The Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman Talks Ezekiel, Shiva, and “Wildest Swing” In The Comics

Admit it: You’re dying to know who Negan kills on The Walking Dead. The hit drama ended with a major cliffhanger last season, leaving fans to wonder who the violent villain bashed to death. Fans continue to speculate about the gory scene ahead of the show’s return, and some are doing so to a detriment. After all, Season 7 of The Walking Dead will introduce what creator Robert Kirkman calls “the wildest swing” he took in the comics.

And, no, he’s not referencing the barbed-wire bat, Lucille.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Kirkman sat down and talked about how excited he is to see Ezekiel and Shiva hit the small screen. “I’m really excited about Ezekiel and Shiva getting into the show because that’s probably the wildest swing I took in the comics,” he said. “You know, a guy who has a pet tiger [and] who speaks like some kind of weird medieval king is pretty strange.”

The creator went on to admit that he’s been ready to see how AMC would handle the odd-ball character since he made Ezekiel. The character debuted in Issue #108 of The Walking Dead back in 2013, nearly three years after the show premiered in 2010.

“I have to be honest, when I was writing the comic, I was like, ‘Hell yeah, let’s see how we handle this tiger in the show! This is going to be difficult!’ So to actually get to this point where we are adapting it into the show and to see the show expand in this way that the comic did in the past is pretty cool,” Kirkman explained.

He went on to say that the introduction of Ezekiel is “an important benchmark” for the series. “I think anyone who’s been reading the comics sees that while the introduction of Ezekiel was this really strange occurrence in the comic at the time, as time progresses and you learn more and more about him, he becomes a very pivotal character in where the story is going.”

Kirkman continue, saying, “I’m worried about getting into spoiler territory, but I will say that any people that have read the comics kind of have a better grasp of what’s coming, and should be very excited that Ezekiel and Shiva are being introduced.”

If you’re not familiar with Ezekiel, then you still have time to catch-up on the character before The Walking Dead returns. The character acts as the kingly leader of a place called Kingdom. In the comics, Ezekiel’s generous nature is what prompts him to help Rick, Alexandria, and the Hilltop communities fight back against Negan and his Saviors who have taken over the area.

In a recent Q&A, the actor playing Ezekiel took time to praise the character and his free-wheeling spirit. Khary Payton said he felt a special connection with the role because of Ezekiel’s optimism. “In a zombie apocalypse one can find themselves getting down about their situation, but Ezekiel’s not one of those people. He fights with all he’s got to make sure he stays positive and stays joyful. That’s what I love about him.”

The Walking Dead will return for Season 7 on October 23 at 9 PM ET on AMC.

[H/T] Entertainment Weekly