Ezekiel

Ezekiel, commonly referred to by his epithet "King" Ezekiel, is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He leads a community known as the Kingdom, where he is the self-proclaimed "King" of the people living there, and had a pet tiger named Shiva. He was one of the four co-leaders of the Militia along with Rick Grimes, Maggie Rhee and Cyndie before its disbanding. Three years after Rick's assumed death, Ezekiel has adopted Henry and married Carol Peletier. He also becomes one of the six co-leaders of the Coalition alongside Michonne, Tara Chambler, Carol Peletier, Rachel Ward, and Ozzy. Following the fall of the Kingdom, Carol breaks up with Ezekiel and moves to Alexandria, leaving him at Hilltop where he now resides.

Overview
Ezekiel is described as "wise" and "theatrical". He is known to be caring for others, doing whatever he can for his people, including role playing royalty. Nonetheless, he does seem to be somewhat pompous and enjoys the spotlight. As well as his uncommon first name, he uses his experiences in theater to create the persona of a highly flamboyant and charismatic king, speaking in a Shakespearean-like manner and referring to himself in the third person. Despite his benevolence, he has an uneasy truce with the Saviors, and is shown to have a no nonsense attitude towards Gavin and his group.

After the deaths of Benjamin and Richard, Ezekiel decides to join the fight with Rick Grimes against Negan and the Saviors, becoming one of the three leaders of the Militia, alongside Rick and Maggie Rhee.

After the deaths of several Kingdommers in a failed attack on the Chemical Plant Outpost as well as the death of his loyal pet Shiva by a zombie herd, Ezekiel becomes deeply depressed, considering himself responsible for the deaths of so many members of his community, as well as Shiva's. He tells Jerry that he's not his king anymore, completely losing his confidence. Later, Carol tries to motivate him with a speech in order to return to his role as the the Kingdom's leader and get back in the battle, only for Ezekiel to respond that he just can't be a leader anymore.

However, after Gavin and the Saviors come to the Kingdom with the order of Negan to capture Ezekiel and take him to be executed in front of his people, as well as making the Kingdommers go to the Sanctuary to rebuild it from a previous zombie attack led by Daryl, Ezekiel changes his mind and decides to save his people by having them get in a school bus and drive away from the Kingdom while he stays behind, being ready to sacrifice himself to save his people. He orders Carol to do the same like she had previously saved him.

Washington, D.C
Ezekiel was born in the late 1960's and grew up in Washington D.C, although little is known regarding his early life. At a young age he performed in community theater where he portrayed several fictional kings including Arthur, Macbeth, as well as Martin Luther upon where he gained a distinct talent for theatricality.[1]

As an adult, he became a zookeeper. One day, a Bengal tiger named Shiva fell into a concrete moat and thus her leg was ripped open. With no veterinarians around, Ezekiel came to her rescue by wrapping his shirt around her open wound, preventing a hemorrhage. Grateful for his aid, Shiva never displayed any hostility towards Ezekiel and thus the two formed a close bond.[1]

Post-Apocalypse
At some point after the outbreak, Ezekiel formed a community named 'the Kingdom' where his charismatic nature, tendency for theatrics and high respect by others firmly established his leadership position. He then proclaimed himself "King" with the support of his people. Later, he ordered the clearing of buildings to either expand or further safeguard the community. During one of these missions eight of his men were killed, including the father of Benjamin who was a close friend of him. Several also had to have their arms and legs amputated due to being bitten. This incident made him more cautious. Sometime after this he encountered the Saviors and they struck a deal in which the Kingdom pays the Saviors weekly tributes in return for them not stepping foot inside the Kingdom. Ezekiel thus kept the deal hidden from his people with the fear they would want to fight back. His leadership was successful and the Kingdom became a thriving community.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Ezekiel has killed:
 * Nelson (Caused)
 * Kevin (Zombified)
 * Lance (Alongside his fellow Militia members)
 * 2 unnamed Scavengers
 * 2 unnamed Kingdom soldiers (Zombified, Out of Mercy)
 * 36 unnamed Saviors (5 Direct, 30 alongside his fellow Kingdommers, 1 Zombified)
 * 1 unnamed Hilltop resident/refugee (Zombified)
 * Several elk
 * Numerous counts of zombies and unnamed people

Relationships
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Shiva
Ezekiel saved Shiva's life when her leg got ripped open. After this, Shiva never showed any aggression towards Ezekiel. He credits her for enabling him to create the Kingdom.
 * "I was a zookeeper. Shiva, she fell into one of the concrete moats in her exhibit. It was empty, the vets were on their way, but her leg was ripped open. She was gonna bleed out... The sound she made... She was in so much pain. I knew the risk. I had to try. And I got my shirt up around her leg... saved her life. After that, she never showed so much as a tooth in my direction. Keeping a tiger isn't practical -- I know. She eats as much as 10 people. She could yank the chain out of my hand -- hell, she could yank my arm right off. But she hasn't. She won't. I lost a lot, just like everybody else. She was the last thing left in this world that I loved. She got me here, made me larger than life. And I made this place."
 * —Ezekiel about Shiva[src]

In "Some Guy" he is devastated when Shiva is being eaten alive by walkers. In "The King, the Widow, and Rick" following her death, Ezekiel is shown to sit holding her empty leash in his depressed state.

