WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part II and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Despite one being set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by an infectious virus and the other taking place in the Old West, The Last of Us Part II and Red Dead Redemption 2 hold many parallels with each other. They are widely regarded as two of the best games from the last decade for many of the same reasons.
Both experiences follow dense narratives with complex characters and gorgeous game design. Pertinently, they both feature affecting deaths of beloved figures. Here, we'll look at just how impactful each death was.
It's difficult to understate how much of a seismic shock Joel Miller's death caused when the game released in 2020. In fact, due to significant leaks prior to that release, news and footage of Joel's demise hit the internet a lot earlier than intended, sparking outrage among fans of the franchise. Through a dozen-or-so hours of gameplay in the original game, Joel became an icon, a personification of just how effectively the medium can explore significant topics and themes.
So, when a sequel was announced, players were eager to pick things back up with Joel. Then, Joel is unceremoniously bludgeoned to death at the beginning of The Last of Us Part II. It is a stunning and harrowing cutscene in which Joel's kneecaps are shot out before his head is caved in with a golf club, wielded by a largely unknown character with Ellie watching on, screaming for her surrogate father to get up.
There is no blaze of glory, no final stand for a character players had seen perform countless heroics. He simply found himself surrounded by the wrong people, a violent life meeting a violent end. The nature of this scene caused many fans of the game to rail against its creators, arguing that Joel deserved a more noble sendoff. In-game, Joel's death is the catalyst for the grueling and engrossing events that transpire. Ellie is seeking revenge while Abby is reckoning with the emptiness of her own vengeance, and how it unleashed Ellie's wrath on her own loved ones.
The killing of Joel made sense within the context of the world established in the franchise. It highlights the ugly cycle of violence and the futility of revenge and resentment. So often in games, television and films, beloved characters are given bold, glorious deaths that somewhat ease the pain of their passing. Such a death wouldn't have made sense in The Last of Us Part II, especially for such a conflicted character. Though the leaks somewhat ruined the moment, Joel's death was a shocking event.
Conversely, Red Dead Redemption 2's major death was of a character not previously established: the outlaw with a heart of gold, Arthur Morgan. Players take control of Arthur for the majority of the game before the perspective shifts to John Marston, the first game's protagonist, after Arthur's death. It's a testament to Rockstar Game's storytelling and the acting of Roger Clark that Arthur became such an important character to so many people. Starting out as a ruthless enforcer of the Van der Linde gang, Arthur shows compassion, empathy and bravery as he progresses through the game's story.
Given the game's scale and the intricate details of it, Arthur is a fully fleshed out character, with different sides of his personality being unveiled through the countless interactions he has with non-playable characters. What separates Arthur's death from Joel's is that, by the time it occurs, it is expected, inevitable even. Halfway through the game Arthur is diagnosed with tuberculosis for which, at the time the game is set, there was no cure. His condition deteriorates as the player progresses through the story, each coughing fit sounding like it could be his last.
There are also several versions of Arthur's death, depending on the actions of the player throughout the game. For the sake of argument, we will be considering the most well-known version, which happens for those players with high honor and who choose to help John escape in Arthur's final mission. After urging John to run, and fending off their attackers, Arthur gets into a lengthy fist fight with Micah. Arthur is left bloody and exhausted on the rock face of a mountain when Dutch arrives and disregards Arthur's claims that Micah is the rat who betrayed the gang.
Dutch and Micah leave, with Arthur looking out on the sunrise and succumbing to the tuberculosis and his injuries. It is a noble death that is validated by the game's epilogue, in which John and his family build their own ranch and carve out a new life. For the player, it's the completion of a masterful and emotional character arc.
In reality, it's impossible to determine which death was more impactful, mainly because each will have affected people in different ways. Joel's death certainly caused more of a stir online, though that doesn't mean Arthur's was any less meaningful. Both characters had been expertly developed and their stories enraptured gamers across the world. It's a marvel that the two games were released so close to one another, in the grand scheme of things.
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