| “ | Sam...he got sick. Leukemia. Yeah. Anyway, there was one drug that worked and, big shock, there wasn't much left of it and it belonged to FEDRA. If I wanted some, it was gonna take something big. So I gave them something big...The leader of the resistance movement in Kansas City and Kathleen's brother. So, still think they should take it easy on me?
―Henry confesses his part in Michael's death.
|
” |
Henry Burrell is a supporting character in the first season of HBO's The Last of Us. He was the older brother of Sam, who were hiding from a revolutionary movement seeking vengeance in Kansas City, Missouri.[1]
Biography[]
Background[]
Henry lived in the Kansas City quarantine zone after the Cordyceps brain infection. By 2015, Henry had a brother—Sam Burrell. When he found out Sam was deaf, Henry resolved to care for the boy, learning sign language and teaching it to him so they could communicate. However, FEDRA and the military formed a authoritarian regime in the zone, making life difficult for many living there. The oppression became so bad that resident Michael Coghlan formed a resistance group. Henry admired Michael and viewed him as a brilliant and inspiring leader, deeming him a truly good man.[2]
Events of HBO's The Last of Us[]
Caring for Sam[]
At some point, Henry formed a close partnership with Doctor Edelstein. The doctor informed him FEDRA had successfully trapped the city's horde of infected in the maintenance tunnels beneath the city in 2008 and had cleared the tunnels by 2020. Upon hearing about the tunnel system, Henry began learning the layout of the city to find a safe way to escape the zone one day.
Despite the resistance movement's actions, FEDRA still ensured life was difficult for many in the zone, especially when they began limiting access to medical supplies. Henry suddenly found himself in a crisis when Sam became ill with leukemia. Fearing Sam would die if he went untreated, Henry betrayed Michael and revealed his hiding place to FEDRA in return for a rare drug to help Sam. The drug worked but FEDRA captured Michael and executed him. Michael's sister, Kathleen Coghlan, took control of the resistance group and waged open war with FEDRA.
The resistance won, overthrowing FEDRA. However, Kathleen knew it was Henry who betrayed Michael. Knowing he would be hunted down and executed, Henry took Sam and fled to a hideout Edelstein had set up for him. Edelstein assured him it would be safe and he would smuggle them food from the resistance. Edelstein noted that Sam could sense Henry was scared. To keep his brother occupied, Henry gave Sam colored pencils and paints to decorate the room with pictures of superheroes they were hiding in while he devised a way to escape the city.[2]
Allying with Joel[]
Henry hugs Sam.
Ten days later, Edelstein did not return and Henry informed Sam they would have to escape without his help. Seeing Sam get upset, Henry had him close his eyes and painted an imaginary mask over his eyes, like his superhero characters, cheering Sam up. The pair headed downstairs and prepared to leave. Before doing so, gunshots rang out. Henry checked the window and saw an older man fighting members of the resistance. He watched as the man successfully killed the group. Seeing how capable and strong the man was, Henry changed his plan, taking Sam and following the stranger and his young companion across the city.[2]
By nightfall, he and Sam approached an office where the man was sleeping in a room with the girl. He gave Sam a handgun and approached the room. Once inside, Henry held the girl at gunpoint while Sam did the same with the man.[3] Upon both waking, Henry revealed he did not intend any hostility and instead wanted an alliance. The man and girl assured him they only wanted peace too. The four shared a meal, during which Henry learned the man was Joel and the girl was Ellie and proposed an alliance with them.
Henry and Sam listening to Joel and Ellie.
By morning, as Ellie and Sam bonded over the Savage Starlight comic series, Henry opened up to Joel his intentions and history. However, he also revealed he had been a FEDRA collaborator. Having grown to hate collaborators from his own time in the Boston quarantine zone, Joel called him a rat. Henry insisted they still needed each other—Henry to guide them safely out of the city and Joel to protect them against the resistance and infected. Relenting, Joel agreed. Henry then revealed his plan to Joel to escape through the tunnel system into the suburbs and cross an embankment. Joel was skeptical given the chance of infected beneath the city, but Henry convinced him that it was their best chance.
Henry watches Sam play soccer.
Later that day, the group crossed through the city. Henry led them to the tunnels and they traversed it. They came to an abandoned settlement. At Henry's insistence, they rested in an abandoned nursery room. Watching Sam and Ellie play, Henry revealed his happiness at seeing Sam so happy. Recognizing how much Henry cared for Sam, Joel apologized for his hostility earlier, saying Henry's collaboration was done in good faith for Sam. However, Henry disagreed, revealing his hand in Michael's death and sparking the new dictatorship Kathleen had established. He then recognized that, though Joel was not Ellie's father, he was a father once and understood what it meant to care for a child like himself. Joel then insisted they move on, Henry and the others leaving the room.
