The fourth episode of The Last of Us sheds some light on Joel’s younger brother, Tommy, his past, and the reason he joined the Fireflies. The character is played by Gabriel Luna.
Tommy and Joel always shared a close bond with each other as brothers. Tommy appears to have been visiting Joel and Sarah on a regular basis prior to Outbreak Day.
When the world started falling apart, he was with Joel and Sarah. They escaped their town together, and he was around when they lost Sarah.
Fast forward to 2023, and Tommy is now far away from Joel at a place called the Tower. Joel stopped receiving messages from him and got desperate to meet his brother.
Joel made a deal with Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies, out of desperation. He and Tess volunteered to escort Ellie to a camp of Fireflies in exchange for a car battery.
Unfortunately, the camp was already in ruins. Joel and Ellie lost Tess during this adventure, and with Bill and Frank dead too, Joel decided to take Ellie to Tommy in Wyoming. Joel thought Tommy was a Firefly once, and he must know where Ellie is supposed to go.
Why Tommy and Joel aren’t together?
While driving to Wyoming, Ellie asks Joel about Tommy and why he isn’t with him anymore. Joel describes Tommy as what they used to call a ‘joiner’.
Tommy dreamt of becoming a hero. Therefore, he enlisted in the Army right out of high school. He did go to war, but being in the army didn’t make him feel like a hero.
About 12 years later, the outbreak happened. He convinced Joel to join a group that was making its way to Boston. Joel agreed, but only to keep a close eye on him and to keep him alive.
Then they met Tess and the whole crew they know. Tommy then met Marlene. She talked Tommy into joining the Fireflies. In a way, Tommy made the same mistake he did when he was 18 years old.
Tommy joined an army again in hopes of saving the world. For Joel, Tommy’s and Fireflies’ goals are nothing but a pipe dream. Tommy certainly has realized his mistake because the last time Joel heard from him, he had quit the group.
Now that Tommy is on his own, Joel feels like he should go out there and get him.
Tommy and Joel are both described to be polar opposites so far. While Tommy is attempting to reshape the world, Joel, on the other hand, doesn’t think there is hope for this world.
When Ellie asks him why he is bothering to go on in this world, Joel claims that he is only here for family. He is persistent that he will find Tommy in Wyoming.
Also Read: Does Tess die in The Last of Us?