John Theodore

John passing the antidote to Annika moments before his death

**John Theodore** is one of the main characters in the Rise of the Dead Saga. He was portrayed by John Manfredonia in the first three installments of the series. The companion of Jack Bevan and Ryan Dawn, he was known for constantly escaping death and for bringing levity to the group. He protected the Zombie Antidote, even when it cost him his friendship with Jack, up until he was murdered by Arthur Bainsmond on May 23, 2019.

## Personality

John was known as the most eccentric member of the group, often saying and doing strange and unusual things. Despite his perceived immaturity, he was remarkably selfless, attempting to sacrifice himself for his friends. His devotion to the cause extended in him using the last of his energy to get the antidote to someone trustworthy. It seems like his time in solitude may have hardened him, as he is far less energetic in his final appearance.

## Background

John was discovered by Jack and Ryan after being hit by a car hijacked by a zombie in early July 2013. He joined the duo in their mission to get to a Safe house. The three were soon after captured by the Arthur Beansman Community, but escaped soon after. The three continued their journey and John knocked The Guy With The Car unconscious. They made it to the safe house but John seemingly sacrificed himself to allow his friends to make it in.

However, he was really captured by the Arthur Bainsmond Community and held as their prisoner until October of that year. He was set to be executed by the community when Jack and Ryan rescued him and escaped. However, their success was short-lived as they were ambushed by the guy with the car and John was seemingly lost again. This was not the case, as John wandered the wilderness for the next few days and seemingly had some kind of mental breakdown. A reunion with his friends allowed for him to regain his sanity. The trio made it to the Zombie Antidote and were confronted by the Guy with the Car a final time. John threw a piece of paper in the shape of a throwing knife at the Guy and defeated him once and for all. Immediately after, Ryan's sister Alyssa, at this point a zombie, attacked the trio. John sided with Jack in refusing Ryan's request to give Alyssa the antidote.

For the next three years, John journeyed with Jack and Ryan to protect the zombie antidote. On Christmas Eve of 2016, Jack and John had a falling out. Jack wanted to use the antidote to cure the infected Ryan, and John refused. The two got into a physical altercation and cut ties with each other. Jack and John would never see each other alive again nor would they reconcile.

During the subsequent three years, John would travel alone with the zombie antidote. During this time, he was stalked by Arthur Bainsmond. In the early hours of May 23, 2019, Arthur finally confronted his prey. John shot and mortally wounded Arthur, who then used his dying strength to shoot John in return. As John bled to death, he returned to the Safe house that his friends had once lived in - only to find Annika Chardee living there. John gave the antidote to Annika and asked her to continue to keep it safe. He then fell over, dead.

Later that day, Annika disposed of John's body by putting it in a bag and tossing it into the woods. His remains have laid there ever since.

## Notes

* John has been "killed off" in every film he appears in before finally meeting his end in *The Rise of the Dead.*
* He is considered the tertiary protagonist of each of the first three films, behind Jack and Ryan in the first two and Annika and Alyssa in the third.
* His death in *The Rise of the Dead* mirrors the way in which he lies on his stomach to sleep in *Rise of the Dead 2: Apocalypse.*

## Appearances

### Canon Film

* Rise of the Dead
* Rise of the Dead 2: Apocalypse
* The Rise of the Dead

### Non-Canon

* Rise of the Dead 2 1/2: A Very Zombie Christmas