Carol Peletier
Carol originally finds Ezekiel to be completely foolish. She puts on her sweet and innocent act but Ezekiel quickly picks up on this. He calls her out on her "bullshit" and tells Carol he is playing a part too in order to gain her trust. He is reluctant to let Carol go out on her own, instead reaching an agreement where she stays nearby. He frequently visits her to make sure she is okay. She seems to respect Ezekiel, and is happy to see him when he visits her in her new home.
 * "You just made me feel real. Not a fiction. Real."
 * —Ezekiel to Carol[src]

When Benjamin is shot by Saviors, Ezekiel and others bring him to Carol's house for aid. When he dies on her table, Ezekiel, though grieving himself, apologizes to Carol for bringing him there. Carol later returns to the Kindgom, telling Ezekiel that they need to fight the Saviors and he agrees.

Outside the Kingdom, Carol and Ezekiel meet again to lead the Kingdom soldiers in an outpost attack. Ezekiel is happy to see her.

After the Kingdom massacre, Ezekiel had given up on being the King. Carol tries to pull Ezekiel out of his despair by asking why he really came to visit her all those times when she was living outside the Kingdom walls. Ezekiel eventually admits that "You just made me feel real, not a fiction. Real."

Carol tells Ezekiel that to her and the people of the Kingdom, he is real and his people need him. Carol reminds Ezekiel that he has inspired everyone to build the Kingdom.

Ezekiel and Carol both play parts in order to keep themselves and others safe. However, they both allow themselves to be vulnerable and real with each other.

Before Ezekiel is taken hostage by Gavin and his men, he asks Carol to safe the rest of the Kingdommers "like you saved me". After the Kingdommers are safe, Carol, alongside with Morgan and unbeknown to them, Henry, goes back into the community and rescues Ezekiel. They eventually reunite with the others and together travel to the Hilltop Colony.

At the Hilltop, Ezekiel and Carol are seen looking after Henry.

After Jared and his fellow imprisoned Saviors escape, Henry chases after them. The next morning, Ezekiel and Carol search the colony for him, but can't find him. Later, Ezekiel asks Carol for help in searching him outside, but she declines. Ezekiel realizes she believes Henry to be dead and calls her a coward.

When Carol does go out with Morgan, to keep an on him, she ends up finding and saving Henry. She brings him back to the Hilltop where he reunites with a happy Ezekiel. Carol tells Ezekiel that she lost herself after her daughter died, but that she found a better version of herself as a part of Rick's group. Ezekiel says that he was wrong and that Carol is not a coward. Later, the two are seen holding hands.

After the last battle against the Saviors, Carol moves back into the Kingdom with Ezekiel.

The two develop feelings for each other and eventually enter a romantic relationship. Eventually they marry each other making Carol the "Queen" of the Kingdom.

Their relationship eventually falls apart after the fall of the Kingdom. While Carol seems to no longer love Ezekiel. He tells her thast he will never stop loving her.

Morgan Jones
Morgan was grateful for Ezekiel's help with treating Carol. Ezekiel seems to trust Morgan, going so far as to letting him in on his secret deals with the Saviors and training Benjamin with the staff. Ezekiel is horrified and shocked when Morgan killed Richard.
 * "There's a saying... the pessimist looks down and hits his head. The optimist looks up and loses his footing. The realist looks forward and adjusts his path accordingly."
 * —King Ezekiel asking Morgan to train Benjamin[src]

Jerry
Although Ezekiel and Jerry have an outwardly lord-servant relationship, the two actually seem to be close friends and are almost always seen together. Jerry's respect for Ezekiel is such that he will verbally admonish anyone who interrupts him as he speaks.
 * ""Jerry, you are a faithful steward, but your words leave me pitch-kettled.""
 * —Ezekiel's response to Jerry trying to calm down Shiva[src]

Jerry's demeanor sometimes causes mild annoyance to Ezekiel (ie. when he interjects with puns and when he was scarfing down some cobbler before a tribute run), though he usually tolerates it. Ezekiel is devastated when he finds out that Jerry was killed by Alpha

Richard
Ezekiel puts great trust into Richard, and is one of his top Knights. Richard, in turn, respects Ezekiel very much. However, when dealing with the Saviors, Ezekiel has to keep an eye on Richard due to his extreme hatred towards them.

Benjamin
Ezekiel and Benjamin are shown to be close friends, and he is one of his top Knights. Benjamin respects Ezekiel very much. When Benjamin is tasked to kill a nearby walker with a machete. Benjamin struggles with the walker; Ezekiel unsheathes his sword and stabs it in the head. Ezekiel is dissapointed and asks Morgan to train Benjamin.

When Benjamin is shot by Jared, Ezekiel was shocked, then he and his crew arrives at Carol’s cottage and they rush Benjamin inside. When he dies, Ezekiel becomes struck with grief.

