The Walking Dead: How [Spoiler]'s Death Launches The War

03/12/2017 09:51 pm EDT

Major spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 13 follow.

The Walking Dead followed a pattern on Sunday night: killing characters in pairs. Episode 7x01 saw Glenn and Abraham bow out. Episode 7x08 marked the end of Spencer and Olivia. Now, Episode 7x13 took Benjamin and Richard from us.

While Benjamin's death will impact Morgan individually, it is Richard's which has truly put The Walking Dead on a path towards war.

Killing Richard was more of Richard's idea than it was Morgan's. During their conversation in which Richard revealed to Morgan that he took the cantaloupe from the truck in an effort to start a dispute between the Saviors and the Kingdom, ultimately getting Benjamin killed instead of himself, Richard delivered a message to Morgan. The message was clear: the Saviors need to trust the Kingdom and the Kingdom needs to hate the Saviors.

UP NEXT: Benjamin's Last Words Revealed

The latter half of Richard's plan was achieved when they shot Benjamin. The Kingdom was infuriated. However, Morgan killing Richard and showing the Saviors that the Kingdom will do whatever it takes to remain loyal was a major step towards gaining their trust and building towards an attack.

"The next stage of Morgan one way or another, like it is for everybody else, is how he's going to navigate the inevitability of that war," Morgan Jones actor Lennie James tells ComicBook.com.

Morgan is not the only character who is now on board with Rick's war. After telling Carol the true fates of Abraham and Glenn, he elected to head off on his own but sent Carol to the Kingdom ready to fight. Upon arrival, she marched straight to King Ezekiel to tell him that they will have to fight Negan and the Saviors, prompting Ezekiel to agree, though the fight will not happen today.

All of this is exactly what Richard wanted, though he did not want Benjamin to be killed in the process. He did, however, understand that if he sacrificed himself to start a fight between the Saviors and the Kingdom, other deaths would inevitably follow. With Morgan, Carol, and King Ezekiel are on board, those deaths might be more leaned towards the Saviors side of the spectrum.

MORE WALKING DEAD: Everything Seen In Morgan's Flashes / Morgan May Have Met The Whisperers / Gallery Of Rick And Michonne Getting It On / Another Sign Michonne Is Taking Andrea's Place / Nicotero On Sasha And Rosita's Mission / The Sixteen Candles Tribute In 'Say Yes'

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

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