The Walking Dead: New Photo Of Ezekiel And Shiva Tiger From Season 7

AMC has released a new photo of Ezekiel and his trusty tiger jungle cat Shiva from the upcoming seventh season of The Walking Dead.

Ezekiel, the leader of the Kingdom, was a zookeeper prior to apocalypse according to Robert Kirkman’s original comics. Shiva is a tiger which he rescued and rehabilitated before the world fell to the zombie apocaylpse. As a result, Shiva is loyal to Ezekiel and protects him from threats both human and undead.

Ezekiel’s Kingdom rallies alongside Rick’s Alexandria and the Hilltop in a battle to topple Negan’s rule. Should the show follow such plot lines, Shiva wil play a major part in some of the battles we are expecting to see.

Ezekiel’s arrival is expected in the third episode of the seventh season which will reportedly be called, “The Cell.” It is an hour directed by executive producer Greg Nicotero.

“You’re going to see a lot of tiger,” Nicotero promised in an exclusive interview with Comicbook.com.

In the comics, Shiva’s life was brief. After being introduced in issue #108 with Ezekiel, the tiger met its demise just ten books later in issue #118. Though Shiva was immune to the zombie infection, she was not immune to being devoured in a sacrifice which would preserve Ezekiel’s life and leadership (for a while).

The Walking Dead returns for its seventh season on October 23 at 9 PM ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.