Alvaro
Alvaro had the respect to treat Ezekiel how Ezekiel's character is portrayed as a king he did everything he could to protect Ezekiel from harm's way which ended in his demise. Nothing else is known (at the moment) about the relationship between Ezekiel and Alvaro.

Daniel
Daniel and Ezekiel seem to be be good friends and Daniel respects him. When the saviours where gunning people down Daniel and many others jumped on the king sacrificing himself to save Ezekiel.

Gavin
Gavin and Ezekiel seem to have a steady relationship despite the Saviors subjugation of the Kingdom. Gavin comments that Ezekiel has been "good to us". Gavin also keeps his Saviors from attacking Ezekiel's people because of their deal unlike other Savior Lieutenants. He showed annoyance when Ezekiel arrived late to their exchange and when Ezekiel was light on the drop demanded the weapons from the Kingdom. Gavin seems unimpressed by Ezekiel's title of King which he claims is "shit". Their relationship deteriorated after war broke out, but, Gavin still says that he liked Ezekiel and that he was sorry for Benjamin's death. Ezekiel was shocked when Henry stabbed and killed Gavin.

Paul Monroe
Jesus and Ezekiel have shown to be good friends, both making deals with each other before the Saviors, however Ezekiel expresses outrage at Jesus's betrayal of their trust in not sharing the community's association with the Saviors.

Ezekiel is unaware of Jesus' death. His reaction to his death is yet to be seen.

Negan
Negan and Ezekiel have not interacted on-screen once, though since the attack on Alexandria, Negan wants to capture Ezekiel, Rick and Maggie and torture and kill them horribly in front of their people. Ezekiel likely despises Negan deeply and willingly goes to war against him to end his tyranny once and for all.
 * "Plan A is taking Rick, the Widow, and King Assface alive and making them dead in a very, very public and instructive way. We kill the right people in the wrongest way possible, and we make them all watch!"
 * —Negan mentioning Ezekiel.[src]

Ezekiel is likely pleased that Negan is eventually defeated however it is unknown if he agrees or is angered at Rick's decision to keep him alive and as a prisoner.

Rick Grimes
Ezekiel and Rick have interacted once. While Ezekiel is sympathetic to Rick's plight, and seems to like him, he shows reluctance to join the fight, saying that he has peace with the Saviors and refuses to break it.
 * "We came to ask the Kingdom, to ask you, to join us in fighting the Saviors, fighting for freedom for all of us."
 * —Rick to Ezekiel.[src]

Ezekiel eventually comes to the conclusion of the impossibility of peacefully coexisting with the Saviors and joins the cause by rescuing Alexandria alongside the Hilltop when the Saviors attack the community. Ezekiel and Rick as a result became firm allies.

Daryl Dixon
While unwilling to go to war with the Saviors, Ezekiel was sympathetic enough to Daryl's plight to offer him asylum in the Kingdom where the Saviors couldn't find him. Daryl ultimately took up Ezekiel's offer at Rick's suggestion. Later on, Daryl seems to trust Ezekiel more after what Carol Peletier told Daryl about him. Daryl seems to like Ezekiel for the fact that he keeps a tiger for a pet.
 * "You call yourself a damn king, you sure as hell don't act like one."
 * —Daryl to Ezekiel.[src]
 * }
 * }

Appearances
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Season 7

 * "The Well"
 * "Heart Still Beating"
 * "Rock in the Road"
 * "New Best Friends"
 * "Bury Me Here"
 * "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"

Season 8

 * "Mercy"
 * "The Damned"
 * "Monsters"
 * "Some Guy"
 * "The King, the Widow, and Rick"
 * "How It's Gotta Be"
 * "Honor"
 * "Do Not Send Us Astray"
 * "Still Gotta Mean Something"
 * "Wrath"

Season 9

 * "A New Beginning"
 * "The Bridge"
 * "What Comes After" (Hallucination, No Lines)
 * "Who Are You Now?"
 * "Evolution"
 * "Bounty"
 * "Guardians" (No Lines)
 * "Chokepoint"
 * "The Calm Before"
 * "The Storm"

Season 10

 * "Lines We Cross"
 * "Silence the Whispers"
 * "What It Always Is"
 * "The World Before"
 * "Morning Star"
 * "Walk With Us"
 * "Look at the Flowers"
 * "The Tower"
 * "A Certain Doom"
 * }
 * }

Trivia

 * The casting call for this character used the name "Augustus".
 * Ezekiel's cane is a Shikomizue, a Japanese sword mounting meant to conceal a sword in the guise of a cane.
 * Ezekiel has killed the tenth largest amount of living characters on the TV show with at least 39 victims, Dwight has the ninth largest with at least 42, Michonne has the eighth largest with at least 43, Morgan has the seventh largest with at least 45, The Governor has the sixth largest with at least 62, Rick has the fifth largest with at least 68, Daryl has the fourth largest with at least 78, Carol has the third largest with at least 110, Simon has the second largest at least 172, Negan has the largest with a total of at least 225.
 * Although his last name is unknown, Khary Payton stated that if he could choose Ezekiel's last name he would choose Payton.