 2013's The Last of Us, Joel Miller was the joint protagonist of the first game and played a major part in 2020's sequel - no spoilers here. Even before we were hit by the apocalypse of mould-infested zombies, the rugged Joel was known for his beard. Even in the prelude to the main story (set 20 years before we pick up the action), the young Joel featured a fine face of fuzz.
Much like Joel himself, we've become pretty attached to his beard, which means seeing him without a beard is a strange turn of events. Safe to say, the sight of Joel without a beard hasn't gone down well among the franchise's fan base.
What does Joel look like without a beard in The Last of Us?
This desecration of Joel comes courtesy of Reddit user u/Knutsdeez - who took it upon themselves to whip out a razor. Using photo editing apps FaceApp and Picsart, the OP removes Joel's beard and dishes up this grim look at what could've been. Notably, we can't believe how much a beardless Joel looks like Harrison Ford.
The picture in question comes from The Last of Us Part II, which features an even older Joel. However, we didn't expect him to look quite so old under all that beard.
Other players shared their dismay at seeing this nightmarish vision. We know it's still Joel, it just isn't "our" Joel. One wrote, "omg :D I think Joel's really handsome and I love bearded men in general, so seeing him clean-shaven is such a turn-off for me :D", while another added, "It just feels wrong, like I want this to be a sin against humanity".
Some else gave a dark nod as they said, "A face only a 9 iron could love", and a fourth simply wrote, "DELETE THIS". Namely, there were plenty of comments where fans asked to unsee a clean-shaven Joel. Thankfully, he retained his bushy beard in both The Last of Us games.
Will Joel have a beard in The Last of Us TV series?
The concept of a beardless Joel might be pure nightmare fuel, but it's got us thinking whether Pedro Pascal will have facial hair in HBO Max's upcoming The Last of Us series. Co-star Gabriel Luna recently shared a shot of himself and Pascal on the set of series, where it looked like Joel will have a bit of a beard. Still, it's a far cry from the voluptuous one we know from the games.
Pascal is known for sporting a moustache and chinstrap beard in most projects he's in, however, he famously had no beard in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. As long as Joel has some form of beard, we'll be happy.
There are also hopes that we'll eventually get The Last of Us Part 3, that could technically bring back Joel in some capacity. In the meantime, we'll have to bury the image of a beard-free Joel in the deepest depths of our psyche alongside that haunted version of The Sims 2.
