The Last of Us 2 fans have shared no shortage of edits and fan art, though one new piece is particularly odd. For those that have been wondering what Joel would look like without a beard, one The Last of Us 2 player has provided an answer.
While this is hardly a new concept, as fans have also seen a beardless version of God of War 2018’s Kratos, what makes Joel’s redesign stand out is the fact that gamers have never seen him without his beard. Even in the flashback from before the outbreak where he was shown with his daughter Sarah, Joel had facial hair. As such, it has become a crucial part of his look, and fans have grown to expect it whenever they see Ellie’s adoptive father. Still, it seems like some fans are curious about what lies beneath, with one Reddit user providing the answer.
The Redditor places Joel against the party backdrop in Jackson where Ellie and Dina kissed. Joel is also wearing the brown jacket that would be seen in many of his scenes during the sequel, though it is hard to focus on that when seeing him beardless. A cleft chin can be seen as well as some noticeable laugh lines, with the latter making sense due to the wrinkles on Joel’s face and the bags under his eyes. While Joel without facial hair is hard to get used too, it is hard to argue that this edit is not believable.
The Reddit user also shows a side-by-side comparison of Joel with and without the beard. While very little has changed, the two takes on Joel look like completely different characters. Though one person compared them to Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2, several others said that beardless Joel looks like Harrison Ford. With Reddit user _luksx and many more making Han Solo jokes in the comment section, many seem to have noticed the similarity.
For the most part, though, fans seem to hate this version of Joel. Some call the image “cursed,” others ask for it to be deleted, and one more says that they no longer see Joel as attractive with the beard gone. Redditor StevieW0n even references The Last of Us 2’s most controversial scene with a golf club joke, saying that this take on Joel has “a face only a 9 iron could love.” Clearly, many fans are happy that Joel maintained his beard throughout every scene in the two games.
While The Last of Us 2 players may not be pleased with the result, they do now know what Joel would look like without a beard. Based on this reaction, hopefully he will keep it in the HBO series and the rumored remake of the original The Last of Us.
The Last of Us 2 is available now on PS4.
Source: Reddit