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Gene Page/AMC

King Ezekiel's Days May Be Numbered On 'TWD'

by Megan Walsh

It's an unfortunate truth that no character is safe on The Walking Dead; fans have learned that lesson time and time again. It doesn't matter how fascinating or beloved or seemingly necessary to the plot a character is — everyone and anyone can fall victim to the randomness of death. When living in a world that's under constant threat from every side, it means that any character could meet their maker at any moment. So even though his time on the show only just began, does King Ezekiel die on The Walking Dead? Warning: TWD comics spoilers ahead!

If the show decides to follow the comics, then unfortunately Ezekiel's days are numbered. There is always a chance that the show will deviate from its prescribed path but it's not likely, especially lately; in most recent seasons, The Walking Dead has been paying homage to its source material more and more. Even when one character's comic death is given to another character (like how Denise received Comic Abraham's death by arrow), the character who died in the comics usually ends up biting the dust eventually too. There are some exceptions, like Carol, but usually if a character dies in the comics then odds are they will die on the show at some point. And Ezekiel did die in the comics... just not for some time.

After contact was finally initiated between the Kingdom, Alexandria, and the Hilltop, in the comics the three communities decided to join forces to try and overcome Negan and his seemingly endless amount of Saviors. While the show isn't quite there yet, that does seem to be the direction things are moving in. Once everyone got on the same page, they worked together to fight against Negan. Though there were setbacks in the comics, such as Ezekiel losing his tiger Shiva to a horde of walkers and then Ezekiel's resultant depression, the joint communities were successful in ousting Negan from his position of power.

However, the trouble only ramped up from there. Ezekiel returned to ruling the Kingdom with Michonne by his side (their romance was another thing that was changed on the show), but he ended up falling victim to the newest threat in town. A group called the Whisperers sought revenge against the assembled communities for infringing on their territory, so they killed a whole bunch of characters, Ezekiel among them, and put their heads on spikes as a warning.

It's a disappointing end for an interesting character, but luckily it's still a far away event. In the comics, Ezekiel's death occurred two years after Negan's defeat (which hasn't even happened on the show yet), though there was a time jump that makes the chain of events feel a lot quicker. Unless the show chooses to change the timeline, then Ezekiel's death won't happen for a while yet. So enjoy him while you can!