When it comes to iconic video game characters, Naughty Dog has given the world plenty, from Crash Bandicoot to Nathan Drake to Jak and Daxter. But perhaps none of the characters in the studios’ repertoire have left a mark quite like Joel and Ellie, the protagonists from The Last of Us.
A BAFTA-winning game series, The Last of Us is composed of Part I and Part II as well as the side story, Left Behind, which fills in some gaps in Ellie’s story. Now, HBO is bringing Joel and Ellie’s post-apocalyptic journey to the small screen with stars Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones), giving viewers a chance to experience the surrogate father-daughter relationship gamers treasure so much. Of course, Joel and Ellie aren’t the only pair of this ilk that’s so beloved — there are at least 5 other duos that make the cut.
Why Are Joel and Ellie So Beloved?
The father-daughter dynamic is a popular storytelling tactic for a reason. It can either deepen the story at hand, or cheapen it. For a masterclass in creating a memorable father-figure, kid-stand-in relationship, look no further than The Last of Us. From Joel’s point of view, Ellie is a stand-in for Sarah, Joel’s late 12-year-old daughter.
For most of The Last of Us, the player controls Joel (voice of Troy Baker), a smuggler tasked with escorting teenage Ellie (voice of Ashley Johnson) out of Boston’s quarantine zone and across a post-apocalyptic United States. Ellie was infected several weeks earlier, but hasn’t turned; something within her might point to a cure. In a world ravaged by an outbreak of mutant Cordyceps fungus, the Infected are often the least of Joel and Ellie’s worries. But, through it all, they have each other.
At the end of the game, Joel has a choice: let surgeons take out the infected part of his charge’s brain — which would kill Ellie — or save the teenager and put the vaccine’s future in jeopardy. Condemning people to a world of the Infected ends up feeling not just like the right choice, but the only choice — that’s how much Joel and Ellie’s relationship matters.
Lyra & Iorek, His Dark Materials
Before Din Djarin (a.k.a. Mando) and Grogu (a.k.a. “Baby Yoda”) took the galaxy by storm, there was Lyra Belacqua, the other-world wielder of the Golden Compass, and Iorek Byrnison, a panserbjørn and the king of Svalbard. The heart of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, Lyra and Iorek are quite the unlikely duo — and not just because one of them is a talking, armor-wearing polar bear.
In The Golden Compass, the orphaned Lyra flees her home in search of the town’s disappeared children, bringing with her an artifact known as an Alethiometer — a device that tells the truth to those who know how to read it. The adventure will take her to parallel universes and deep into an epic war that's centuries in the making. Lyra pulls together a ragtag crew, including the exiled armored bear, but Iorek is reluctant to join Lyra, a young and weak human, on her expedition north. Soon enough, Iorek finds that Lyra’s bravery rivals that of any panserbjørn, and the two forge an unbreakable bond — one that anchors Lyra and helps Iorek believe in himself. Iorek even dubs the protagonist “Lyra Silvertongue” — which, in context, is heartwarming.
Best of all, their surrogate father-daughter relationship survives the jump to screen. It’s easily one of the best aspects of The Golden Compass (2007) — a relative flop of a movie. Lyra and Iorek’s relationship is also a core element of HBO’s three-book adaptation, His Dark Materials, to which Dafne Keen (Logan) and Joe Tandberg lend their talents.
Clem & Lee, The Walking Dead
Telltale’s The Walking Dead received near-universal acclaim when its first chapter, “A New Day,” debuted in 2014. Set in the world of AMC’s The Walking Dead, which is based on Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel series of the same name, the episodic video game raised the bar with its character-driven narrative and focus on player choice. But, at the end of the day, what players really remember from The Walking Dead are its central characters: Lee (voice of Dave Fennoy) and Clementine (voice of Melissa Hutchison).
The player controls Lee Everett, a professor who was charged with a crime — though the zombie apocalypse upends that reality, and leads to Lee rescuing Clem. Capable and smart, Clem is the heart of the story, the player’s moral compass and reason to keep fighting. What could have been a long and winding escort mission turns into something deeper. After Lee is bitten by a Walker, he asks Clem to take his life. The choice is up to the player, and it’s all the more wrenching given what they mean to one another.
Laura & Logan (a.k.a. Wolverine), Logan
Before Keen portrayed Lyra in His Dark Materials, she made waves as Laura — often referred to as X-23 since the character’s X-Men: Evolution debut — in James Mangold’s Logan (2017). The final installment in the Wolverine trilogy, Logan takes inspiration from the “Old Man Logan” run by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. Set in an apocalyptic 2029, Logan presents a world hostile to mutantkind, which has been mostly wiped out. In fact, no known mutants have been born for 25 years. With the help of fellow mutant Caliban (Stephen Merchant), an aged Wolverine (as always, Hugh Jackman) with a failing healing ability protects Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), whose faltering health and dementia causes him to have destructive telepathic outbursts.
When a former nurse from the biotech company Alkali-Transigen asks Logan to escort a young girl, Laura, to a safe haven on the American-Canadian border, he’s reluctant. After all, this is a Wolverine who’s been beaten down — who’s watched as his chosen family and friends were hunted down. And Laura isn’t the typical sharp-tongued kid who gets the curmudgeon to open up. Instead, she doesn’t say much at all. For different reasons — and also for some similar reasons — she’s as tortured as Logan. The Adamantium-clawed Laura is one of several children Transgien birthed using mutant DNA, in the hopes of creating mutant weapons. While they are bound by their shared DNA, it’s their intergenerational trauma and shared struggle to fight against their “nature” that makes Logan and Laura a memorable pair.
Korra & Tenzin, The Legend of Korra
The reincarnation of Avatar Aang, Avatar Korra is quite the opposite of the world-saving hero from Avatar: The Last Airbender. She’s incredibly stubborn, and, at times, confident to a fault. In short, Korra’s a teenager. And while she’s mastered three of the four elements, Korra can’t just “be the leaf” and pick up airbending. She’s always eager to use her strength, go on the attack, or take action without much planning. And that’s where Tenzin comes in.
The youngest of Aang’s kids, Tenzin has inherited the former Avatar’s mantle differently. Not only is he Aang’s son, but, at The Legend of Korra’s start, he and his kids are the only people able to carry on the Air Nomads’ culture and abilities. Tenzin and Korra’s relationship is rife with friction; they’re both often frustrated by the other’s approach. But, as evidenced by countless moments in the series, the duo are always there for each other.
Kate Bishop & Clint Barton, Hawkeye
This Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series opens with a flashback to 2012: New York is under attack and the Avengers are battling Loki’s (Tom Hiddleston) Chitauri fleet. A young Kate Bishop’s (Hailee Steinfeld) life is upended — and almost taken. But Hawkeye — a.k.a. Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) — is there to save the day. Enamored by the non-superpowered Avenger’s ability to keep up with his teammates, Kate takes up archery, becoming a prodigy in her own right.
Years later, a college-aged Kate visits the city during the holidays. As fate would have it, Clint is also trying to spend a post-Thanos Christmas trip with his family. But when his past comes back to haunt him, Clint stays behind to tie up loose ends. Of course, Kate is tangled up in those loose ends. The duo has great comedic chemistry, and Clint comes to see Kate as more than just a kid with a bow, but a worthy peer. An apprentice as much as she is a found family member, Kate Bishop is more than deserving of taking up the Hawkeye mantle one day.
HBO’s The Last of Us premieres on Sunday, January 15, 2023.