Is Joel from The Last of Us Gay or Bisexual? Theory Explained

We know that the storyline and characters of The Last of Us tend to be quite progressive in terms of how they fit the current times. For one, there are a lot of gay characters in both the game and the HBO version as we know for a fact that Bill, Frank, and Ellie are homosexuals. But the thing is that there are fans that also believe that the other main character could also be gay or even bisexual. So, is Joel gay or bisexual?

It is unlikely that Joel is gay or bisexual in The Last of Us, even though there are some clues that lead to the possibility of him being gay or bisexual. In HBO’s version, it was heavily that Joel was intimate with Tess. Nevertheless, their relationship and Joel’s sexuality were never confirmed.

Even though some fans have seen hints that could lead to the possibility of Joel being gay, that is unlikely the case right now because of the fact that these are merely speculations. We can’t say for certain that he is gay unless clear facts point to that possibility. So, with that said, let’s look at the possibility of Joel being gay.

Could Joel Be Gay In The Last of Us?

One of the things that we know about The Last of Us is that it has a pretty progressive way of portraying its characters. That means that the creator of the game and the series isn’t shy about introducing characters that aren’t conventional in the sense that they don’t have the usual straight male machismo or the sexy female energy that most protagonists tend to give off. For one, there are a lot of gay characters in The Last of Us, as Bill, Frank, and Ellie are examples of this fact.

Of course, while we often look at Joel as a character that exudes a strong male aura because of his physical strength and straightforward approach in the way he approaches situations, the thing is that there are some fans that actually believe that he may not be as straight or as masculine as he may appear to be.

We know that Joel was married in the past, as his union with his ex-wife led to the birth of his daughter, Sarah. However, we also know that Joel has never been confirmed to be with another partner ever since his wife left him. On top of that, some clues scattered in the game lead to the possibility that he could be gay. For one, there was a time that he was too ashamed to tell what he traded coffee for, as some fans believe that he actually traded sexual favors for many of the things he got in return from his fellow smugglers.

In that regard, there are certain clues that could suggest the possibility that Joel is gay. These clues may have been placed there for specific reasons, or they could just be coincidences. So, could Joel be gay in The Last of Us?

At this point, it is tough to conclude that Joel could be gay or bisexual in The Last of Us. That’s because, while there are clues that point to the possibility that he might not be straight, these clues are circumstantial at best. That means that we can’t really say for certain whether or not he is gay due to the fact that any evidence regarding that possibility is not conclusive.

As such, without any clear evidence pointing to the possibility that he is gay, we believe that Joel is unlikely gay. We need more information and clues regarding his sexuality for us to conclude that he could be gay. But we also know that neither The Last of Us nor The Last of Us 2 gave us clear proof of his being gay or bisexual. So, if he might be gay or bisexual, it is possible that the proof will be shown in HBO’s live-action version.

What Is Joel’s Sexuality?

Of course, while we did say that Joel is unlikely to be gay due to the fact that the clues that point to this possibility are circumstantial and inconclusive, we can’t really say for sure that he is actually straight. But because the initial observation is that he is straight, then there is a good chance that he is more likely to be straight than gay or bisexual. And there are more clues that point to this possibility.

As mentioned, Joel was previously married but ended up breaking things off with his ex-wife. That means that he was attracted to women and even went as far as entering into a marriage with Sarah’s mother.

There’s also the looming possibility that Joel and Tess were romantically involved. In the game, the duo spent years as partners that smuggled things in and out of the Boston Quarantine Zone. However, their relationship seemed to be professional at best. But that was not the case in the HBO live-action version.

In episode 1 of HBO’s The Last of Us, we saw that Tess climbed into bed with Joel. That means that there is a certain level of comfort or even intimacy between them as they are comfortable enough to sleep beside each other. In Bill’s letter to Joel, he even suggested that Joel saw Tess as the one person that he wanted to protect the most, just like how Bill wanted to protect Frank. This implies that Joel loved Tess and that they were romantically or even sexually involved.

But those who believe that Joel is gay might see things in a different way, as it is still quite possible that Joel and Tess were simply very good friends. The fact that Tess was so comfortable with Joel could point to the possibility that she knows that he is attracted to men. Then again, this is speculative at best.

As to the possibility of Joel hinting that he was ashamed of the things he traded for the goods he received from his fellow smugglers, there is a good chance that he might have actually traded for goods through sexual favors. Nevertheless, because Joel was more focused on surviving than his dignity, it is possible that he traded sexual favors without even thinking about anything other than his survival. In that regard, his desperation to survive might be what drove him to trade sexual favors for goods and other items.

So, absent any clear and conclusive evidence, it is more likely that Joel is straight due to how there are more clues that point to him being straight than him being gay. But things could still change depending on how HBO’s The Last of Us tells Joel’s story and his sexuality. After all, Bill and Frank were only hinted to be gay in the game but were clearly gay in HBO’s live-action version.