That night, the group pressed onwards and reached the suburbs. Delighted, Henry professed his plan was a success. However, they were shot at by a sniper. Despite Joel's orders, Henry grabbed Sam and tried to run but the sniper fired again, leading Henry to retreat behind cover again. Joel then asked the trio to trust him to defeat the sniper, running down the street and flanking them, killing the sniper. A few minutes later, Henry, Sam and Ellie heard rumbling and saw Kathleen's militia racing towards them in trucks. The three fled down the streets, with Joel shooting one of the drivers, crashing the truck into a house to buy them more time. Henry got Sam to safety but ran back to get Ellie, who had fallen. He carried her to cover behind a car when Kathleen exited her vehicle with her group and surrounded them. Henry begged her to let Sam and Ellie go but she refused. Henry then turned to Ellie, entrusting Sam in her care. He then left cover and prepared for Kathleen to kill him.
Henry surrenders before Kathleen.
Before she could, the truck that crashed sank into the ground and a horde of infected emerged from beneath the ground. Henry ran to Sam and tried to protect him but a pair of clickers attacked them under a car. Ellie (using her switchblade) and Joel (shooting from the house) came to their aid, killing the clickers. The trio then reached Joel at the end of the street but Kathleen reached them too, preparing to shoot Henry. A clicker child intervened, allowing the group to flee.
That night, the group stayed in an abandoned motel. While Ellie and Sam played in the opposite room, Henry spoke with Joel, thanking him for his protection. Joel suggested Henry and Sam to join himself and Ellie on their journey to Wyoming to find his brother, Tommy Miller. Happy, Henry accepted. He then went next door to tell Sam to go to sleep, leaving the children for the night.
Death[]
The next morning, Henry and Joel were shocked awake by Ellie's screams—an infected Sam had turned in the night and attacked her. As Sam tried to kill Ellie, Henry reached Joel's gun first and used it to prevent Joel attacking Sam. However, in a moment of realization that Sam was infected, Henry shot him in the head, killing him and saving Ellie. However, he fell into a state of shock at having killed his own brother. Although Joel tried to talk Henry down and give him the gun, Henry used it to shoot himself in the head.
Joel and Ellie then buried Henry and Sam's bodies side by side outside the motel that morning.[2]
Appearance[]
Henry was a young African-American man, with a slight five o'clock shadow and short black afro hair. His attire consisted of a simple green jacket, faded blue jeans, athletic shoes and a red hoodie underneath. He also kept a duffel bag to carry food, a 9mm pistol, and a flashlight.[2]
Personality[]
Henry's defining trait was his fierce protectiveness over his brother, Sam. Henry made it his purpose to protect him at all costs and shield him from the violence of the revolution, even having him avert his eyes from the violence so he would not witness the horrors they committed. This drive to keep Sam safe even led him to betray Michael to FEDRA, despite believing that action made him a morally bad man, given FEDRA were oppressing the people in Kansas yet he viewed Michael as a heroic figure. Despite this fierce protection, he was not a fighter or violent man by nature, having never personally killed anyone and needed Joel to provide the strength he lacked to protect them. Regardless, Henry was selfless, willingly revealing himself to Kathleen in the suburbs to ensure Sam was unharmed and confronted the consequences of the actions he committed to keep him alive.
Even so, when Sam became infected and tried to harm Ellie, Henry made the difficult decision to kill his brother to save her, recognizing the need to keep her alive despite it leading to his brother's death. However, he was overcome with guilt from the action, feeling his purpose to live was lost and opted to take his own life.[2]
Relationships[]
Sam Burrell[]
Henry was Sam's older brother and was incredibly protective over him. Henry believed it was his purpose to keep Sam safe from the violence in the post-apocalypse, including infected, FEDRA and the resistance. When Sam fell ill, Henry betrayed Michael to FEDRA, demonstrating the extremes Henry would go to so Sam could live, despite it causing a deep guilt to nest within himself. This protection also had a softer approach, with Henry making it possible for Sam to be a child still, helping him color, paint and even play games in the underground settlement, securing the room so Sam could enjoy himself.
When the resistance took over Kansas City, Henry made it his mission to protect Sam from them, guiding him across the city to a safe house and never letting the boy leave his side. Henry would even willingly surrender himself to Kathleen to give Sam a chance to escape the suburbs unharmed.
However, when Sam was infected, Henry faced the dilemma of killing his own brother to save Ellie. While he chose to save Ellie, the act of killing Sam broke Henry, the man over come with immense guilt from his choice, believing his reason to live was lost.[2]
Joel Miller[]
Henry's first experience with Joel drew him much admiration, the man recognizing Joel's combat skills and tough persona. Because of this, Henry was cautious in their first meeting, having to hold him at gun point to ensure Joel wouldn't try to harm him. Henry also initially struggled to bond with Joel, the man detesting his association with FEDRA and arrogance.
