Why Gabriel Sacrificed Himself For Gregory On 'The Walking Dead'

Father Gabriel's decision to sacrifice himself in an effort to save the cowardly Gregory was one which surprised fans but not Seth Gilliam.

Speaking to fans of The Walking Dead during a panel at Walker Stalker Con in Atlanta, Gilliam was asked by a fan why his character put it all on the line to save a character who betrayed the group. Looking back, Gabriel ended up in a life-threatening situation with Negan, but Gilliam stands by the character's bravery.

"Father Gabriel, though he has killed at this point, still sees all life as being valuable and they had a plan and he's trying to stick to the plan which was, in the first leg of it, that no one was to be seriously hurt," Gilliam said. "Rick kind of deviated from that plan a little bit and Gabriel helped remind him what phase one was all about. I think Gabriel can definitely recognize in Gregory the kind of lost soul that he was for a while and has some sort of empathy for him. It doesn't work out for him but I don't know that he wouldn't do it again if that situation came up."

Unless Gilliam is telling a tremendous lie, aware of Gabriel's future on The Walking Dead having shot the upcoming episodes nearly six months ago, the description of the brave and bold Gabriel should be enough to quiet the traitorous theories surrounding the holy man.

Gilliam's message was delivered proudly, as he and other cast members note the character has undergone a tremendous arc since being introduced years ago. The Father Gabriel of years past would never have hurled himself into the line of fire to save anyone, let alone Gregory!

"I think previously, Father Gabriel would've run," Gilliam said. "I think he's turned a corner in trying to be a man of God in service of God, to be as useful as he possibly can be, even if that puts his own life in danger or in the line of fire. I don't think he was there before when he tried suicide by Sasha, let's say, I think he was in a different place. That man probably would not have even showed up with a weapon to the fight. Gabriel would've been off somewhere digging his way to China."

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.