Why Jadis Takes Father Gabriel's Name on The Walking Dead: World Beyond

When The Walking Dead's Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) returned on The Walking Dead: World Beyond, it was with an assumed name we've heard before: Stokes. As Warrant Officer Jadis Stokes of the Civic Republic Military, Jadis operates under the identity taken from her short-lived relationship with Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam) on Season 9 of The Walking Dead. The romance died when Jadis (real name Anne) tried to trade Gabriel to the CRM as an "A," nearly dooming him to be a test subject of Project Votus before disappearing with a "B" Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) aboard a CRM helicopter. 

In Season 9, Jadis offers Gabriel citizenship in the far-away Civic Republic where they can "have a life like you can't imagine." When Gabriel threatens to alert Rick about her human trading, Jadis dumps Gabriel in the junkyard and marks him an "A" after believing him to be a "B." 

Reunited with CRM Staff Sargeant Jennifer "Huck" Mallick (Annet Mahendru) six years after her break-up with Gabriel, Warrant Officer Stokes recalls her role as Jadis, the oddly-spoken Scavenger leader. Calling it "the theater that helps you survive," she tells Huck: "Before the world ended, my name wasn't Jadis. But that name, that identity, it helped me live — so Jadis is who I am."

Related: Pollyanna McIntosh on Jadis's Walking Dead Return and Rick Grimes Movies (Exclusive)

"I think she's not going to give too much away about herself, so why not? Why not take a different name?" McIntosh exclusively told ComicBook about Jadis's new name on World Beyond. "And I believe she did love Gabriel, and I believe she respected him. But I also think there's a certain irony in it where she won't forget that she crossed him and that she did those things as part of her journey."

She added: "And so I think it's a kind of nod for her to remember him, but also to remember how that went. I don't think she's wanting to find another boyfriend anytime soon. It's too complicated." 

Warrant Officer Stokes is the third version of McIntosh's character, previously Jadis of the Scavengers and Anne of Alexandria. Asked if this swaggering military cop is the real Jadis or another act, McIntosh said her CRM soldier is "always a little theatrical" and "always fighting to survive."

"It's a really good question, but I'd say this: Jadis is an amalgamation of the previous two Jadises," McIntosh said. "It's kind of both of those sides of her coming together, but definitely what Anne went through in Alexandria has really affected how she connects now. And she doesn't go for friends so much anymore. She has had heart, but she's not trying to fit in anywhere anymore. She tried that and it didn't work, so she's going to be herself, and she's going to move forward." 

Follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter for all things TWD and stay tuned to ComicBook's coverage all season long. New episodes of TWD: World Beyond Season 2 premiere Sundays on AMC and AMC+.