Ezekiel (The Walking Dead)

Ezekiel
The Walking Dead character
First appearance	Comic: "Issue #108" Television: "The Well" (7.02)
Last appearance	Comic: "Issue #145"
Created by	Robert Kirkman Charlie Adlard
Portrayed by	Khary Payton
Information
Occupation	Zookeeper Leader of The Kingdom
Family	In Both Mediums: Shiva (Pet Tiger)
Significant other(s)	Comic: Michonne

Ezekiel is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and the television series of the same name, where he is portrayed by Khary Payton.

Comic book series

Ezekiel (referred to as "King Ezekiel" by his fellow citizens) is the leader of a community known as the Kingdom. Ezekiel was formerly a zookeeper and has known his pet tiger, Shiva, since she was born.

At some point, Ezekiel meets and forms a friendship with Paul Monroe (who calls himself "Jesus" in the television series), who invites his community to join a trading network that includes the Hilltop community Paul belongs to. Ezekiel later discovers the Saviors are threatening and harassing the other communities in the trade network in exchange for supplies and possibly sees how vicious their leader, Negan really is (despite the truce offered by the Saviors).

Ezekiel bides his time and waits for the opportune moment to strike back against "this tyrant". The opportunity Ezekiel is waiting for finally comes when Paul brings Rick Grimes to meet him and passes on the information they have regarding the Saviors' strength and the location of their main base of operations.

During the war Ezekiel starts a relationship with Michonne. Two years after the war against the Saviors ends, Ezekiel and Michonne break up, but Ezekiel is confident about starting their relationship again. However, he and 11 other people are decapitated by Alpha during the conflict with the Whisperers.

Television series

Prior to the outbreak, Ezekiel was a zookeeper in D.C. as well as a stage actor. At some point he met Shiva, a tiger cub who was injured in her exhibit. Ezekiel cared for and befriended Shiva and formed a strong bond with her. When the walker outbreak began, Ezekiel returned to the zoo and freed Shiva with the two being together ever since. Ezekiel subsequently founded a community known as the Kingdom which grew to be a thriving community, lush with food and comfort. To better inspire his people, Ezekiel began referring to himself as King Ezekiel and took on the mannerisms of a feudal king (going so far as to speak in Shakespearean tone and form). He also formed a court of advisers to help him manage the Kingdom which include seasoned survivor Richard, his personal attendant and bodyguard Jerry and Benjamin, a young survivor who was the son of a good friend of Ezekiel's.

Season 7

Ezekiel is first introduced to the series in the episode "The Well", when Morgan Jones and Carol are brought to the Kingdom by his people to give medical attention to Carol. When Carol awakens, Morgan introduces her to Ezekiel and his pet Bengal tiger Shiva. Ezekiel's quasi-Shakespearean manner of ruling leaves Carol quietly incredulous. When Ezekiel asks what she thinks of his sanctuary and him, she sarcastically tells him, "It's amazing!", and refuses his offer of fruit, stating that pomegranates aren't worth the trouble. Morgan, having swiftly gained Ezekiel's confidence, is taken out with Ezekiel's inner circle to perform a seemingly pointless task: herd a group of wild pigs into a barn far outside the Kingdom, where they feed on walkers. Ezekiel asks Morgan about his combat skills, as he sees Morgan is capable of using a staff, and asks him to train one of his men, Benjamin. After hesitating, Morgan agrees. Ezekiel brings Morgan and Benjamin to a secret meeting with the Saviors, who are given the walker-fed pigs, now slaughtered, as part of their tribute from the Kingdom. One of the Saviors, Jared, tells Richard the Saviors are letting the Kingdom off easy by taking only eight pigs, to which Richard replies: the Saviors are the ones being let off easy. Jared attacks Richard, and Ezekiel makes them break up the fight. The leader of the Saviors group tells Jared to stop only after Jared has hit Richard a few times. The Saviors leave and say they will want produce next time, or Richard will be the first to die. During the night, Carol is picking fruit as she prepares to leave town quietly, and Ezekiel catches her. He explains that he realized Carol's innocence was just an act but wonders how Carol could survive, and wants to know where she originally came from. After a few moments, Ezekiel slowly drops his guard and reveals that he was a zookeeper and amateur actor. He tells her that he developed the "King Ezekiel" persona so that the people would have someone to follow and to emphasize that there is still good in the world. Carol still wishes to leave, so Ezekiel suggests that she live in the abandoned house she passed on the way to the Kingdom, so that she could "go and not go". She agrees to this arrangement. Morgan takes Carol out to the house, tells her to take care of herself, and returns to the Kingdom. Later, she gets a visit from Ezekiel and Shiva. Ezekiel once again offers her a pomegranate causing Carol to smile.

In the mid-season premiere "Rock in the Road", Ezekiel is shown to be friends with Hilltop scout Paul Rovia, aka "Jesus". Jesus introduces Ezekiel to Rick Grimes, the leader of Alexandria, another community forced to serve the Saviors. Rick implores Ezekiel to join their fight against the Saviors as only together can they succeed. Ezekiel takes the night to ponder his decision, but ultimately decides against open conflict with the Saviors as he refuses to endanger his people's lives. He does, however, allow Rick's friend Daryl Dixon to stay in the Kingdom to hide from the Saviors. Ezekiel appears in episode "New Best Friends" when the Saviors arrive for their offering. When Jared continues to insult Richard, the two draw guns on each other and Morgan and Ben are forced to stop further violence. Ezekiel later chastises Benjamin for acting hasty as violence must be reserved as a last resort. In the episode "Bury Me Here", Ezekiel, Morgan, Ben, Richard and several others find a roadblock en route to their meeting with the Saviors. They then find a grave reading bury me here with Ezekiel claiming that it is only luck that the world has not driven them all insane, though Ben credits Ezekiel with keeping them together. They arrive to find that their load is short, causing Jared to shoot Ben. They bring him to Carol's, but despite their best efforts, Ben dies. When they meet the Saviors to settle their debt Morgan attacks and kills Richard, strangling him to death. He reveals Richard was behind yesterday's events to start a war. Ezekiel shown to be enraged at Richard's betrayal while shocked at Morgan's brutality (though he still attempts to bring him back). Carol later goes to Ezekiel and apologizes for his loss before stating that it is time to fight. Ezekiel agrees, but states that they must wait before helping Ben's younger brother tend to the gardens. In the season finale "First Day of the Rest of Your Life", Ezekiel leads Carol and a group of Kingdom fighters to Alexandria to accept Rick's alliance. They encounter Morgan along the way and Ezekiel convinces him to march with them as opposed to alone. Ezekiel's arrival proves timely as their group arrives just as Negan is about to execute Carl. Ezekiel and Shiva charge into battle, killing numerous Saviors and help drive off the Saviors. The episode ends with Ezekiel standing beside Rick and Maggie Greene as the Kingdom, Hilltop and Alexandria pledge their aid to each other.

Development and reception

Ezekiel is portrayed by Khary Payton on The Walking Dead television series, beginning with the seventh season.^[1][2][3] Ezekiel and his pet tiger Shiva were introduced in the seasons trailer at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con.^[4][5]

References