Easily the most controversial father figure on this list, Joel from The Last of Us was an unambiguously good dad at one point in his life. He worked awful hours to try and provide for his daughter Sarah as a single dad, and she clearly adored him until she was killed in a senseless act of state violence. His relationship with his surrogate daughter, Ellie, in the post-apocalypse is far more complicated, and has been subject to heavy, even hostile debate since The Last of Us launched in 2013. The sequel and HBO show try to paint him as a more sympathetic figure, making explicit his misguided attempts at violence-driven love were just that, but ultimately, that’s not enough for those who have always viewed his actions in contempt.
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But also, look at him. Daddy.
