Character from The Last of Us by Naughty Dog
A charismatic preacher leading a settlement in Colorado — who is also a cannibal, a predator, and the person Ellie kills with a machete in the series' most visceral scene.
David leads a group of survivors near the University of Eastern Colorado who have resorted to cannibalism. He presents as a religious leader — gentle, patient, offering community and protection. His interest in Ellie is predatory in multiple senses: he wants her as a recruit, a replacement, and possibly something worse. The game never explicitly names it. It doesn't need to. Ellie kills him with his own machete in a burning steakhouse, hacking long after he's dead. Joel finds her covered in blood, dissociating. It's the moment Ellie's childhood ends — not from the infection, not from the apocalypse, but from a man who used kindness as a weapon. The HBO series makes his predatory nature more explicit and Ellie's violence more clearly self-defense. Both versions are devastating.
Middle-aged with a calm, fatherly demeanor, thinning hair, and soft-spoken authority. He looks trustworthy. He sounds reasonable. He offers a cold, hungry girl food and warmth. Everything about his presentation is designed to disarm, which makes the reveal worse.
Also known as: David