| Joseph Seed | |
|---|---|
| Far Cry character | |
 Joseph Seed from Far Cry 5 | |
| First appearance | Far Cry Absolution (2018) |
| First game | Far Cry 5 (2018) |
| Created by | Ubisoft |
| Portrayed by | Greg Bryk |
| In-universe information | |
| Origin | Rome, Georgia, United States |
| Nationality | American |
Joseph Seed is a fictional character from Ubisoft's Far Cry video game franchise. He appears as the primary antagonist of the 2018 title, Far Cry 5, and was extensively featured in promotional material for the game. In Far Cry 5, Joseph is a charismatic but demented preacher who leads the Project at Eden's Gate, a well-armed doomsday cult and paramilitary group that occupies the fictional Hope County in Montana, United States. He comes into conflict with a group of law enforcement officers who attempt to liberate the county and its residents from the cult's control.
Subsequently, the character appears in the 2019 spin-off Far Cry New Dawn, set 17 years after a possible ending of Far Cry 5, where Hope County is ravaged in the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse. Joseph serves as the figurehead of New Eden, a successor faction to the original Project at Eden's Gate, and as an ally to the player character. Joseph is also the protagonist of Joseph: Collapse, a post-launch downloadable content pack released for the 2021 title, Far Cry 6. His other appearances include the novel Far Cry Absolution and the live-action short film Far Cry 5: Inside Eden's Gate, both prequels to Far Cry 5; and the third issue of Far Cry: Rite of Passage, a comic book tie-in to Far Cry 6 which further explores the character's backstory.
For the central villain of Far Cry 5, the development team decided to depict a more subtle and insidious form of villainy, which represented a departure from the wild and violent antagonists featured in prior titles. They conducted extensive research into real world cults and their leaders to capture the context of how they would conduct themselves. The team's desire to create a more emotionally-driven villain altered the power structure of Far Cry 5's antagonistic faction and informed the performance of Canadian actor Greg Bryk, who drew from his personal experiences to empathize with Joseph's inner motivation and emotions.
Joseph Seed has received an overall mixed reception; his in-universe role as a cult leader became a point of contention with regards to the controversy surrounding Far Cry 5's themes of religious fanaticism. Still, he is considered one of the best multi-layered antagonists of the series.