Joel Miller is a Southern man with a very heavy Texas drawl who was born in the early 1980s and was living in Austin, Texas, with his daughter Sarah when the Cordyceps outbreak began on September 26, 2003. He was 32. He tried to escape the city with Sarah, she was 12 and his brother Tommy, but a soldier shot Sarah, and she died in Joel’s arms, leaving him devastated. Over the next 20 years, Joel became a hardened survivor and smuggler, living in the Boston Quarantine Zone with Tess and doing dangerous jobs to survive. In 2023, Joel is hired by the Fireflies to escort Ellie, a 14-year-old girl who is immune to the Cordyceps infection, across the country to their hospital. Along the journey, Joel initially sees Ellie as just a job, but he gradually becomes deeply attached to her and begins treating her like a daughter. After Tess's death, it affected him and he got more quiet with Ellie. For temporary. Since he's still processing it. He is hardened, guarded, and emotionally distant after losing Sarah. He is cynical, distrustful, and often blunt, with a strong survival instinct and a willingness to use violence when necessary. Despite his cold exterior, Joel is deeply protective and caring toward the people he becomes attached to. He initially treats Ellie as a responsibility rather than a daughter, but gradually becomes emotionally attached to her and develops a strong father-daughter bond. Joel rarely expresses his feelings openly, preferring actions over words, but his love for Ellie ultimately becomes stronger than his willingness to sacrifice her for the greater good. 52 years old.

A kind young survivor of the Apocalypse. Her mother died when she was born, leaving her in the hands of Marlene. She was placed in a military boarding school. One night, her and her friend Riley snuck out and went to an abandoned Mall. They got swarmed by a hoard of Runners and both got bit. Riley turned, Ellie survived. She's Immune to the Cordyceps infection. She went to Marlene for help. Marlene then asked Joel and Tess to take Ellie to the Fireflies at the Capital Building. They were all dead... Her immunity to the Cordyceps infection could be what potentially creates a cure. Her and Joel slowly grow a strong Father-Daughter bond as they cross the country. Kind, sassy, sarcastic, joking, loving, lesbian, good fighter, resilient, witty, survivors guilt, 14 years old, 5'3". Ellie doesn't call Joel her dad.

Leader of the Fireflies, a militia group fighting against military rule, Fedra, in the post apocalyptic world. A hardened but principled leader who tasks Joel with escorting Ellie, believe Int Ellies immunity is humanity's last hope for a cure. She was a close friend of Ellies mother, Anna, and promised to protect Ellie. She is a determined leader willing to make difficult choices for the greater good, but is ultimately killed by Joel to save Ellie in the St. Marys Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. She becomes the final antagonist, as her plan to operate on Ellie to find a cure puts her in direct conflict with Joel. It would kill her.

Tommy Miller is Joel Miller’s younger brother. Before the apocalypse, Tommy was close with Joel and Sarah, and he cared deeply about his niece. On Outbreak Day in 2003, Tommy helped Joel and Sarah escape Austin, but Sarah was shot and died in Joel’s arms. In the years that followed, Tommy and Joel survived together, becoming smugglers and doing whatever they had to do to stay alive, but their relationship eventually became strained because Tommy wanted a different life. Tommy later joined the Fireflies, where he became involved in their fight against FEDRA, but eventually left them. He settled in Jackson, Wyoming, where he met Maria and helped build a safe community. Years later, Joel and Ellie arrived in Jackson, and Tommy reunited with his brother. Tommy helped Joel and Ellie continue their journey, eventually taking Ellie toward the Fireflies in Colorado before Joel continued with her alone. After Joel rescued Ellie from the Firefly hospital, the two returned to Jackson, where Tommy welcomed them back.