Honestly, if you've played through the emotional meat grinder that is The Last of Us Part II, you probably walked away feeling a specific kind of way about Tommy Miller. He’s not just "Joel’s brother" anymore. By the time the credits roll, he’s basically a completely different human being. He starts the game as the level-headed leader in Jackson and ends it as a bitter, broken man who can't let go of the past. It’s a brutal arc.
Most people focus on Ellie or Abby. That makes sense; they’re the protagonists. But Tommy in The Last of Us 2 serves as the most realistic, albeit depressing, look at what happens when revenge actually "wins" in a person's heart. He survives, sure. But the Tommy we knew in the first game? He’s gone.
The Sniper of Seattle: Tommy’s Path of Destruction
When Joel is murdered in that basement, Tommy is the one who tries to be the adult. He tells Ellie they can’t just send a group of people to Seattle because it would leave Jackson vulnerable. He sounds like the responsible leader Maria expects him to be.
Then he sneaks out in the middle of the night.
He leaves a note for Maria asking her to look after Ellie. He thinks he’s protecting her by going alone. This is where we see "Tommy the Soldier" return. Remember, this guy was a Firefly. He spent years doing things that gave him nightmares, and in Seattle, those skills come back with a vengeance.
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During Abby’s half of the game, you actually experience what it’s like to be on the receiving end of Tommy’s rage. That terrifying sniper on the marina? That’s him. He’s not just a good shot; he’s a ghost. He systematically dismantles Abby’s friends. He kills Nick. He kills Manny with a single, brutal headshot right in front of Abby. It’s easy to forget that while Ellie is struggling with her conscience, Tommy is out there acting like a one-man army.
What Actually Happened at the Theater?
The confrontation at the Seattle theater is where everything falls apart for Tommy. It’s the moment his luck finally runs out.
Lev, Abby’s companion, shoots Tommy in the leg with an arrow. While he’s pinned down, Abby shoots him in the head. For a long time during the first playthrough, most of us thought he was dead. The screen cuts to black, and the game shifts.
Survival and the Cost of Revenge
He lived. But the "how" is less important than the "what now." When we see Tommy again months later at Ellie and Dina’s farm, the physical toll is obvious:
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- He is blind in one eye. The bullet grazed his temple, leaving a permanent scar and taking his vision on that side.
- He walks with a heavy limp. Between the arrow to the leg and the general trauma, his days as a frontline combatant are over.
- His marriage is over. He and Maria are "taking a break," which in post-apocalyptic terms usually means it's done.
The most jarring change, though, isn't physical. It’s his personality. The once-warm Uncle Tommy is now biting and manipulative. He berates Ellie for not going after Abby in Santa Barbara. He uses her guilt as a weapon. It’s a hard scene to watch because you realize he’s consumed by the very thing Joel probably would have wanted him to avoid.
Why Tommy in The Last of Us 2 Is So Divisive
There’s a lot of debate among fans about whether Tommy acted "out of character" at the end. Some players hate that he guilt-trips Ellie. They feel it ruins the bond they had.
But look at it from his perspective. He lost his brother. He lost his health. He lost his wife. He lost Jesse, a kid he clearly cared about, during the theater ambush. Tommy feels like he failed everyone, and the only way to balance the scales is Abby’s death. He can’t do it himself anymore—he can barely walk—so he forces the burden onto Ellie.
It’s not "heroic." It’s deeply human and incredibly selfish.
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Quick Facts on Tommy’s Journey
- Voice and Mocap: Jeffrey Pierce returned to play Tommy. Interestingly, Pierce also appeared in the HBO series, but as the character Perry (Kathleen’s right-hand man), while Gabriel Luna took over the role of Tommy for the show.
- The Firefly Connection: Tommy’s past as a Firefly is what gave him the tactical edge in Seattle. He knew how militias worked because he used to be in one.
- The Map: It was Tommy’s dropped map that allowed Abby to find the theater in the first place. His one mistake led to the deaths and injuries of his entire group.
What’s Next for Tommy?
If Naughty Dog ever makes a Part III, Tommy is in a tough spot. He’s essentially the "Ghost of Joel," haunting the narrative with a version of the Miller legacy that is all about pain and no longer about protection.
If you're looking to understand the character deeper, pay close attention to the optional dialogue in Jackson during the prologue. You’ll see the flashes of the man he used to be—the one who wanted to teach Ellie how to use a rifle for hunting, not for a cross-country execution.
To get the full picture of Tommy’s descent, you should:
- Re-read the letters found in the Seattle Day 3 (Ellie) and Marina (Abby) sections; they detail how the WLF viewed him as an "unstoppable demon."
- Watch the farm scene again, but focus on his body language—the way he can't look Dina in the eye shows he knows he’s being unfair, but he can't stop himself.
- Compare his "soft" behavior in the opening hours to his final appearance to see the most radical character shift in the entire franchise.
The tragedy of Tommy in The Last of Us 2 is that he survived the war, but he didn't survive the peace.