However, Henry eventually managed to connect with Joel when demonstrating how his care for Sam was similar to how Joel cared for Ellie. This even led Joel to apologize for his attitude towards Henry initially. This connection meant Henry felt safe to open up to Joel further about his morally grey past, even understanding if Joel thought him a bad man for choosing his brother's life over Michael's. Furthermore, while initially finding Joel a tough man to read, unable to tell by his voice if Joel trusted him or not, he later correctly perceived that Joel was once a father and knew what it meant to care for a child. This bond only increased later when Joel openly offered for Henry to bring Sam with him to Wyoming and protected him from the resistance and infected in the suburbs.
Despite this, Henry instinctively prevented Joel saving Ellie from Sam during the latter's attack, using Joel's own gun to do so. Although, Henry changed his mind, putting Joel's dependent child above his own, despite the guilt it caused him. When Henry took his own life, Joel provided him a proper burial as a sign of respect to the man.[2]
Kathleen Coghlan[]
Henry and Kathleen initially got along, when Henry passively supported her brother Michael's resistance campaign against FEDRA. However, when Henry chose to save his brother over hers, the woman developed a deep hatred for him. Her hatred towards Henry made Kathleen immoral and aggressive, the woman seeking to kill any who sided with Henry over her.[3]
However, despite spending two weeks avoiding her, he eventually revealed himself to her in the suburbs, displaying an acceptance of his choice and Kathleen's desire to enact revenge. This confrontation met an abrupt end when infected attacked them, allowing Henry to avoid Kathleen's vengeance.[2]
Ellie Williams[]
Henry trusted Ellie during their time together in Kansas City, despite initially threatening her to prevent Joel attacking him. Through Ellie's trust, Henry was able to gain Joel's trust through her. Henry was quietly optimistic when Ellie even offered him and Sam to join her and Joel on their trip to Wyoming.
Henry also instinctively believed that, though Sam was his brother, it was the morally right thing to save her life over his when the infected Sam attacked her. However, the choice still traumatized Henry, the man taking his own life afterwards.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
- Henry is portrayed by Canadian actor and dancer Lamar Johnson.[4]
Quotes[]
| “ | Sam and Henry, brothers in Kansas City hiding from a revolutionary movement seeking vengeance.
―Official description from HBO's website.[5]
|
” |
- Henry: "You're wrong. I haven't killed anyone. Pointing an unloaded gun at you is the closest I've come to being violent. So that's the deal: I show the way and you clear the way."
- Joel: "If you were collaborating to take care of him, I shouldn't have said what I said. I don't know your situation and I'm not saying they should let it go, but all things considered, it seems kinda cruel to send a whole army after you for that."
- Henry: "You know, I wasn't exactly telling you the truth before about me not killing someone. There was a man, a great man. He was never afraid, never selfish and he was always forgiving. You ever met someone like that? A man you'd follow anywhere. I wanted to. Yeah, but Sam...he got sick. Leukemia. Yeah. Anyway, there was one drug that worked and, big shock, there wasn't much left of it and it belonged to FEDRA. If I wanted some, it was gonna take something big. So I gave them something big. That one great man. The leader of the resistance movement in Kansas City and Kathleen's brother. So, still think they should take it easy on me? Or am I the bad guy? I don't know what you're waiting on man, the answer is easy. I am the bad guy because I did a bad guy thing."
- Kathleen: "Dead end Henry. You gonna step out? Save us some time? No? That's alright, doesn't matter."
- Henry: "I'll come out. Just let the kids go."
- Kathleen: "No. Sorry. The girl was with the man who killed Bryan and Sam, well Sam's with you."
- Henry: "You don't understand."
- Kathleen: "But I do. I know why you did what you did. But did you ever stop to think that maybe he was supposed to die?"
- Henry: "He's just a fucking kid!"
- Kathleen: "Well kids die Henry. They die all the time. You think this whole world revolves around him? That he's worth everything? Well, this is what happens when you fuck with fate."
Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
![Promotional poster featuring Lamar Johnson as Henry.[4]](/wiki/File:Henry_HBO_promo_poster.jpeg "Henry HBO promo poster.jpeg (2.33 MB)")
Official stills[]
Behind the scenes[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bailey, Kat (August 10, 2022). Exclusive: HBO's The Last of Us Casts Henry and Sam, But There Are Some Major Differences. IGN. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 HBO's The Last of Us episode 5: "Endure and Survive"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 HBO's The Last of Us episode 4: "Please Hold to My Hand"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Poster released by The Last of Us (@TheLastofUsHBO) on Twitter. Tweet. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ↑ Henry on HBO's official website.
