| “ | I believe his last words were; 'I don't ever want to see your goddamn face again.'
―Joel remembering his last conversation with Tommy.
|
” |
Tommy is a character who appears in The Last of Us. He is Joel's younger brother, Sarah's uncle, the husband of Maria and a former member of the Fireflies. He is voiced and mo-capped by Jeffrey Pierce.
Biography
Background & Early life
Tommy grew up in Texas with his older brother Joel. He was also the uncle of Sarah, Joel's daughter. Tommy helped his brother, a single father, in looking after Sarah which included taking her to carnivals.
Events of The Last of Us
Tommy first appears when he talks to his brother Joel on the phone. When Sarah finds Joel's cell phone, she finds over three texts messages from him and a missed call from him. He appears again during the first moments of the cordyceps brain infection outbreak, picking up Joel and Sarah to get them to safety. The three drive through the town with a plan to get to the blockade that the military set up. They witness streets filled with newly infected Runners, people fearfully running through the streets and fires engulfing multiple buildings, After reaching Texas State Highway 71 they encounter a traffic jam which turns into mayhem when Infected start attacking the car in front of them. They quickly turn around, pursued by several Infected, and attempt a detour. Among the chaos, a vehicle crashes into the side of the Tommy's car. They all survive the crash but Sarah's leg is broken, causing Joel to carry her and Tommy to cover them with Joel's revolver. Tommy manages to circle back for Joel and Sarah after being separated at a bar, just in time to save Joel's life from a soldier who preparing to execute him. He is too late to save Sarah though, who was shot in the abdomen and dies minutes later.
In the years following the outbreak, Tommy and Joel made their way to Boston. But the actions committed by the brothers in order to survive left Tommy to suffer nightmares from those years. Becoming sick of Joel's growing inhumane activities and the military's tyranny, he decides to join the Fireflies, after being convinced by Marlene. He was filled with hope that the world could get better, which led to an argument between him and Joel which ended with them parting ways, Tommy's last words to Joel being, "I don't ever want to see your god damned face again." Tommy eventually left the Fireflies after becoming disenchanted. Before he left he informed Marlene she could rely on his brother if she was ever in a jam.
Tommy settles down in an abandoned hydroelectric power plant in Wyoming's Jackson County, where he soon helps to make into a safe haven. He marries a woman named Maria and they become the leaders of the settlement while trying to get the generator fixed. The plant is under constant attack by bandits. For a few months Tommy travelled back to the brothers' hometown in Texas; most of their stuff were long gone, though he retrieved a slightly faded photo of Joel and Sarah at a soccer match to take back.
During the Fall of 2033, Joel and Ellie stumble upon the power plant while trying to find Tommy. Tommy greets his brother with open arms and welcomes him into the plant, introducing him to Maria. After showing Joel around and getting the power to work, Joel gives Tommy the information regarding Ellie's immunity to the CBI. Due to leaving the Firefly cause behind him and the danger of the journey, Tommy refuses to deliver Ellie to the group. An argument ensues which leads to Joel violently shoving his brother, but they are interrupted by a bandit attack. Tommy, with help from Joel and some of his men, fends off the attackers and defends the plant. Tommy reconsiders his decision to take Ellie to the Fireflies' lab after seeing her interactions with Joel. Maria is understandably upset when Tommy tells her this, knowing that she may end up being a widow if Tommy made even one wrong move.
Before he can leave with Ellie, she steals a horse and runs away. Joel and Tommy give chase and find her at an abandoned ranch, where they are attacked by more bandits. Arriving back to the town after the attack, Joel tells Tommy he will take Ellie and Tommy can go back to Maria. Tommy tells them that the Fireflies' lab is in the University of Eastern Colorado. As Joel is about to leave with Ellie, he offers them both a spot in his town, saying there was always a place for Joel. Joel doesn't answer, giving the impression of acceptance, and instead bids Tommy farewell before riding off.
In the months after Joel and Ellie left, Tommy had managed to turn Jackson County into a small fortified town using the electricity coming from the dam. After leaving Salt Lake City, Joel and Ellie decide to head there.
Personality
Tommy was with Joel for the initial years after the outbreak and aided him in ambushes and raids. It is also very likely that Tommy himself had killed innocent people, as he claims to still suffer nightmares from the years he spent with Joel and all the horrible things they did. Tommy has been seeking redemption for his past crimes by helping Maria build safe havens and communities throughout Wyoming. He cares about those under his charge and puts their well-being before his own.
Like Joel, Tommy has a short temper, but his is much quicker to diffuse than that of his brother, due to him being generally more sympathetic. Tommy becomes frustrated when Joel brings up his past and blames him for most of it, indicating that Joel may have helmed a lot of their activities. However, he is surprisingly quick to forgive his brother when they meet again after many years, and despite being more averse to violence, he is fearless, capable when he has to be and still loves and cares for his brother Joel.
Tommy, in contrast to Joel, tends to be reasonably optimistic, believing he can make things better with caution and hard work, and thus is not plagued with the same unrelenting pessimism and apathy that his brother harbors. This is his impetus for joining the Fireflies at one point, as well as why he leaves them to build a new safe haven. He prioritizes his family, declining Joel's offer to take the profit from Ellie's deliverance in favor of his new family with Maria. However, after seeing his own brother act affectionately towards a strange young girl, he sympathizes with Joel and changes his mind.
Skills and Abilities
Tommy appears to be quite skilled with handguns even before the outbreak, as he kills many Infected in the first portion of the game with Joel's gun. 20 years later, he appears very skilled with a hunting rifle against bandits. He also possesses good leadership abilities, as he helps create and drive a new, non-violent community forward, being very respected within this group, while proceeding with enough caution to keep the place in check.
