Ezekiel (The Walking Dead)

Ezekiel, more commonly known as "King" Ezekiel, is a main character first introduced in Issue 108 of Image Comics' The Walking Dead. He is the self-proclaimed "King" of a community called 'The Kingdom', the namesake of his own community. Ezekiel had a pet tiger named Shiva. Ezekiel is a friend of the Hilltop Colony and a close friend to Paul "Jesus" Monroe. He also has a strong hatred for The Saviors, which caused Paul to bring Rick Grimes to him in the hopes of collaborating to defeat The Saviors. Two years after defeating Negan and The Saviors, Ezekiel is murdered by Alpha and the Whisperers and has his reanimated head placed on a pike, along with Rosita Espinosa and several other members from Alexandria, The Hilltop, The Kingdom and The Sanctuary.
==Comics==
=== Personality ===
Ezekiel is an eccentric, somewhat flamboyant older man. He is charismatic and can be quite wise. He is perceived by many as arrogant due to his his theatrics as the "king" of his people, and Ezekiel admits such views to be somewhat true. 
Ezekiel is very confident in his presence. He generally keeps his composure and a friendly demeanor, reveling in the respect others have for him. However, he is revealed to be relatively insecure, as seen during the All-Out War and his post-timeskip relations with Michonne. This insecurity juxtaposes his outward appearance, and he wishes for his "subjects" not to see him as weak. He is very optimistic, but he takes failures very hard.
===Biography===
Ezekiel, referred to as "King Ezekiel" by his fellow citizens, is the leader of a community known as The Kingdom. Ezekiel was formerly a zookeeper and has known his pet tiger, Shiva, since she was born.
At some point, Ezekiel meets and strikes a friendship with Paul "Jesus" Monroe, who invites his community to join a trading network that includes The Hilltop community that Jesus belongs to. Ezekiel later discovers the Saviors are threatening and harassing the other communities in the trade network in exchange for supplies and possibly sees how vicious their leader, Negan really is (despite the truce offered by the Saviors).
Ezekiel bides his time and waits for the opportune moment to strike back against the tyrant. The opportunity Ezekiel is waiting for finally comes when Jesus brings Rick Grimes to meet him and passes on the information they have regarding the Saviors' strength and the location of their main base of operations.
During the war, Ezekiel begins a relationship with Michonne. Two years after the war against the Saviors ends, Ezekiel and Michonne break up, but Ezekiel is confident about starting their relationship again. However, he and 11 other people are decapitated by Alpha during the conflict with the Whisperers.
===Trivia===
*Ezekiel is one of the characters Robert Kirkman misses and regrets killing.
*The name Ezekiel may refer to a prophet of the 6th century B.C.E., who prophesied the forthcoming destruction of and the .
* stated in #113's Letter Hacks that he could be the smartest person in the Comic Series.
*Ezekiel's cane is a Shikomizue, a Japanese sword mounting meant to conceal a sword in the guise of a cane.
*Ezekiel is Michonne's second lover to be decapitated.
== TV Series ==
Ezekiel is portrayed by in the TV Series, who has also portrayed Cyborg.
===Personality===
Ezekiel is described as the man with a hint of wisdom. He is known to be quite protective of others, doing whatever he can for his people, including role playing royalty. Nonetheless, he does seem to be somewhat pompous and enjoys the spotlight. As well as his unusual first name, he uses his experiences in theatre to create a highly flamboyant, charismatic king, and speaks in a Shakespearean like manner, often referring himself in the third person.
===Biography===
Prior to the outbreak, Ezekiel was a zookeeper in D.C. as well as a stage actor. As a child, Ezekiel witnessed his father and grandmother suffer from and ultimately beat thyroid cancer. At some point he met Shiva, a tiger cub who was injured in her exhibit. Ezekiel cared for and befriended Shiva and formed a strong bond with her. When the walker outbreak began, Ezekiel returned to the zoo and freed Shiva with the two being together ever since. Ezekiel subsequently founded a community known as The Kingdom which grew to be a thriving community, lush with food and comfort. To better inspire his people, Ezekiel began referring to himself as King Ezekiel and took on the mannerisms of a benevolent and generous feudal king. He also formed a court of advisers to help him manage The Kingdom which include seasoned survivor Richard, his personal attendant and bodyguard Jerry, and Benjamin, a young survivor who was the son of a good friend of Ezekiel's.
===Trivia===
*Ezekiel bears a strong resemblance to , the voice actor of Lee Everett in the video game.
*The name may refer to a Hebrew prophet of the 6th century B.C.E., who prophesied the forthcoming destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation.
**Unlike Paul Monroe's nickname "Jesus", Ezekiel states that Ezekiel is really his name.
*It was stated by Ezekiel that he is not a fan of violence.
* stated in Issue 113's 'Letter Hacks' that Ezekiel could be the smartest person in the Comic Series.
*The casting call for this character used the name Augustus.
*Ezekiel's signature weapon is a Shikomizue, a sword cane.
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