Man in Black

### Occupation

Former leader of the Cult of the Man in Black *(Post-apocalypse)*Former leader of the Church of Trent *(Post-apocalypse)*

### First Appearance

'A Last Stand' *('The First State')*The Walking Dead: 'Apocalypse'

### Cause of Death

Axed in the back of the head by Eric Edwards

### Series Lifespan

The Walking Dead: 'Apocalypse' -- The Walking Dead: 'All Is History'

> *"Now the conflict is finished, and the grudges are settled. My vision remains safe and strong. [...] **Edwards**..."*
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> -- The Man in Black's last words before Eric axes him in the back of head
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The **Man in Black** *(real name unknown)*, also known as **Obsidian** in tribal folklore,is a main character and an antagonist who was born after the outbreak in the Extended Universe. He is the leader of the Cult of the Man in Black and has reportedly been sighted all around the US, from as far as Utah to Delaware. A cold, unfeeling and near-mute man, he led a genocidal campaign across the country, wiping out hundreds of communities until a coalition of communities formed to stop him. He serves as the primary antagonist of '*The First State*', *'Apocalypse'* and *'Cataclysm'*, and the secondary antagonist of *'All Is History'*.

Twenty-seven years after the Great Collapse, as the Trinity searched for allies against Twisted Round, it is revealed that the Man in Black is alive and has restored his cult in the name of Thomas Trent, seemingly abandoning his old ways and building a new community in the name of his old nemesis. Nonetheless, it is revealed he has been leading his tribe in raids in the local area to battle Twisted Round.

With the conflict over, the Man in Black finally met his end at the hands of someone he had wronged so long ago.

## Overview

There are many conflicting reports of the Man in Black. Some say he is the personification of Death itself, others that he is not a person at all, but an entity worshipped by the Cult. His face has apparently never been seen, and his voice never heard; all reports say he is never seen without his mask and he speaks through his Listeners, his words being too precious to "waste on the regular insects of the apocalypse". As his name suggests, he dresses entirely in black and wears a metal helmet to conceal his identity.

### Personality

The Man in Black firmly believes that he is the only one who can ultimately save mankind and is willing to go to horrific lengths to succeed in his quest. He is shown to be a totally ruthless, remorseless, tyrannical and sadistic, to the point that he is one of the few antagonists who can genuinely be called evil. Driven to enact a catastrophic event called the "Great Collapse" and bring around the beginning of the Next World, the Man in Black believed that only those he himself considered "strong" were worthy enough to survive the cataclysm.

Due to the self-given position as the saviour of the human race, the Man in Black forbids anyone he considers "unworthy" to see his face and refuses to speak to those he sees as below him or "weak". He usually speaks through his Listeners, a group of his most loyal followers, and very rarely speaks directly to people. He is convinced only those who prove to him that they are "strong" deserve to live in the Next World and are capable of surviving beyond the Great Collapse; those he deems "weak" are murdered on a massive scale. He often forces others to don his mask and coat to act as his doppelgangers, resulting in most of them dying at the hands of the Coalition and showing no remorse for such actions. Another incident involved him destroying an entire community and burning the children at the stake.

When his face is first shown - revealing him to be not much older than his mid 20's - it is revealed that the Man in Black commits his murderous campaigns in order to harden himself to the world and to harden the "strong" to prepare them for the Next World and the dangers that will be present.

After convincing Thomas Trent to help him carry out the Great Collapse, the Man in Black thanks him and, despite his injuries, gets to his feet and flees the chamber, leaving his status unknown. Most presumed he was incinerated as the Sierra Madre detonated and that the threat of the Man in Black was finally over as the world settled into the darkness of a nuclear holocaust.

In truth, it appeared that the Man in Black had managed to escape the Sierra Madre; what happened to him in the resulting decades is not known. However, when the Man in Black is discovered to be alive by the Trinity as they search for allies against Twisted Round, it appears he has adopted a more non-violent and merciful exterior, founding and leading a new group in the name of his old nemesis, Thomas Trent, and the sacrifice he made to create the Next World. As such, he fights to preserve the Next World he helped create, leading his group in their own conflict with Twisted Round. He continues to refuse to talk to those who he deems unworthy but no longer appears to hold the genocidal drive that once made him a feared monster throughout the New World.

Nonetheless, the Man in Black is exposed as the monster he always was, as it is revealed his "peaceful" tribe has been conducting raids on the local area in order to bolster their forces against Twisted Round, leaving the communities they raid at the mercy of the warlord. The Man in Black eventually meets his end, however, at the hands of his supposed ally, Eric Edwards, who, despite all, had not forgotten the crimes the Man in Black committed against his family years before. Spending his final seconds looking longingly at the Next World he helped create, he accepted his death at the hands of Eric, knowing he had finally run out of road after years of avoiding his ultimate fate.

## Post-Apocalypse

Nothing is known about the Man in Black's early life, other than he may have been from California based on his accent. His true name and origins are unknown.

At some point in his life, he discovered the Sierra Madre Military Base and the secrets within: long ago, the US government had commissioned the construction of an unknown number of nuclear fallout shelters in case of a nuclear disaster. Realizing the base was connected to a network of Old World nuclear missiles, he concluded that the New World was destined to die and be purified into the Next World, a clean slate for humanity. As such, he declared himself humanity's saviour and developed a god-complex. He gathered his followers, abandoned his name and identity and became the monster now known as the Man in Black.

## Death

### Killed by:

* Eric Edwards

With Twisted Round defeated and the conflict settled, the Man in Black believes that the alliance's grudges are settled. However, Eric claims that one grudge is not settled: the Man in Black killed his sister. Upon realizing what is happening and remembering his murder of Lucy, he closes his eyes and accepts his death as Eric axes him in the back of the head. The Man in Black goes limp and his body falls over the cliff.

## Killed Victims

* David
* Lucy Edwards *(alive, out of mercy)*
* Numerous counts of zombies and unnamed people

## Relationships

### Thomas Trent

> *"The Next World dawns...**shall we**?"*
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> -- The Man in Black holds out his hand to Thomas Trent
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Despite the two of them being archenemies, the Man in Black expresses immense respect for Trent in the aftermath of the Great Collapse, attributing the realization of his dream of a Next World to Trent and starting a new group in his name.

### Hope Edwards

> *"I am not often wrong. But about you...I might have been,"*
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> -- **The Man in Black decides to spare Hope's life**
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## Trivia

* The Man in Black is revealed to have a California accent.
* He is the youngest primary antagonist in the Extended Universe, being in his mid-20s.
* EDStudios has said that the Man in Black's true name and origins will never be revealed.
* The Man in Black is demonstrated to be one of the series most skilled combatants, at one point being able to take on 25 members of the Coalition.
* His signature weapon is a shortsword and is never seen using guns.
	+ This makes him the only main antagonist to never use a gun.
* The Man in Black has been shown to be one of the most durable characters, having survived being stabbed in the gut repeatedly, beaten so bad he coughs up blood, several blows to the head and a gunshot to the shoulder, and even his neck being run through and slashed.