The Walking Dead Creator Says Jesus Will Be A Complete Badass On The Show

With the Negan’s arrival on The Walking Dead imminent, many fans of the show are overlooking another inbound new character who deserves the same amount of attention: Jesus.

Last year, AMC announced Tom Payne would take on the role of Paul “Jesus” Monroe for season six and with eight episodes left, we know he’s coming in the next few months. In the comics, Jesus is pretty much a bearded ninja hailing from the Hilltop community and serves as a right hand man to first Rick, then Maggie.

“Jesus is just such a fun character to write in the comics,” The Walking Dead writer and creator Robert Kirkman tells EW. “At this point in the life of the series, my thought is the apocalypse has been going on for so long, the people you encounter in your day-to-day life have to be extremely skilled. And they’ve been surviving for a reason, whether they were at a place like Alexandria that’s very safe, or they’re a great leader of their group and somewhat sadistic but in control of their group like Negan, or someone who’s an absolute, complete badass like Jesus.”

Jesus, in the comics, is the kind of dude who can catch a spear someone hurls at him, snap it with his knee, and whoop them before they even know what’s happening. However, when he meets Rick and the group, he’ll like have to use his brains and gain some trust. “He’s smart, quick, very athletic,” says Kirkman of Jesus. “He’s kinda been surviving on his feet. He’s going to be bringing a lot to the show. There’s some cool stuff coming with him.”

The Walking Dead returns February 14 on AMC.