Jason Sudeikis's portrayal of Mike Miller on The Last Man On Earth is hilarious, charming, and a bit mysterious. Combing through the too-short, four-season series, a surprising number of unexpected details emerge about the younger brother of the protagonist — Phil Tandy Miller, played with ever-convincing silliness by Will Forte. Mike's journey pokes its way into the narrative of the earliest scenes of The Last Man On Earth, and it goes on to follow a remarkable path.
From a sneaky introduction to character insights that aren't so obvious and some silly acts — there are several facts about Mike Miller that are likely to surprise viewers of The Last Man On Earth.
Mike First Appears In The Pilot
Though out of sight, hidden in space for over ninety-nine percent of the adventurous and singular pilot, Mike's presence is planted from the get-go. After a long and fruitless cross-country trip, Phil Tandy Miller returns home to Tucson. Once he gets there, he immediately bails on his crummy apartment and moves into an unoccupied mansion.
While moving in, Forte's character carries in a progression of iconic pieces like a presidential rug from the White House, a signed Babe Ruth baseball, and a dinosaur skull likely lifted from some museum of natural history. During this delightful montage, there's a brief glimpse of Phil putting up a framed picture of his family with Sudeikis smiling right there for all to see. It's so quick, most viewers don't recognize the character until he's seen in space.
He's More Similar To Tandy Than You Think
From the outset, Mike is painted as different than his older brother. Before the virus, Sudeikis's character accomplished so much. He was an astronaut, while Tandy lived in a studio that his parents paid for. Once he touches down and s the gang in Malibu, Mike differentiates himself even more from his sibling — showing off a cooler demeanor, more intellectual perspective, and more socially savvy personality.
Despite all of these efforts to contrast these two brothers, the show adds nuance to their relationship by sprinkling in several similarities between the two. In the pilot, Tandy crosses off a map of the U.S. state-by-state while failing to find other signs of life, and when we meet Mike in space later on, he's marking off his own map in the same way. They both drop the show's signature, "oh farts," reaction to tough times, even before they reunite. They also both share an adorable ion for singing "Falling Slowly" with a karaoke machine.
Mike Is A Space Commander
The audience of The Last Man On Earth is made aware of Mike being an astronaut from the moment they meet him on a ship in space. Following that introduction, he reveals his rank in a tough breakdown. In 'No Bull,' he's shown trying to radio down to earth.
The desperate man hears some voices come back, and it's clear this is the first sign he's had of any success. Excited, he stands up and shouts, "Hello! This is Commander Mike Miller from the International Space Station!" Sadly, he fast realizes it's only his own voice reverberating back to him.
On Three Different Occasions, Mike's Presumed Dead
This is an odd fact about Mike Miller, and it's tough to discern whether or not the show was conscious of this theme. It comes across as subtle — each presumed death is unrelated, and nobody ever points it out.
He is presumed dead to begin the show, which is confirmed in a later episode when he and Tandy are at their childhood home and Mike discovers a tombstone his younger brother made for him. The second time comes when Pat Brown knocks him unconscious, discovers a tear in Mike's hazmat suit, and then abandons him in a body bag. Finally, after finding his brother and the gang, Mike gets sick at the end of season two. Everyone thinks he's contracted the virus, including him, and so he goes back to Tucson to die in his family's home, and the show moves on as if he has.
He Once Plagiarized & Had To Switch Colleges
Mike's achievements stack high, so fans might find themselves surprised by some of his past failures. In 'Skidmark', Mike ribs Tandy's attempt to perform a one-man show for everyone.
After a few jokes from Mike, Tandy loses it, and in a childish tantrum, he starts taking random jabs at his younger brother's character. He emphatically points out that Mike once plagiarized on a paper, and had to switch colleges. It's surprising, but Mike takes the call out with humility and acceptance.
Mike Also Missed His Nana's Death
Another example of a telling fact also comes in the same stage meltdown by Tandy — right after he points out Mike's cheating past, Tandy then brings up their nana. The flustered main character of the show asks his younger brother if he was there with their parents and himself when their dear grandmother ed away. With visible regret, Mike its he was the one person who wasn't there.
Mike missing their nana's death highlights a tough emotional theme for Tandy. It's later revealed that he had to bury their parents by himself, and accept his belief that Mike died alone too.
He Left An Aging, Bottled Fart In The Last Man Universe
Mike Miller is a man of science — he has to be given his title as Commander of an International Space Station. However, when Tandy reveals a thirty-year science experiment in the season two episode '30 Years Of Science Down The Tubes', which is a fart he saved in a jar for three decades, Mike thwarts his research. As the elder opens his fart can and basks in some stinky affirmation, the younger reveals that he just farted, thus ruining the experiment.
As becomes a common theme with the Miller brothers, a series of harsh pranks often precede kind, heart-warming gestures. At the end of the episode, a sad Tandy is forced to leave his brother alone to die in their childhood home. To send him off with a sentiment, Mike gifts him with a bottle that he farted in that's dated February 11th, 2011.
In An Astronaut Jumper, Mike Met Obama
In 'The Open-Ended Nature Of Unwitnessed Deaths', Tandy and Lewis return to their old homes to confront dead loved ones. On his way to Mike's bedroom, Tandy es by a wall adorned with numerous framed pictures that offer some more surprising facts about Mike.
The first shot of the wall shows both a plaque for a 1st Place Track & Field Award for Mike Miller. It notes that he held the school record in the 100 Meter and the 400 Relay. To the right, there's an even more impressive reveal in the form of a framed photo showing Mike in an astronaut jumper shaking hands with the iconic President Barack Obama.
Mike Saved An Entire Family In High School
The second shot of framed items looks at a newspaper clipping with a headline that reads, 'Tucson Teenager Saves Family From Burning Car' with a class photo of a young Sudeikis underneath. The shot cuts away too fast to read the fine print, but if you pause it, and zoom in, there's a full story about how he pulled a family of four out of a Nissan, plus two adorable pugs. It notes how he leaned on first aid skills he learned in space camp too.
A third shot shows another framed picture on the wall, and it features a young, smiling Tandy wearing a sombrero with text across his chest reading, "I ate a 10 POUND burrito!!!"
As A Kid, He Was A Vanilla Ice Fan
When Mike returns, he tricks the whole gang into believing that he was abducted by a mysterious group of people who tortured him. After luring everyone into this wild tale, Mike tells the truth about finding one of Tandy's floating balloons carrying used baby diapers, and that helped him rediscover them.
Tandy's confused because he left Mike a note in Tuscon. The show then flashes back to show Mike in his childhood room, healthy, listening to tunes on a walkman. He gets up, walks out, and reveals a Vanilla Ice poster on the back of the door. Clearly a remnant of his childhood, it's a charming and goofy character detail that well informs his ongoing love affair with corny karaoke jams.